One of my favourite books on "film analysis" which I have found myself rereading a couple times a year. The focus of the book is Hollywood films of the 1950's and the usually hidden undercurrents running through them. Biskind winds his way through all genres from westerns to science fiction, from so-called "women's pictures" to war films. My one and only complaint about the book is that I wish it was twice as long so it would include even more films. The nice thing about this book is that Biskind's ideas don't seem to be crowbarred into fitting the films; they all arise naturally from a careful viewing of each movie. Biskind's writing style is friendly and very readable; far from dry and esoteric. The book has caused me to seek out and watch movies I probably never would've considered watching i.e. STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND, BROKEN ARROW or ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS. That's probably the ultimate tribute to the book; it makes you want to rush out and see each film discussed. And then, once you have, you'll want to re-read the book again. And again. While the general consensus has been that films in the fifties were mostly bland and unchallenging, Biskind reveals the strong, interesting undercurrents running through almost all of them which most of us overlook. SEEING IS BELIEVING gives these films a richness which often surprises the reader into a whole new appreciation for these old classics we take for granted. . .or perhaps have never truly seen for what they are. Highly recommended. ( )

This book is not like Biskind's most famous book Easy Riders, Raging Bulls which looks at the production of key films in the 60s, with lots of juicy gossip about the directors, stars and writers and the workings of Hollywood. This book instead is an analysis of films of the 1950s in terms of the politics of the time, with sections devoted to close analysis of particular films, which is why I felt I needed to have seen the films in question. The book looks at films mainly in terms of whether they are pluralist/liberal capitalist, conservative, right-wing or left-wing and how that stance influences who is the good guy or the bad guy and what happens at the end of the film. Within this, he looks at consensus, war, sci-fi, gangsters, teenagers, race and gender roles. Its pretty serious stuff.

On the whole, I enjoyed the sections most where I was actually familiar with the film being discussed, which included 12 Angry Men, On the Waterfront, Rebel without a Cause, Mildred Pierce and All that Heaven Allows, as well as the whole chapter on sci-fi. The author's wry humour also shone through in the chapter about The Fountainhead, making this enjoyable reading even though I've not seen the film. I would recommend this book to anyone who has seen most of the films in the book or for anyone studying film academically. ( )

A fun read but 15 minutes after I read it I could not remember the contents in detail. ( )