It is 1945. America and the Allied Forces have triumphed over the Nazis, Japan and the Axis countries. World War II has ended, following years of sacrifice.
As the surviving troops returned home, they confronted a changed American culture and society. This hour-long lecture discusses how Hollywood reacted to the nation’s triumph and the public’s different vision for the future. Clips from films like Academy Award-winners The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) and Gentleman’s Agreement (1947) tell the realistic stories of the challenges veterans faced after returning home, and of post-war anti-Semitism.