Scholars of film and communication in North America and Britain look at particular cases of movies and television programs made by people in the US who were caught up in the anti-Communist hysteria of the 1940s and 1950s. Of major interest is whether previous critics, particularly Paul Buhle and his collaborators, have made convincing arguments that political sensibilities significantly influenced the works, and if not, whether other arguments might be more convincing. Another issue is the artistic merit of the work. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)