Background
Toplin, Robert Brent was born on September 26, 1940 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Son of Maurice Cunningham and Janet Rachel (Belsinger) Toplin.
(Just what happens to history when Hollywood film-makers g...)
Just what happens to history when Hollywood film-makers get their hands on it? The nation's film capital is one of our most influential interpreters of history, according to Robert Brent Toplin, so much so that popular movies dealing with historical themes often have a greater impact on the public's thinking than books or lectures. In "History by Hollywood", Toplin examines how film-makers have interpreted American history through their films. Focusing on movies that deal with real events and people, Toplin looks at how writers, producers, and directors became involved in making historical films, what influenced their interpretations of the past, and the responses they have made to the controversies their works have excited. Toplin recognizes the danger of excessive artistic license and understands the importance of creative imagination in designing memorable portrayals for the screen. Basing his analyses on a realistic appreciation of the challenges film-makers face, he effectively measures the strengths and weaknesses of Hollywood's presentation of history. Readers will find food for thought and discussion in Toplin's examinations of "Mississippi Burning", "JFK", "Sergeant York", "Missing", "Bonnie and Clyde", "Patton", "All the President's Men", and "Norma Rae". Robert Brent Toplin, a professor of history at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, is the author of many books and articles on film and history and on United States and Latin American history. He has been principal creator of a number of PBS and Disney Channel films and is film review editor of the "Journal of American History".
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0252065360/?tag=2022091-20
history professor television producer
Toplin, Robert Brent was born on September 26, 1940 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Son of Maurice Cunningham and Janet Rachel (Belsinger) Toplin.
Bachelor of Science, Pennsylvania State University, 1962. Master of Arts, Rutgers University, 1965. Doctor of Philosophy, Rutgers University, 1968.
Assistant professor Denison University, Granville, Ohio, 1968-1974, associate professor, 1976-1978. Associate professor and program director U. Houston-Clear Lake City, 1974-1976. Associate professor of University North Carolina at Wilmington, 1978-1980, professor of history, since 1980.
Project director A HouseDivided, (television series) United States of America: A Television History, President"s in Crisis, The American Frontier.
Visiting professor U. North Carolina-Chapel Hill, 1983. Media advisor National Endowment for Humanities.
Lecturer in field President Williston Junior High School Parent-Teachers Association.
Vice president New Hanover County Parent-Teachers Association, New Hanover County Board Education Grantee or fellow Ford Foundation, 1967, National Endowment for Humanities, 1970, 77-80, 82-89, 90-91, American Philosophical Society, 1970, 81, Denison U. Research Foundation, 1972, Annenberg/Corporation for Public Broadcasting, 1983-1984. Grantee Illinois Humanities Council, 1991.
Fellow American Council Learned Societies, 1991.
(Just what happens to history when Hollywood film-makers g...)
(Book by Toplin, Robert Brent)
(Book by Toplin, Robert Brent)
President Williston Junior High School Parent-Teachers Association. Vice president New Hanover County Parent-Teachers Association, New Hanover County Board Education. Member American History Association (teaching committee 1990-1993), Organization American Historians (member committee on radio, television, film media 1978-1980, Erik Barnouw prize 1985, 87-89), Conference on Latin American History (committee on teaching materials 1978), Erik Barnouw prize committee 1987-1988.
Married Aida Lee Zukowski, September 3, 1961. Children: Cassandra, Jennifer.