Moving toward a New Hollywood<\/p>\n\n\n\n
CinemaScope and Vista Vision, Cinerama,3-D:<\/strong> Studios wanted to make the screen appear bigger alongside better resolution in order to distinguish films from television. The CinemaScope and Vista Vision were widescreen technologies created to change the aspect ratio in movie theaters. The aspect ratio for flat or non-scope films changed from 1.33:1 to 1.85:1. Then the aspect ratio for Scope changed to 2.35:1. A new wide-field format was introduced known as Cinerama, and this format projected films six times their size onto curved screens. The curved screen and massive picture allowed audiences to feel as if they were inside of the movie. 3-D movies were also experimented with and these films gave the viewer simulated depth, but they had to wear special plastic glasses. (Lewis 240)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stereophonic Sound:<\/strong> Stereophonic sound was pioneered in the 1940\u2019s, but was perfected in the 1950\u2019s. Many theaters around America had sound systems that were stronger than the tv boxes in most homes. This meant that movie theaters allowed for audiences to have clearer and sharper sounds compared to their own home. (Lewis 240)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alfred Kinsley\u2019s two \u201creports\u201d and censorship in Hollywood:<\/strong> Censorship in Hollywood was still using the production code that was created in the 1930\u2019s. This code was written by a Jesuit priest and a devout Catholic journalist. It was thought that all film and television must be suitable for all ages. Then in 1953 Alfred Kinsley released two reports, Sexual Behavior in the Human Female<\/em> (became a best seller) and Sexual Behavior in the Human Male<\/em>. By chace in the same year of 1953 many hollywood films were released showing more mature themes. This was in direct contradiction to the code established in the 1930\u2019s. This was incredibly risky for the theaters since they did not have a seal of approval from the Production Code Administration. This risk, however, made theaters increasingly popular since there was nothing mature being shown on television, thus saving the theater industry. Many of these films shown in theaters across America were released without PCA seals of approval. (Lewis 240-241)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Industry Shakeup<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mid-1960\u2019s European made films:<\/strong> During the mid-1960\u2019s European made films began their popularity in America. Some popular European films at the time were the James Bond 007-spoof Casino Royale<\/em> and the Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns. One example of how European films were dominating the American box offices was that in 1967 the top four films were The Dirty Dozen, You Only Live Twice, Casino Royale, and A Man for All Seasons<\/em>. All of the films listed were made and produced overseas. The European films did do well with reviewers and audience members in America, but the PCA saw problems with it. Only One film out of the top six most popular overseas films had an effortless time with the PCA. The sudio\u2019s started to rely on overseas films, but the PCA was also getting increased problems. The MPAA president Jack Valenti blamed American film reviewers for not supporting American made Hollywood movies. He insisted that they had been charmed by European films. Valenti\u2019s worries were also a small part of the concern of content regulation. (Lewis 243 – 244)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jack Valenti and the New MPAA:<\/strong> The code that was made in the 1930\u2019s was specifically created to make every film suitable for audience members of all ages. The industry changed in the 1950\u2019s and studios started to understand that films can be profitable when targeted towards specific audiences. The MPAA made its first motion towards changing its code Jack Valenti was made the president of the MPAA since he was an advertising man by trade. The test case that Valenti looked over was the adult-themed movie Who\u2019s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?<\/em> (Mike Nichols, 1966). Valenti was uncomfortable censoring this work since it was important, and the process left him unwell since he saw it wrong for grown men to be examining every letter in a screen play. (Lewis 248 – 249)<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFor mature Audiences\u201d Label:<\/strong> more Adult-themed movies started getting produced and by 1966 six films obtained the newest MPPA label For Mature Audiences. The MPAA stated that no one under the age of 18 is allowed to watch these films unless they are guided by a parent. Mature rated films increased exponentially from 1966 (six films) to 1967 (fourty-four films). One year after the 1968 MPAA\u2019s new film rating system about 60 percent of films released had the Mature Audiences tag since a vast majority of Mature films were successful at the time. Only some films were not allowed a production seal, and the film that made the old MPAA code redundant was Antonioni\u2019s Blow-Up<\/em>. This film showed full-frontal nudity which caused major problems with Valenti since he would only allow a seal if they cut the full-frontal nudity scene. The film was already shipped out worldwide and was a success overseas and in America. To avoid a fine from the MPAA the studio distributed the film stating that it was a wholly owned and operated subsidiary. The