Description:
Drawing on extensive archival research, In Secrecy's Shadow explores the revolution in the relationship between Hollywood and the secret state, from unwavering trust and cooperation to extreme scepticism and paranoia.
Brief description: Simon Willmetts is a lecturer in American Studies at the University of Hull. His research falls broadly within the fields of film history, cultural theory and US foreign policy.
Review Quotes: Written in an incisive and accessible style, In Secrecy's Shadow is a welcome addition to the growing literature on Cold War cinema. As Willmetts observes, while the CIA's engagement in the cultural Cold War through music, literature, and the visual arts has been well documented, its relationship with Hollywood has received far less attention. In Secrecy's Shadow is also notable for its adept synthesis of scholarship and archival research from academic fields that include intelligence and diplomacy as well as cultural and film studies. This broadly interdisciplinary approach results in a nuanced understanding of the "complex interrelationship between fact and fiction" (16) that has shaped the CIA's place and meaning in American society.'--REBECCA PRIME "FILM QUARTERLY"