Japanese cinema has definitely changed over the years. In the 1940s the country entered war,

It was estimated that by the late teens of the 20th century, Zukor held 75% of the best talent in the filmmaking business. I was baffled by this statistic when I read it. For one studio to hold ¾’s of the best talent in the industry is nearly a monopoly. Another thing I found interesting was that Fox worked on 70 mm wide-screen techniques. This was thought provoking to me because this summer I saw the film Dunkirk, and my friends and I saw it with the 70 mm wide-screen edition. I had never seen a movie with this wide-screen 70 mm and it was definitely different from a regular screen. Another thing that caught my attention was the connection between film and politics. I was interested to learn that MGM used a film to bring down Upton Sinclair as he was running for office. I was also shocked to read that Charlie Chaplin was not let into the United States because of his progressive political views. I was baffled that a man that was once called the “king of comedy” in the United States was denied entry because of his political

and its allies experienced some success in their campaigns. The messages that films portrayed at the time affected the public's viewpoints on war related topics. During the war years, book, theater and movie industries did record business regardless of the shortages in many consumer goods. Movies in this period provided people with an understanding of the war, whether they were about wartime struggles or heroic figures. They also however provided a way for people to get away from the harsh wartime atmosphere and escape the reality of the war. Films were also created to lifting people’s spirits during the war; for example, the films “Lassie Come Home” and “Miracle on 34th Street” were considered as heartwarming that people forget about their troubles. An article posted on AmericanFilmIndustry.com, films such as “Casablanca”, “Once upon a Honeymoon”, and “The Best Years of Our Lives” communicated, and connected American film viewers to the war that was physically distant, yet emotionally imbedded within them. Americans seemed to visit the theaters not to escape, but to connect themselves with the realities of

The movie theater has a significant influence on the cultural formation of a society. The United States has always been at the forefront of film history, despite not being the first country to develop the art of motion filming. It was through film that the US consolidated the American way of Life in the world. After World War II the United States stepped up their cultural influence, begun in the 1930s and 1940s, using mainly movies. The American cinema began to spread many traces of their own culture such as habits, customs, behaviors, brands and standards of beauty, which was soon absorbed by the countries that bought his films.

This paper was prepared for Introduction to Film History, Module 1 Homework Assignment, taught by Professor Stephanie Sandifer.

America’s political climate during the Cold War greatly influenced America’s depiction of glory in American World War II films from 1949-1980. The three American war films that were picked are films that come from three separate decades of American history. The first film comes from a time where America is plagued by mass hysteria caused by the Red Scare. The second film was developed during the Vietnam war this event created great public distrust in the American government. The third comes from a America that has come to terms with Vietnam and wants to forget and yearns for classic American heros. American Cinema’s portrayal of glory during the Second World War was greatly

All the movies were silent until The Jazz Singer came out in 1927. The next year the first animated sound film produced by Walt Disney came out. It was Steamboat Willie which introduced Mickey Mouse. Other movies in the 1920's were The Gold Rush, The Wizard of Oz, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and The Phantom of the Opera. About three-quarters of Americans went to the movie theaters every week to go see those movies and others.

During first cold war, from late 1940 to mid-1960, most of the Hollywood cinema was influenced by cinemascope spectaculars, family

World War 2 had a powerful impact on America. This included Hollywood as well. Hollywood benefitted from the war, but was also under a lot of pressure cause of the responsibility that fell on its shoulders. Days after Pearl Harbor, the President of the United States gave Hollywood the task to bring the issues of the war to the American people. To inform them of the struggles that lied ahead. Doing what Hollywood does best, which was making and selling films. However the way they were making films required them to change every aspect of how the film industry operated. Hollywood transformed immensely from top to bottom.

During this time the film studios grew in power, new stars and directors were discovered and the eight major studios produced more than 7500 feature films. “These films were released by the studios to audiences eager to be entertained. More than 80 million people attended at least one film per week. This period enjoyed the greatest collection of talent gathered in one place.” (Motion Pictures, The New Encyclopedia Britannica, Chicago, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2001)

Many films were produced in the World War II era showing how Americans lived during that time. Some of the greatest films were produced in this era, for example, Casablanca. Casablanca was released in 1942, and is one of the greatest war movies in American history. It depicts life during the early stages of the war in a neutral Africa. This film attempts to promote the war and succeeds as propaganda. Casablanca portrayed isolation, sacrifice, and the threat of fascism to American society.

Japan didn’t leave WWII unharmed; the war wrecked many of the movie theater. Not only did this war hurt the film industry by destroying the places where they were showed, it also ushered an age of censorship. American occupation left Japanese Cinema restricted. The occupation destroyed and censored all films that portrayed feudalism in a good light. Although Japanese film was hampered by the American occupation during these years they

Studio Ghibli Feature Films and Japanese Artistic Tradition. Retrieved from

The French New Wave during the 1950s and 1960s broke the standards of cinema, and revolutionized the film industry. “During the late 1950s and early 1960s, the New Wave rejuvenated France’s already prestigious cinema and energized the international art cinema as well as film criticism and theory, reminding many contemporary observers of Italian neorealism’s impact right after World War II” (Neupert xv). World War II left in a large amount of debt. At that time, very few films produced outside of France was not allowed to be played into theatres. However, the Blum-Byrnes Agreement signed in 1946 allowed France to ease the burden of debt. The signing of this agreement allowed American products such as films

In the late 19th Century, or Meiji Period (1868-1912), Japan opened itself to the West and allowed the selective assimilation of Western culture and the appropriation of popular Western and European art, music, literature and films etcetera (Olson 2014). Resultantly, traditional Japanese culture declined and domestic reform aimed at changing Japan’s social and economic institutions to be more like Western civilisation took place (Olson 2014). With the abolition of feudalism and introduction of military, samurai eventually lost importance (Olson 2014). This assimilation and loss of identity is commonly explored throughout Japanese cinema: although not reflected in Love and Honour, Yamada’s The Hidden Blade depicts samurai protagonist Munezo Katagiri reluctantly participating in military training drills. Westernisation also dominated Japan’s cinematic style between 1925 and 1945 as Japanese filmmakers, such as director Shouzou Makino (in the 1920s), were using Western technology and appropriating Western filming styles (Olson 2014). Another notable historical influence was the Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear bombings during World War II. Because of fears of holocaust and apocalypse, this tragedy greatly influenced postwar cinema with Japanese films often exploring trauma (not always explicitly about the bombings) and stemming themes of remembrance, understanding and healing (Olson

As the first Japanese film director with international notoriety, Akira Kurosawa had a reputation as an artist and scholar that was tremendously admired. In addition he had remarkable stylistic influence on international filmmaking. Many who are interested in films or filmmaking are deeply impressed by the level of Kurosawa's vision and his numerous film achievements. Also, the universal themes of ethics; and the humanism of Akira Kurosawa's films made him a fantastic representation of Japan's cultural reshaping post World War II. Mr. Kurosawa's work is not confined by politics, age, or