easily accessible entertainment source, which led to lower levels of cinema audiences and a drop in studio profits. The change in the moviegoer audience was a big disadvantage for the studios which still operated with their costy musicals and historical big screen films. An audience survey revealed that “in 1968, 48 percent of box office admissions were from the 16–24 age group” (Prince 14). The altered taste of the diverse range of spectators, who started to embrace European and Japanese cinema, affected the attitude of studios tremendously.
Prince notes that the factors which contributed to the onset of the new cinematic production in the United States in the late 1960s “coalesce around two watershed events” (Prince 12). The first one was the revision, then abandonment of the Motion Picture Production Code (or Hays Code). This was a ’handbook’ with moral guidelines enforced by the Production Code Administration. It was in force for more than thirty years with restrictions regarding profanity, nudity, use of firearms and gruesomeness – just to mention a few of the document of this “selfimposed censorship” (Prince 12).
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The Motion Picture Association of America (hereinafter MPAA), an association which represents the major Hollywood studios, hired Jack Valenti as its president in 1966. Thanks to his attempts and approach, the MPAA created a new Code and Rating Administration and the GMRX system of classification which became effective in 1968 (Prince 26). Rating G stood for general audiences, M for mature audiences, R meant the restricted material, for persons under 16 who were admitted with adult guardians only. Finally, X completely prohibited the viewers younger than 16 (“G, M, R, X? - The Origin of U.S. Film Ratings”). This implies that one of the intentions was to set up a system which helps parents to decide on appropriate movies for their
Contrasting with the vinyl records industry, the Australian film industry during the 1960’s-1970s was not as successful as expected, due to the leading of American film industry. Even if it was a small boom in the film industry with movies mainly inspired by the war, it didn’t last long because of the costs of the equipment, imported from America. The movies that people around Australia could see on the 1000 screens around Australia (by 1965) were mostly American and British films for young people inspired in the American lifestyle, like Butch and Cassidy or Easy Rider. In 1961, the pill changed the meaning of sexuality.
Many Americans enjoyed the new films because they provided joy and laughter after the recent war. Most of the films during this time were silent with some background music like a piano accompanying them, but it wasn’t until 1923 when the first movie with an actual soundtrack was produced (“1920s films”). Movie ticket sales went from 50 weekly in 1920 to 90 million weekly in 1929 (“digital history”). New movies were coming out and each was more advanced than the last with new movie stars and ideas influencing the fashion and culture of America. The American people became obsessed with movies and attending the theater became a regular weekend thing to do (Hanson).
Ewen and Ewen show that US film culture went through a significant shift from the 1910s to the 1920s. In the 1910s, movies and movie houses offered spaces and stories that spoke directly to working-class immigrants, and particularly immigrant women. By the 1920s, movies began telling very different stories to immigrant women. According to Ewen and Ewen, in what ways did movies in the 1910s speak to working class immigrants, and in what ways did movies start to tell different stories in the 1920s? Explain how this shift in movie culture relates to the concept of antiseptic electrical space.
The most provident issues of the MPAA comes from its business propaganda which severs ties from public interest. The MPAA force inspires creative individuals into predefined digital confinements in order to line greedy pockets with the donations of those whose political agendas they fulfill. All of which is supposedly in the name of protecting the minds of children. The rating system simply isn’t about content, rather it’s about economic and social power. If the MPAA was truly interested in protecting the innocents of America, they wouldn’t allow children to see R-rated movies even with the accompaniment of an adult.
In the 1915 case of Mutual Film Corporation v. Industrial Commission of Ohio, the Supreme Court observed that motion pictures do not constitute part of the “press” in the State of Ohio. For this reason, motion pictures were held not entitled to First Amendment protection from censorship. This case arose in response to the passing of a statute, whereby
So many American citizens would spend 83 cents of every dollar going to see the movies that were out. Movies became a daily part of American society and one of biggest forms of entertainment. The movies themselves were teaching the people how to dress, talk, and to appear “sexy”. The early films during the roaring twenties were silent. The year that films actually had sound in them was in 1927.
Censorship was at times allowed and even enforced by the United States government. In the early years of film making, censorship was allowed on the grounds that movies were entertainment and not an expression of free speech. Senator Joseph McCarthy's hearings into the political background of artists led to the
Every now and then the art world is struck by a wave of change that leaves a strong impression, which can last for a long time. Visual arts saw the rise of impressionism and cubism, surrealism and realism took literature to an opposite direction, and film has evolved over the years through cultural and artistic development such as expressionism, auteurism and film noir (House, p.61). The 1940s and post World War II gave rise to a new style of American film, these films appeared pessimistic and dark in mood, theme, and subject. The world created within these films were portrayed as corrupt, hopeless, lacked human sympathy, and “a world where women with a past and men with no future spent eternal nights in one-room walk-ups surrounded by the
Without the decision to move the film making associations to Hollywood, the movie industry might not be where it is today. A great population of people migrated to Los Angeles in search for bigger and better production opportunities. In 1910, a movie director,
Forms of entertainment prevalent today, including movies and musicals, are the same forms of entertainment Americans in the early decades of the twentieth century. It wasn’t uncommon for those in the 1920s to use extra income to visit a movie theater, or those in the 1930s to gather to watch a performance in their town to provide a sense of relief from daily hardship. Across these years, there were ample reasons, both good and bad, to absorb multiple forms of entertainment, but it all served a similar purpose: to provide a good time for the audience. Due to both disposable incomes and the need for an “escape” during this period, Hollywood saw a large increase in prevalence, which caused a larger variety of media to be created. In movies released
BBBBBOOOOOOKKKKK The relationship between film and society continue in the 1930’s. With the start of the great depression came the start of the Breen Office. The Breen Office regulated films in the mid 1930’s and the movie makers decided to embrace the American Values the Breen Office was trying to stand for. Sklar states that this new sense of American Values in film helped to “boost the morale of a confused and anxious people by fostering a spirit of patriotism, unity and commitment to national values,” (3597).
In a different view, the movie industry affected the 1920’s all through the modern times by providing viewers amazing entertainment. All in all, ranging from studios, to movie stars, to the luxurious lifestyles of the stars, Hollywood is one unique place that will never be
Since the Wall Street stock market crash in 1929, millions of business went bankrupt and millions of people felt there was no hope for live and would like to give up the life. However, the economic crisis drove people to seek for higher living standard like the popularity of big band and jazz music was increase, as well as photographing, listing to video, watching films and many kinds of entertainment activities. In fact, in the 1940s, it was the golden age of American films. Due to Griffith and Charlie Chaplin and other professional won the world reputation for American films, as well as the Wall Street meddling in the movie industry, Hollywood movie grew rapidly and called for part of the profits. The raised of capital has led to the film
To what extent do Hollywood films reflect social and cultural behavior of America? Outline: History of Hollywood film industry: 1917—1960: the development of Hollywood film industry and characterized most styles to this day: biography, fiction, action, horror, animated, comedy, etc. After the World War One, the America experienced a cultural boom which resulting different forms of culture appears. In order to make films appeal to the audience, various cultural elements were introduced into the production of films.
The Hollywood institution has been the dominant force throughout motion picture history due to the studios’ cooperative control of distribution as well as production. During the 1930’s, five major studios that became known as The Big-Five and