American Prestige E233 - Film and Cold War Industrial Power w/ Alice Lovejoy
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Jan 20, 2026 Alice Lovejoy, a professor of film and media studies, dives into the intriguing relationship between cinema and the military-industrial complex. She explores how World War I reshaped film production through chemical industries, detailing Kodak's pivotal role. Lovejoy uncovers the dual-use nature of chemicals, revealing how innovations in film safety were tied to wartime technologies. She also highlights the moral dilemmas faced by companies like Kodak during the Cold War, illustrating how film history is deeply woven with military and environmental narratives.
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Film As Chemical Industry
- Film's material form is integral to its history, not just its images or narratives.
- Alice Lovejoy shows film manufacture ties directly to military chemistry and industrial power.
WWI Spurs U.S. Chemical Rise
- The U.S. chemical industry expanded during WWI when German imports were cut off.
- Kodak developed cellulose acetate to replace flammable nitrocellulose and enabled safer film and airplane coatings.
Kodak's Vertical Integration Move
- Kodak responded to antitrust limits by vertically integrating into suppliers of raw materials and chemicals.
- The company bought chemical plants to secure inputs for film and diversified into plastics and rayon.
