Hollywood History Essay

In the early 1900’s, as films stated centering their focus on profit, large scale studios came onto the film scene. The studios that were discussed in the chapter were: Universal, United Artists, Paramount, Warner Bros, MGM, Fox, Columbia, and RKO. These studios employed some of the biggest names in the film world at the time. Many of these studios are still in business today, and have given prominent actors and directors their shot at fame. Universal was the first studio to move to the west coast. They produced popular films such as The

The Revolutionary war, sparked by the colonist's anger towards taxation without representation, was a conflict between the United States and its mother country Great Britain. This event had been considered the most significant event in the American history. It separated the thirteen colonies from the tyrannical ruling of King George. The revolutionary war was not a big war, "The military conflict was, by the standards of later wars, a relatively modest one. Battle deaths on the American side totaled fewer than 5,000"1. However, the war proved that the thirteen colonies were capable of defeating the powerful Great Britain. Over the years there were many Hollywood films made based on the revolutionary

What were Edwin S. Porter's significant contributions to the development of early narrative film? In what sense did Porter build upon the innovations of contemporaneous filmmakers, and for what purposes?

Sunset Boulevard directed by Billy Wilder in 1950 is based on how Norma Desmond, a huge Hollywood star, deals with her fall from fame. The film explores the fantasy world in which Norma is living in and the complex relationship between her and small time writer Joe Gillis, which leads to his death. Sunset Boulevard is seen as lifting the ‘face’ of the Hollywood Studio System to reveal the truth behind the organisation. During the time the film was released in the 1950s and 60s, audiences started to see the demise of Hollywood as cinema going began to decline and the fierce competition of television almost proved too much for the well established system. Throughout this essay I will discuss how Sunset Boulevard represents the Hollywood

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” is a question that children get asked quite frequently. Most of the time, a child aims big and chooses an extravagant career, like an astronaut, a police officer, or a doctor. Obviously, it is impossible for a child to obtain one of those jobs at such a young age. However, acting in Hollywood is a possible career for a child. If a child is talented enough to be a star, then why not let them pursue their passion? While the life of being an actor in Hollywood seems like a dream to most children, fame comes with many terrible obstacles for some stars. Over the years, there has been a large debate on whether or not acting in Hollywood as a child is as picture-perfect as it seems. Hollywood is filled with tons of secrets. Why should a child be put into such an untrustworthy environment? Acting in Hollywood is in no way safe for children.

The film industry operates in a continuous cycle, searching for the newest and best pieces to make their movies creative, interesting, and marketable. Historically, the film industry attempts to follow a set structure in an attempt towards success in such a volatile market, however, this approach creates a system much like that of Ford’s Model-T production line, invented in the 1910s, which involved each worker on the line doing a single job. Only a few years later, during the 1920s and 1940s, the film industry showed that they adopted a similar approach to their industry, with each person—actor, director, producer, writer, etc.—performing a distinct role. In the late 1920s, as Hollywood transitioned from silent films to “talkies”, actors and actresses were met with the challenge of adapting to a new role and many of them no longer fit the role required by the growing Hollywood machine. The film Sunset Boulevard (Billy Wilder, 1950) explores and critiques the landscape of the hierarchy and harsh realities of Hollywood. In the same vein as many films of the film noir style, the mood of pessimism and fatalism reflected in the form parallels the reality of many people in Hollywood during the 1900s.

Film makers use many historical events to spark up and idea for a movie. One historical event that is commonly used is war. One advantage a film maker has when using war as a movie plot is that there is already a lot of drama in war. This may seem like a good advantage for the film maker, however focusing on all of the drama of war leaves much of the actual info. When watching a war movie, you may feel like you have an understanding about the war, but when you really compare a war movie to an actual war you find that there is a lot of factual information left out. One may ask why would directors and film makers leave out the facts of war and focus on the drama? After reading The Faces of Battle by John Keegan and reviewing war movies

Glory is a movie about the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, one of the first official all black units in the United States during the Civil War. It’s an inspirational story of how a young Union soldier, Robert Gould Shaw, is offered the chance to lead an army unit that will change not only his life, but the lives of many other Americans.

The Alamo was one of the most astounding and critical battles of our country. Its men were ruthless in their bravery and love of their country. Their mission for independence lives on in the hearts of all American’s today. Their legacy lives on forever and their courageous souls are still in the heart of the people of the lone star state. This is the story of bravery, love, tyranny, and liberty. This is the story of the Alamo

For my arcival project I chose to research the Hollywood Ten, I chose this because I am fascinated by the events of that occurred around this time and group. The Hollywood Ten was a group of writers, directors, and other artists who bravely refused to answer questions in front of the House of Un-American Activities and were therefore sentenced to jail time and banned from working in Hollywood. The actions of that the House of Un-American Activities and the resistance of the Hollywood Ten raised attention and a debate across the country about the actions that the government was taking against Hollywood artists.

The "star system" was a method of developing and advancing the popularity of Hollywood movie stars. The system, which began during the height of the Hollywood studio system era, emphasized the image of the actor instead on the actual acting. The movie studio's profits were driven by the popularity of the stars that appeared in their films. According to Rocco, the stars had long term contracts with the movie studios that paid them a weekly salary, and the stars were identified with specific types of characters that would often be repeated in many movies. Belton stated that "the star provides the studio with a tangible attraction, an image that can be advertized and marketed, offsetting the less tangible qualities of the story, directing,

What is the first thing one does after they have just finished a movie? After exiting the theatre and throwing out popcorn bags, something that typically happens after the film’s end is a discussion between moviegoers. Typically this discussion attempts to poke holes at the film, searching for anything that could be perceived as slightly off-centre. In this back-and-forth conversation, usually someone says something along the lines of “What was the point of this scene?”. In a certain sense, this question is very conventional, that is, assuming the film followed Classical Hollywood convention.

Hollywood’s Golden Age started when major studios had survived the financial crisis of the 1920s, and decided not to be put in that kind of situation by introducing the contract system to all of their employees. This strategy assured that the studios where less likely to be exposed to high risks, and where sometimes more in favor of the studios. With total power over productions the studios where able to keep production costs at a manageable levels, as well as exclusive rights to certain stars of the era. Even thought employees who were part of the contract system enjoyed steady employment, compensation, and other benefits, the studios reserve the right to cancel or void any contract at their discretion sometimes without merit. Everything about

One way we can assess change is to look at media representation and how it follows everyday life in a way. Hollywood is not always the best place to find the most authentic experiences but for the issue of change in rights for the African American community in the United States, progress can be traced through media representation. Media representation can seem like a small thing but overall it can be an indicator of social change in people having more access to the possibilities. All of these things can be seen in the changes from 1940 to the 1990s, in movie roles being offered to black actors and finally the swell of black lead TV shows in the 80s and 90s. Through the trials of these black actors and their respective programs, any change in

Located to the northwest of Los Angeles, Hollywood is known as a center of film history representing the entertainment and film industry of United State. The Hollywood Boulevard is also a home of many movie stars who are famous all over the world and supported by lots of fans. To satisfy the fans’ dream of seeing their idols in person, in 1965 the Hollywood Wax Museum was built and made up with the wax figures featuring the replicas of celebrities.