ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book addresses that subject, probing ordinary Westerners’ feelings about colonialism, decolonization, and race relations in the crucial period of the 1960s and early 1970s. It seeks to show both the commonalities and differences among American, British, and French colonial experiences and attitudes. The book analyzes public expression on colonial issues, examining the films themselves and the published responses of critics and others. It examines Hollywood’s treatment of colonial and racial issues in one pivotal moment. The book explores the difficulties of transcending the conventions of a colonial-adventure genre that foregrounded white heroism. Filmmakers’ need to placate censors, secure state funding, and gain access to colonial locations induced them to cooperate with governments and colonial authorities, though many needed little prodding to support their countries’ work in the colonies.