film grossed seven times the amount it took to make and it exposed the irrelevance of the 1930\u2019s code. Right after the successful release of Blow-Up<\/em> Valenti began his new age-based rating system. (Lewis 249 – 250)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Genre\u2019s in the late 1950\u2019s and 1960\u2019s<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Western:<\/strong> As the theaters were going through a slump the only constant genre that generated money was the western. The main themes of Westerns usually had oppositions such as Violence versus idealism, bonds between others versus idea of isolation, and progress versus nostalgia. Western stories typically have a world where right and wrong are clear and justice can be upheld. Many films from this genre have the main character versus society, which was a common issue of men in the postwar years. Many men found that their home\/country had been changed while they were at war, and most had a hard time adapting to middle class life. Many male filmgoers at the time saw nostalgia when the films featured a bygone era where many problems got solved to a masculine code. Many of the stories were set half a century into the past, but Westerns were seen as a timely genre in 1950. (Lewis 251 – 252)<\/p>\n\n\n\n John Ford:<\/strong> One of the best directors of westerns is John Ford. Ford directed Hollywood\u2019s first massive western film, The Iron Horse<\/em> (1924). Ford then won a Directing Oscar for The Informer<\/em> in 1935. In 1939 Ford was always connected to the Hollywood western and became one of the biggest stars of westerns in 1939 with the film Stagecoach<\/em>. Most of Ford’s American Westerns were about the analysis of human behavior under immense mental pressure. Most of the focus in Ford\u2019s films are men at the end of their rope and looking for a place that they belong, and is not changing with the rest of the world. Ford also based his stories around sin and redemption, and one of his best films is The Searchers<\/em> (1956) where the film stars John Wayne as Ethan Edwards. Many of Ford\u2019s westerns were incredibly racist to the point of showing Native Americans as savages. (Lewis 251 – 254)<\/p>\n\n\n\n John Wayne:<\/strong> Wayne\u2019s first big role was in Stagecoach<\/em>, and he made the most out of the role as he could. Another film that John Wayne starred in was The Searchers<\/em>, as Ethan Edwards. John Wayne plays a tough and capable guy, however these characters are also sociopaths. Ethan Edwards is seen as Wayne\u2019s most stubborn performance and it is Wayne\u2019s most humble role of the films he starred in. By this time he was already a popular Actor and was a massive member of the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals. This organization was made to fight against Communist influences on Hollywood. Wayne would also support America being in Vietnam, in contrast to his political leanings, his portrayal of a reformed racist served a passionate and politically progressive message in the film. Majority of his best westerns happened when he was older than 40. His fame apexed after his middle age as well. Majority of his most memorable films were as main characters on their final straw, and realizing that the world around them is changing without them. At 62 Wayne won an Academy Award for the performance in True Grit<\/em> (Henry Hathaway, 1969). (Lewis 251 – 254)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Teenagers and Teen Movies:<\/strong> Since there was an absence of a mass market at the time executives decided to experiment with targeted films. Teen films were interesting to these executives since they can transcend both class and race. Most teenagers had disposable income and massive leisure time. Most studios also saw the teen market as an investment since getting the youth to go to the movies made good business sense. (Lewis 255)<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Wild One:<\/strong> The teen film that was the first one to be successful was The Wild One<\/em> (Laszlo Benedeck, 1953). This film started the formula of a Sensational and documentary that can be found in many teen films. The film portrayed American teenagers as out of control, disaffected, and disillusioned. The film show\u2019s youth subculture of the 1950\u2019s and it is seen as an adherent politically conservative film. Many Teens who see this typically side with or identify with Johnny. (Lewis 255 – 256)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rebel Without a Cause:<\/strong> Nicholas Ray Released Rebel Without a Cause<\/em> two years after The Wild One<\/em>. This film was produced using widescreen technology and it closely resembles the movie-message melodramatic formula that was popular in this time period. The cliche of an alienated teenager is a common theme and basic stereotype in modern America, it was not in the 1950\u2019s. When this film hit theaters the press just started to realize the sensation that was teen culture. Nicholas Ray intended that this film would be a wake up call for parents of all classes to start listening and taking care of their kids, and it worked. The reasoning for this is that many kids are like Rebel Without a Cause<\/em> when left alone. (Lewis 256 – 257)<\/p>\n\n\n\n West Side Story:<\/strong> One of the two successful musicals in the 1960\u2019s was West Side Story<\/em> (Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise, 1961). Both of the successful musicals showed that box-office recovery was possible, but