Selling Hollywood to the World: U.S. and European Struggles for Mastery of the Global Film Industry, 1920-1950 (Cambridge Studies in the History of Mass Communication) - Softcover

'This is an important book on the political economy of Hollywood.' John Sedgwick, University of London

'... a well-researched synthesis of Hollywood history that adds useful insight to the vibrant field of transatlantic studies ...' American Studies International

'... a rich resource for anyone interested in what has been at stake in the interplay between Hollywood and its rival cinemas ... a well-researched work that enriches our understanding of a complex relationship that continues to impact communities around the world.' Film Quarterly

'Interesting and important ...' Communication Booknotes Quarterly

'Joining the distinguished Cambridge Studies in the History of Mass Communications series, this deserving book takes its place on the shelf with such fine works as Kristin Thompson's Exporting Entertainment. ... Well indexed with a good bibliography and a few stills, this is a book for graduate students, researchers, and faculty.' Choice

'Trumpbour is to be congratulated for never treating complex issues as simple matters of black or white...[his] research is impressive ... and the book has tremendous value for the background it provides on current debates about globalization and Hollywood's continuing domination of the international film scene.' Business History Review

The global expansion of Hollywood and American popular culture in the first decades of the twentieth century met with strong opposition throughout the world. Determined to defeat such resistance, the Hollywood moguls created a powerful trade organization that worked closely with the US State Department in an effort to expand the American film industry's dominance worldwide. This book offers insight into and analysis of European efforts to overcome the American film industry's pre-eminence. It focuses particularly on Britain, Hollywood's largest overseas market of the interwar years; France, a nation with an alternative vision of cinema; and Belgium, which was entrusted by the Vatican with coordination of the international movement against depravity in films. In contributing to the understanding of American popular culture at home and abroad, this study demonstrates Hollywood's role in orchestrating the American Century.