U.S.'s Influence on British Cinema Culture Between 1930 and 1980
Britain and America have always had a very close relationship that could have stemmed from a number of different things. The English discovered America, they both speak the same language and the fact that America helped Britain in the first World War may have played an important part in why the two countries are so close. Due to this close bond or the 'special relationship' between the countries, over time we have influenced each other endlessly but perhaps none more so than the influence that America has had over British cinema between the 1930's and 1980's.
Since the late 1800's and early 1900's, Britain has made a great deal
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More British film companies emerged after this act was passed to ensure that they could meet the requirements. Two companies in particular, British International Picture and Gaumont Picture Company emerged shortly afterwards to help provide the required number of British films. As these British films had to be produced by a British film company, some of them were of low quality because they did not have funding from America. British films therefore gained a reputation for being of low quality and generally poor.
However this changed leading up to and during the second World War when people increasingly went to the cinema to keep spirits high whilst everywhere else there was devastation. The war became the golden age in British cinema despite cinemas being closed at first but reopening as a means of escape from life at the time. The types of film that were shown ranged from comedies to thrillers such as Alfred Hitchcock's The Thirty Nine Steps. It was during this time that the government realised how much money could be made in the film industry and began to put more money towards making and producing films. There were also a great deal of American films at this time but this was to change after the war. Britain put a tax on all American films to
The article says that after 1929 Hollywood cinema experienced a breakdown due to the Cold War and the Depression and between 1915 and 1960 over 15 000 feature films were made in America
Have you ever had one of those days that were so bad that you desperately needed a night at the ice cream or candy store? The 1970’s was that really bad day, while the night of self- indulgence was the 1980’s. Americans love to escape from our daily stress, and of all the products that allow us to do so, none is more popular than the movies. Movies are key cultural artifacts that offer a view of American culture and social history. They not only offer a snapshot of hair styles and fashions of the times but they also provide a host of insights into Americans’ ever-changing ideals. Like any cultural artifact, the movies can be approached in a number of ways. Cultural historians have treated movies as a document that records the look and
Everyone in America, even the most troubling of poverty families attended movies. With a movie to watch, Americans sought refuge in a fantasy world. Films during this time were a perfect distraction. Not only for audiences but also for the artist creating their work. It was extremely
To begin with, some background information on movies and Hollywood in the 1920’s. In the 1920’s, movie attendance soared (The Rise of Hollywood par. 4). As stated in the introduction, with the influx of money in the American economic system, the average person also had an influx of time on their hands. The normal solution was to spend that time on entertainment and movies were the perfect way to do that. By the mid-decade, movie attendance rose to fifty million and only increased from then. The five main movie studios were Warner Brothers, Paramount, MGM, RKO Radio Pictures, and 20th Century Fox (Dirks 1). Before these studios were formed, every aspect of making movies was separated into different companies. The aspects may include filming, editing, or distributing. With the spark of interest in movies, these five companies took it upon
As mentioned before, Vancouver is one of the most popular provinces for film production and is often disguised to look as if it was shot in American City. This is because Canadian filmmakers rarely receive similar financial support and market distribution as a well-known American filmmaker would. For example, the National Film Board of Canada exists to ensure that Canadian film was receiving equal exposure in the film industry as well as making sure that audience in Canada and around the world had content that reflected Canadian culture and beliefs. According to NFB website, they exist to “ produce and distribute and to promote the production and distribution of films designed to interpret Canada to Canadians and to other nations”().What this
While the 1950s initiated the economic prosperity America has now, there were cultural side effects. As America’s capitalism and consumerism expanded, the social and political outcomes changed drastically with the new era. Not only did politics influence a mindset change in the 50s, with the fear of communism on the rise which resulted in “a hysterical fear that has led the United States to spy on its own citizens…” (Zinn.1). While political fear was heightened, economics flourished due to the ever growing capitalist industry where “...demand for consumer goods together with increased purchasing power… [and] the appearance of new and modernized industries ranging from electronics to plastics” (Diggins.75). Both Howard Zinn, author of “Declarations
After World War II, the American motion picture studios began releasing films shot in black and white, with a high contrast style known as Film Noir. Though the roots of this style of film was greatly influenced by the German Expressionist movement in film during the late 1910-early 1920’s, and films that resembled this style were made prior to the war, including the early films by Fritz Lang, a German director who fled Germany prior to the war to work in America, this film style would become prevalent during the post WWII era. Besides the shadowed lighting style and the psychologically expressive mise-en-scène, the film noir plot-lines often surrounded crime dramas and were greatly influenced by the pulp fiction novels of the period by authors like Dashiell Hammett and
1960s cinema reflected the good and the bad of the decade. 1960s cinema influenced many of the films we have today. 1960s cinema brought attention to movie musicals, which were movies that had many song and dance numbers along with dialogue and blocking. Three of the biggest hits of the decade were movie musicals. Some of the decade’s biggest hits, including the movie musicals, are still popular today. In the 1960s, there were many popular movies, both in theaters and on television, which were produced with money and lots of work. However, 1960s cinema also had a downfall.
In the 1950s America and Britain influenced Australia’s popular culture in a number of ways. Although Australia’s national identity is evident in every part of popular culture, America and Britain both had a significant impact on the development of Australian culture since World War Two. Throughout out the decade they changed the way people thought about Australian fashion, music and entertainment. Fashion was based around celebrity images and American cinema and television became a big hit.
In chapter two of The Cultures of American Film, the main focus is the establishment of studios. As demand for films rose in the early 1900’s, production companies needed to expand; this lead to the creation of large scale studios.
Back in the 1920s people had receive news and entertainment through the radio, which then in turn out-shined newspapers and magazines. Now day’s social media sites have become the most popular form to get the news and information. The biggest tool in the media that generates revenue by the millions every day, is advertising. The media has its way of showing us constructive information when it comes to news channels, travel and other educational shows. Kids benefit from watching these, since it can boost self-esteem, heighten interest levels in a particular subject, or encourage them to ask relevant questions.
It appealed to the people of britain, because of nationalism. In the movie it showed that percy was better than one of the french leaders of the terror, Chauvelin. In every encounter with Chauvelin Percy would always outwit him and dress better than Chauvelin. This shows that the french are not as good as the british and that Britain is one of the best countries in the world and that nobody can beat them in smarts or style.
During the early 1900s, the film industry had just gained popularity but the films during this era were drastically different from films today. Films during this time were done in white and black, were much shorter, and were without sound. In this silent film era, no star shined brighter than that of Charlie Chaplin. Chaplin is without a doubt the biggest name of film during this or possibly any era. In fact, Chaplin should be considered the greatest influence of the film industry in the 1920s because of his fame in silent film, his career as a director, his controversial satire, and the popularity of The Tramp.
Genre is a reflection of society. Film noir is a genre that has a distinctive relationship with the American society from 1941 - 1958 because it reflects America’s fears and concerns from when they experienced major upheaval after The Great Depression and during World War I. In particular, the unstable atmosphere from the aftermath of World War 1 as Bruce Crowther, author of the book ‘Film Noir: Reflections in a Dark Mirror’, elaborates on how Film Noir films produce “a dark quality that derived as much from the character's depiction as from the cinematographer’s art.” These dark moods are transparent through the key features of the femme fatale, the film techniques and the impact of the Hay’s code on American film and American society.
America has the oldest film industry, and also the largest in revenue. It has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century.