Destructive Sublime: World War II in American Film and Media (War Culture)

The American popular imagination has long portrayed World War II as the “good war,” fought by the “greatest generation” for the sake of freedom and democracy. Yet, combat films and other war media complicate this conventional view by indulging in explosive displays of spectacular violence. Combat sequences, Tanine Allison argues, construct a counter-narrative of World War II by reminding viewers of the war’s harsh brutality. __Destructive Sublime__ traces a new aesthetic history of the World War II combat genre by looking back at it through the lens of contemporary video games like __Call of Duty__. Allison locates some of video games’ glorification of violence, disruptive audiovisual style, and bodily sensation in even the most canonical and seemingly conservative films of the genre. In a series of case studies spanning more than seventy years—from wartime documentaries like __The Battle of San Pietro__ to fictional reenactments like __The Longest Day__ and __Saving Private Ryan__ to combat video games like __Medal of Honor__—this book reveals how the genre’s aesthetic forms reflect (and influence) how American culture conceives of war, nation, and representation itself. "The American popular imagination has long portrayed World War II as the 'good war, ' fought by the "greatest generation" for the sake of freedom and democracy. Yet, combat films and other war media complicate this conventional view by indulging in explosive displays of spectacular violence. Combat sequences, Tanine Allison argues, construct a counter-narrative of World War II by reminding viewers of the war's harsh brutality. Destructive Sublime traces a new aesthetic history of the World War II combat genre by looking back at it through the lens of contemporary video games like Call of Duty. Allison locates some of video games' glorification of violence, disruptive audiovisual style, and bodily sensation in even the most canonical and seemingly conservative films of the genre. In a series of case studies spanning more than seventy years--from wartime documentaries like The Battle of San Pietro to fictional reenactments like The Longest Day and Saving Private Ryan to combat video games like Medal of Honor--this book reveals how the genre's aesthetic forms reflect (and influence) how American culture conceives of war, nation, and representation itself"-- Provided by publisher The American popular imagination has long portrayed World War II as the “good war,” fought by the “greatest generation” for the sake of freedom and democracy. Yet, combat films and other war media complicate this conventional view by indulging in explosive displays of spectacular violence. Combat sequences, Tanine Allison argues, construct a counter-narrative of World War II by reminding viewers of the war’s harsh brutality. Destructive Sublime traces a new aesthetic history of the World War II combat genre by looking back at it through the lens of contemporary video games like Call of Duty . Allison locates some of video games’ glorification of violence, disruptive audiovisual style, and bodily sensation in even the most canonical and seemingly conservative films of the genre. In a series of case studies spanning more than seventy years—from wartime documentaries like The Battle of San Pietro to fictional reenactments like The Longest Day and Saving Private Ryan to combat video games like Medal of Honor —this book reveals how the genre’s aesthetic forms reflect (and influence) how American culture conceives of war, nation, and representation itself. Introduction: A retrospective look at the World War II combat genre -- "No faking here": The new authenticity of wartime combat documentaries -- The "good war"? Style and space in 1940s combat films -- Rationalizing war: Reconstructions of World War II during the Cold War and Vietnam -- Nostalgia for combat: World War II at the end of cinema -- Simulating war on an algorithmic playground -- Conclusion: A bad war? The World War II combat genre now