The Hollywood Studio System

Opening Clip: Love Me Tonight (1932) Today we will be discussing some older films from the “Golden Age of Hollywood.” We will begin by watching a scene from one of my favorite musicals, Love Me Tonight, directed by Rouben Mamoulian. Don’t worry about understanding the lyrics/dialogue. Just pay attention to what you see and feel.

Movie Genres: Updated 1.Drama 剧情片 2.Action 动作片 3.Comedy 喜剧 4.Horror 恐怖片 5.Sci-Fi 科幻片 6.Fantasy 魔幻电影 7.Romance 爱情片 8.Romcom 浪漫喜剧 9.Tragedy 灾难片 10.Western 西部片 11.Doc 纪录片 12.Superhero 超级英雄电影 13.Biopic 传记影片 14.Adventure 冒险 15.Crime 犯罪片 16.Mystery 神秘片 17.Historical 历史片 18.War 战争片 19.Animated 动画片 20.Musical 音乐剧 21.Epic 史诗 22.Thriller 惊悚片 23.Film Noir 黑色电影 24.Experimental 实验电影 25.Message 主题电影 26.Family 生活片 27.Porno 毛片

Movie Genre Guessing Game I will write the English name of one film on the board. (If you don’t know this film, you may ask others around you or use your mobile phone to look it up.) I will then select a name from the class list. If I choose your name, try to name one genre that the film belongs to. Some films have multiple (many) genres, so we will take turns until every possible genre is guessed.

The Hollywood Studio System The Hollywood studio system refers to a time, between the 1920s and 1960s, when movies were produced primarily on filmmaking lots owned by the major studios. Directors, actors, and others involved in movies were held to long-term contracts. The “big five” studios were RKO, Warner Brothers, Fox, Paramount, and MGM.

Beginnings The studio system began in the 1920s, when only silent films were being produced. Watch this scene from F.W. Murnau’s Sunrise (1927), considered one of the masterpieces of silent film. How would you describe it?

The Jazz Singer (1927) Although not entirely in sound, The Jazz Singer was the first feature-length “talkie.” Its success led to sound being introduced more into studio movies.

“Golden Age of Hollywood” The “Golden Age of Hollywood” typically refers to the period, when Hollywood was at its most successful. By 1939, there were 15,000 movie theaters in the U.S. (more than banks), which was twice that of the mid- 1980s.

The Great Depression ( ) During the Great Depression, Hollywood was very successful. The upper-class screwball comedies and musicals, popular at the time, helped audiences to “escape” from the difficulties of their daily life.

Class Divide While many Americans were struggling with poverty and joblessness, top Hollywood stars like Bing Crosby and Claudette Colbert were making more than $400,000 a year (about $7,000,000 today).

Shirley Temple Shirley Temple, considered the first “child star,” was especially popular from 1934 to Franklyn D. Roosevelt remarked on Temple, “During this depression, when the spirit of the people is lower than at any other time, it is a splendid thing that, for just 15 cents, an American can go to a movie and look at the smiling face of a baby and forget his troubles.”

Busby Berkeley The choreographer Busby Berkeley designed many elaborate musical sequences for popular films at the time. His style demonstrates the escapist feeling that audiences wanted to see in the 1930s. Watch this short video featuring some of his Berkeley’s choreography. How would you describe it?

World War II During WWII, many big-name directors, such as John Ford and Frank Capra, were assigned to make “Why We Fight” propaganda films, which were shown to U.S. soldiers before they were sent off to war. During the war, many Hollywood films were made to stir up national pride, although a few made after the war (such as The Best Years of Our Lives) were more pessimistic in tone and theme.

Beginning of the End The studio system received a huge blow in 1948, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that movie production must be separated from distribution and exhibition. By 1954, with television competing for the audience’s attention, the studio system was coming to an end.

All That Heaven Allows (1955) This scene from Douglas Sirk’s romantic melodrama All That Heaven Allows demonstrates the anti-TV bias in Hollywood films at the time. What do you think this scene says about television?

Cinemascope To distinguish itself from television, Hollywood introduced new innovations. One of these was Cinemascope, which widened the frame and gave films an “epic” look. Before 1953, movies were typically presented in 1.375:1 “Academy” aspect ratio. Today most films are presented in widescreen.

The Star System With the studios making less and less money, the 1950s introduced what is known as the “star system.” Movie stars, rather than the studios, became the driving force of popularity. At this point, popular actors began rejecting salaries and instead opted to receive a percentage of a film’s profits, which allowed him to make more money.

To Catch a Thief (1955) In Alfred Hitchcock’s romantic thriller To Catch a Thief, star Cary Grant made over $700,000 by claiming only 10% of the film’s profits. Meanwhile, Hitchcock made less than $50,000.

Star-Attracting Directors However, some directors did receive high paychecks, especially those who could attract big- name stars. Billy Wilder, one such director, earned a lot of money for working with Marilyn Monroe in The Seven Year Itch and Some Like It Hot.

White Elephant vs. Termite Art The film critic and painter Manny Farber, who published many articles in the 1950s, termed these popular directors’ films as “white elephant” art—big, prestigious movies with hollow or shallow centers. In contrast, he saw “termite” art as the more modest films, such as westerns or b-movies, which worked efficiently and expressively within the boundaries of their genres. Many critics still use these terms today when discussing films. A “white elephant” artist would be someone like Steven Spielberg or Zhang Yimou, whereas a “termite” artist would be someone like Alfred Hitchcock or Johnnie To.

New Hollywood (late 1960s- early 1970s) During the 1960s, studios began reissuing old films and making TV movies and b-movies (very low-budget films). Hollywood experienced a severe recession from 1969 to 1971, due to some big-budget flops, but it recovered thanks to the popularity of films like The Godfather (1972) and Chinatown (1974). These films became known as part of the “New Hollywood.” Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway in Chinatown

The Dawn of the “Blockbuster” The huge popularity of Steven Spielberg’s Jaws (1975) and George Lucas’s Star Wars (1977) led to the prominence of the blockbuster. From this point on, Hollywood began to focus on advertising and hyping a fewer number of films, which are often released in the summer or during the Christmas season (the best times of year in America for blockbusters).

Jaws Trailer Watch this trailer for the film Jaws. What do you think are some reasons that led to it becoming the first “blockbuster” film? Steven Spielberg filming Jaws

Questions for Writing and Discussion 1.Is it right/fair for movie stars to receive the highest pay, even more than directors? Why or why not? 2.Many people (such as those in the Great Depression) watch movies to “escape” from reality. Do you think this is the best way to watch movies? Why or why not? What other ways are there to watch movies? 3.What makes a movie a blockbuster? Does a film have to be “good” in order to be a blockbuster, or are there other factors? Explain.