The latter part of the 20th century saw cinema becoming increasingly significant as an art-form, even while its status as 'art' was still openly contested. This installment in the Bloomsbury Adaptation Histories series discusses a rich and exciting period of cinema history: Hollywood in the latter stages of its golden age, releasing masterpiece adaptations such as "It's A Wonderful Life" (1946), "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" (1948), "The Third Man" (1949), "All About Eve" (1950), "Rear Window" (1954), "The Night of the Hunter" (1955) and "Vertigo" (1958). Noted scholar Imelda Whelehan looks at key adaptations released during this period and considers the impact of social change, film consumption and film tastes, as well as noting the most popular genres at this time. As the post-war boom crept over Hollywood, films increased in diversity yet often reflected on a world that had been lost forever. Issues of identity, family life and social cohesion, relations between the sexes and the hidden dangers of Cold War politics all come to the fore, while certain genres - such as the Western, with its narrative focus on frontiers, the sanctity of personal property and understanding one's enemy - enjoy a long period of sustained popularity.