Author to speak on Sam Fuller's war movies

Author Marsha Gordon will discuss the war movies written and directed by filmmaker Sam Fuller when she visits Cantigny Park to discuss "Film Is Like a Battleground: Sam Fuller's War Movies."

Gordon's presentation begins at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 22, in the Visitors Center at Cantigny Park, 1S151 Winfield Road, Wheaton. The presentation and parking are free.

Published this year, Gordon's book details the war movies by filmmaker Sam Fuller, who served with the 1st Infantry Division in World War II. During the war, he established the roots of his cinematographic schooling, including his 16mm footage of the liberation of a Nazi concentration camp.

Fuller went on to become a screenwriter and director, working on many films from the 1940s to his last screenplay in 1994.

"Film Is Like a Battleground" is the first book about the genre that defined Fuller's career. It draws on previously unexplored archival materials to examine the director's lifelong interest in making challenging, thought-provoking and often politically dangerous movies about war.

Gordon's presentation at Cantigny will include film clips from Fuller's work.

The speaker is associate professor of film studies at North Carolina State University. She loves researching, writing and speaking about film history. Gordon holds a master's and doctorate in English (film studies) from the University of Maryland.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Paperback copies of Gordon's book will be for sale in the Cantigny Shop.

The event is part of the First Division Museum's Date with History, a monthly series featuring discussions with authors, panelists, historians and special guests.

For information about the series, visit firstdivisionmuseum.org.