they had the style of classical American movie making. They also showed that Broadway is calling for a revival, for an older nostalgia audience. This film won 10 Academy awards when it was released. The rewards it won were Best picture, Best Director, and Best Actress\/Actor in a supporting role. Even though the film had the classical American movie making themes, it felt modern at the time. Robbins and Wise used widescreen technology in order for the song and dance sequences to feel more alive. The ending of the film is scarily similar to Romeo and Juliet<\/em>, it has an incredibly modern feel to it. (Lewis 264)<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Sound of Music:<\/strong> The other successful musical in the 1960\u2019s was The sound of Music<\/em> (Wise, 1965). This Film shares some qualities of West Side Story<\/em>, such as it too won Best Picture and Best Director at the Oscars, even though it was released four years after West Side Story<\/em>. Wise used Todd-AO technology, which allowed the film to be produced in widescreen. This made the picture inside of the film to feel more colourful and alive. The film had completely and effectively appealed to the wartime generation, but the director completely ignored and even resisted the youth culture that was rising at the time. A year prior to the film releasing the popular rock band the Beatles took American culture by storm. The Sound of Music\u2019s<\/em> advertising team took advantage of this bad situation and promoted the fact that the film highlighted the music of older generations right as rock and roll was becoming popular. (Lewis 264 – 265)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Transcending Genre, and Transcending Hollywood<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alfred Hitchcock (and his main films):<\/strong> Alfred Hitchcock used to live in England before moving to Hollywood in 1940. He was known for his expressionist style of lighting, especially in his most popular American suspense film, Psycho<\/em> (1960). Hitchcock is incredibly important to American film in both terms of quality and quantity. Some films that many see from Hitchcock include Rear Window<\/em> (1954), Vertigo <\/em>(1958), <\/em> and Psycho<\/em> (1960). One theme that is prevalent in his films is mistaken identity. He uses this theme to show the horror of false accusations and the struggles it takes to clear one\u2019s name. He also enjoyed ending things in high places most times. This is shown well in Vertigo<\/em> when the characters ascend to high places, not just the disease, but also a weakness, disorientation,and fatigue. Hitchcock loved to show an opposition to absolute morality. This is evident in Rear Window<\/em> where a Peeping-tom is the hero. The Peeping-Tom helps solve a murder mystery and also helps prevent a woman from killing herself. Hitchcock proved that he also liked to sink his teeth into the world of psychological horror with crime and punishment. One example of this is Psycho<\/em> where Norman Bates is insane because of the abuse and abandonment from his mother. This film also produced Hitchcock’s most famous movie sequence in the history of American Cinema. The shower scene took 78 camera setups and was filmed over a course of seven days with 52 cuts. The amount of dedication put into a scene that only lasted a few seconds is always put into high regard when talking about Hitchcock. He is regarded as one of America\u2019s masters of suspense. He was also a very successful studio director since he was able to constantly give both audiences and studio executives what they expected or wanted from him. (Lewis 266 – 276)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jerry Lewis:<\/strong> Lewis appeared in 16 of the top 20 pictures. No comedian of the sound era has been able to achieve this before or since this. In the modern USA of today he is regarded as the best comedian who used to appeal to children. Lewis was in the top ten box office from 1951 to 1956, then after he split from Martin from 1957 to 1959, then again from 1961 to 1963. He was one of the most important and popular comedians of his time, often compared to the likes of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. Lewis\u2019s films that he stars in are hard to disregard in the world of today. These films have timeless gags and slapstick that is seen as unageing. The anarchy shown in the films speak volumes about a culturally repressed America. (Lewis 276 – 277)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Marilyn Monroe:<\/strong> Marilyn Monroe is the most talked about star from and of the 1950\u2019s. She left more of a mark than the directors whenever she starred inside of a film. Her persona in the film world is a combination of a wide-eyed innocence and mature sexuality not seen before. She was one of the most important things in American pop culture at the time in the 1950\u2019s, and she was subjected to fascination both on and off screen. When she was just starting her film career, and when it was taking off, a photographer had taken nude photographs of Monroe years priror for a pinup calendar. This photographer started to threaten Monroe that she would release the photos to the press. She responded by being media savvy and held a press conference and confessed the full story. She did pose nude for the pinup, but it was only because she was broke and needed the money to buy her car back. The story caused the masses to rally behind Monroe instead of scorning her. Monroe had to have a brief sabbatical