You have not been recognized as a subscriber to JAH online. About 189 words from this article are provided below; about 332 words remain.
 
If you are a individual member of the Organization of American Historians, you may:
• login here if you have already registered for online access.
• Or if you're already logged in register your subscription.
• Set up your online account for the first time.

If you are not a member of the Organization of American Historians, you can:
• Join the OAH and receive many member benefits including print and electronic issues of the Journal of American History.
• Purchase a research pass to gain two-hour access to the entire History Cooperative web site. You will have full access to current issues of the Journal of American History (86.1-present). Note: the Research Pass does not provide access to JSTOR's holdings of the Journal of American History.

Instititutions can:
•  Subscribe to this journal and receive print and electronic issues.
• Activate your existing subscription so that we recognize your IP number ranges.
| Movie Review | The Journal of American History, 93.3 | The History Cooperative
93.3  
Journals link Search link Partners link Information link
December, 2006
Previous
Next
The Journal of American History

Table of Contents
List journal issues
Home
Get a printer-friendly version of this page
 


Movie Reviews



Ten Days That Unexpectedly Changed America: Gold Rush. Dir. by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman. Prod. by Michael Ehrenzweig. History Channel, 2006. 60 mins. (A&E Home Video, P.O. Box 2284, South Burlington, VT 05407; 888-423-1212; http://www.store.aetv.com/)

The California gold rush has a free-floating existence in American history. It comes unexpectedly out of nowhere in the story of American development and disappears just as suddenly in the growing crisis of the Civil War. The musical Paint Your Wagon (1969) depicts the rush as an early Animal House (1978), and it is assumed that, like the college students of that film, most miners will grow up to live more sensible lives elsewhere. 1
      The inclusion of the California gold rush in the History Channel series Ten Days That Shaped America suggests that the gold rush may finally get the public recognition that it deserves as part of the development of the United States. Unfortunately, the film falls far short of this goal. The film can be divided into three parts: the journey to California, the experience in California, and the rise of the transcontinental railroad. . . .

There are about 332 more words in this article. Please log in (or, if you are not yet an authorized user, please go to the User Setup page) to gain full access rights. Or if you're already logged in register your subscription.