Invasion USA (1950-1960)

Origin: This film was released in 1952, and IMDb reports that it was directed by Alfred E. Green. It stars Gerald Mohr, Peggy Castle, and Dan O'Herlihy. It tells the story of a Soviet invasion of the United States and shows the struggle of the characters. This film is still in black and white, but contains sound and dialogue. It was during this decade that color was being tested and introduced, but it was costly, and black and white films worked just fine.

Purpose: The film was released during the Cold War, where rising tension and fear of invasion were common between the US and the USSR. During this time, a lot of anti-soviet and anti-communist film was being released, which made this film one of many Hollywood cold war films. The film portrays people in a bar who end up being hypnotized to believe that the Soviets have invaded the US, and shows their struggle and misery because of it. At the end of the film, the characters wake up and thy hypnotist tells them that this s what will happen if there isn't action taken against them.

Value: This film talks a lot about the Cold War. The enemy is really unnamed in the film but is clearly the Soviet union. The film shows the feeling of fear during the war and the protest against invasion. It hints at the encouragement of the US that Hollywood produces anti soviet propaganda films. People turn their factories into places that produce tanks, and other things that help the US effort, in order to show what citizens should be doing to help. It also touches on the fear of nuclear war, with many references to nuclear weapons made in the film.

Limitations: This movie doesn't talk a lot about many aspects of the Cold War, such as the space race. It also doesn't discuss fear of espionage, and the battle between the US and the USSR of gaining countries to either side (where the concept of third-world countries appeared). It also doesn't talk about other countries participation, along with pre existing conditions that lead up to the war.

Sources:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044750/technical?ref_=tt_dt_spec
http://tradshad.wordpress.com/writings/cold-war-influences-on-american-culture-politics-and-economics/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9C72ISMF_D0