and came back to the film world in the film Some Like It Hot<\/em>. During the production of the film Monroe behind the scenes showed a more horrid side to her personality. She was constantly late, took way too long preparing for herself, and habitually conferred in private with her acting coach causing the entire studio to wait on her. Many stated that she was the meanest woman in Hollywood and that kissing her was akin to kissing Hitler. The press only wanted to view the story in one direction, Monroe became an outrageous diva. Monroe\u2019s health was in poor condition in 1958 and her ability to deal with the pressure of filmmaking had worn thin. The Misfits<\/em> was Monroe\u2019s last film, and her behavior was worse than the previous films. Her performance was still excellent, but working with her was a horrible nightmare for the studio. In 1962 Monroe was so stressed out from filmmaking since she could not handle it anymore that her behavior became increasingly problematic. This caused the studio to close down production temporarily. Monroe died of an overdose shortly after, and she became a saint of devouring stardom. Right after Monroe died, Something’s Got to Give<\/em> needed a new blonde comedy star, and Doris Day took the role for Monroe. (Lewis 277 – 281)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Doris Day:<\/strong> Right after she replaced Monroe and the years preceding she was the number one female star on the annual poll in every year but one, 1961. She is seen as the opposite of Monroe, the icon of homespun restraint. She showed that she was a good person in both her films and her public persona. Many Americans took Day as she showed herself pretty, healthy, and a good sport. As Monroe was on sabbatical Day worked hard to become a star. Throughout the 1960s the press showed a sexual reinvention, but Day still played the good person character in her films. By 1968 she made a clean transition to television in which she still played a good person, but now as a middle aged woman. Her TV spectacle ran during the tumultuous time in American history when the Democratic National Convention riots happened in Chicago, and the Watergate Scandal. Many American beliefs were under attack, but Day did not change her character at all, instead she showed consistency and the mainstream values that many sought after. (Lewis 281 – 282)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Two Key Films<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bonnie and Clyde:<\/strong> The producer of Bonnie and Clyde<\/em> first proposed this film to Jack Warner of the Warner brothers Warner\u2019s response was shaky. Warner still gave Warren Beatty the greenlight to produce Bonnie and Clyde<\/em>. Warner was shocked since he found the mixture of comedy and drama to be off-putting. The violence was something that Warner did not find appealing either. Due to the contract that Beatty had, it was released. Some reviewers did not like the film, but positive word of mouth contradicted the bad reviews, and the film took off. In 1973 the film had its second theatrical release and it grossed $70 million when it only took 2.5 million to produce. After the film was a massive success Jack Warner and his peers understood that Hollywood\u2019s future did not include them in it. Many have talked, written, and studied the final scene in this film. Its reasoning makes complete and total sense, the final scene shows an incredible amount of violence. This is not because it is to show the differences between good and evil. It instead shows audiences where American cinema is heading, a future where strict guidelines are fading and American cinema is allowed a much wider range of stories unthought of before. (Lewis 282 – 285)<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Graduate:<\/strong> Mike Nichols made The Graduate<\/em> in 1967. This film did better than his only other film Who\u2019s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?<\/em>, which was released prior to this film. This film is one of the first to take advantage of pop-music in its soundtrack, and this strategy for marketing is still employed to large effect in the modern day. This film was THE Christmas film of 1967. When its first run on movie theaters ended it earned $40 million, thus making it the biggest film of the decade in the box-office. Many studios wanted to replicate this film, but it was hard to read, thus difficult to replicate. One reason for this is the film mixed multiple genres at once such as teen pic, melodrama, and romantic comedy. Both Bonnie and Clyde<\/em> and The Graduate<\/em> showed that the industry was behind since the old people in charge of the studios were incredibly out of touch. American theaters needed a new type of American filmmaker. One who is young, audacious, and had a strong understanding of an international film style, and a better idea of what American audiences wanted. (Lewis 285 – 288)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Works Cited<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lewis, Jon. American Film: A History<\/em>. 2nd ed., 2021<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Moving toward a New Hollywood CinemaScope and Vista Vision, Cinerama,3-D: Studios wanted to make the screen appear bigger alongside better resolution in order to distinguish films from television. The CinemaScope and Vista Vision were widescreen technologies created to change the aspect ratio in movie theaters. The aspect ratio for flat or non-scope films changed from… <\/p>\n