Ben Dickenson tells the story of the corporate take-over of the movies in the 1970s, and the subsequent transformation of Hollywood into the dominant force in the global media industry. He demonstrates that left-wing messages smuggled their way into movies in the 1980s, found a fuller voice in independent American cinema during the 1990s and flirted with mainstream popularity at the start of the new millennium. Bringing the story up to and through the 2004 Presidential elections, he reveals how important Hollywood figures have become key members of a vigorous leftâ┚¬â€œwing opposition to George W. Bush’s Presidency.Wahoo! Actual opposition to the neocons. Friends in high places. Good! The book has just been released in the US, and the reviews have been excellent in Britain. Check it out.
Ben emailed:
The book is out in the US in March and after its UK release (last December) it has been mentioned in the Sunday Times, Guardian, Observer, Irish Times, Empire, on BBC Radio 4 and in Le Monde. The reviews have mostly been good, with the exception of those taking political pot-shots at my contentions. Interesting isn’t it, that some people mask a political disagreement behind a weak criticism of the text itself…especially when their criticism is based on faulty evidence! Oh well, guess that’s what happens when you put your work out there!
When the inevitable attacks are that clumsy, it means you’ve been an effective advocate and they have nothing of substance to counter with.