S4 The American Film Industry and its hegemonic strategies: a short history of Hollywood Flashcards
Scott R. Olson about Hollywood
“Hollywood has become an aesthetic, and is no longer just a place in California.”
It is a model, a special type of industry and a special kind of movie with a specific format: the blockbuster.
Hollywood
Famous neighborhood in Los Angeles, the show business capital of the world and hosts some of the most powerful studios
The Big 5
- Warner Brothers,
- Paramount,
- Sony Pictures (Columbia),
- Universal,
- Walt Disney Pictures
(80 to 85% of U.S. and Canadian box revenue)
Walter Lippmann, Public Opinion
The stereotypes that we have about certain groups of people for example are “pictures in our heads,” and it would be safe to assume that before they were in our heads, these pictures were on a screen.
Movies are deeply influential and have something to do with the ideas we have about an event, a people or a place.
Overt strategies of Hollywood
Implemented to seduce the world : to deal with Hollywood = to deal with ideology (production of ideological movies in such a way to enhance its soft power)
Matthew Fraser
“It did not take long for motion pictures to become a mythmaking extension of America’s global ambitions.”
I. Early development of the Dream factory
- Hollywood’s Golden Age: ephemeral success
- Davis Wilson’s memo: how to “sell America” to the world
- Hollywood and McCarthyism
- Hollywood’s conquest of the world
- Hollywood’s Golden Age: ephemeral success
- WW I : 1920s film industry had moved to California (better weather conditions and landscapes), most of the films around the world were American
- Carl “Lucky” Laemmle, founder of Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Adolphe Zukor, who was in charge of Paramount Distribution
- By 1925, Hollywood had eclipsed all its competitors in Europe, n°1 film industry.
Studio system’s decline 1930s
- Big Five at the time (Warner Bros., Paramount, RKO, MGM, Fox) controlled production and distribution (vertically).
- Block booking: problem for independent theater owners (good and bad movies bundled together)
- 1948 end of block booking, profit loss: studios terminated numerous contracts and prod schedules. Unemployed actors found job opportunities in TV.
- End of studio system and what was called “Hollywood’s Golden Age”
Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890
- To denounce the studio’s monopolistic activities such as block booking.
- The Department of Justice filed suit against the studios in 1928.
- The major studios managed to negotiate wide distribution deals that still constricted the small independent distributors and theaters.
- Depression and advent of WWII: the issue was not settled further until later.
- 1940: the studios signed a consent decree guaranteeing that they would not block book more than five movies at a time, a promise that Paramount did not keep
- The Supreme Court outlawed it completely in 1948: the link between production and distribution was broken.
- Davis Wilson’s memo: how to “sell America” to the world
- Political officials understood that movies had a strong link to the US’ image.
- Congressional Committee on Public Information: was set up in order to spread the “Gospel of Americanism.”
- 20th century: numerous movies starring gangsters and other morally-challenged and violent characters that tended to give the United States a bad reputation. Idea: use movies to change that image. Movies were produced to shed a positive light on the US, with the War Department and Hollywood ‘s cooperation (promote the United States, but also not to antagonize their allies)
David Wilson
- Worked for President F.D. Roosevelt’s Office of War Information board (OWI), called “projection.”
- Memo after WW II : stated that movies could be used to influence foreign countries
- Ready to use movies in the frame of cultural diplomacy in order to make sure that the content of the movies exported would not be unattractive or offensive.
- Identified core values goal that would not vary
David Wilson citation
“The bulk of what we have to say about our own affairs cannot have universal interests: our projection of America must vary with the differing interests, intellects, economics, politics and cultures of our many target areas.”
David Wilson citation 2
“Mak[e] other peoples favorably disposed toward us, of diffusing among them an atmosphere of liking and respect for us, which will aid in the implementation of our national policies.”
Creel Committee
Congressional Committee on Public Information
Critics from foreign countries
- “A barbaric country without culture or taste, “ Long-Range Policy Guidance for Italy
- “All Americans are rich…Americans lack cultural background and understanding…Terrorism and gangsterism are an accepted feature of American daily life…Americans lead a frivolous life.” Long-Range Policy Guidance for the Netherlands
- “American are materialistic and their greatest ambition is the accumulation of wealth and comfort…immorality is prevalent…America has far-reaching imperialistic designs.” Long-Range directive for Syria and Lebanon
Because of movies, we tend to think that Americans are materialistic, uncultured and violent
Portrayal of foreigners on screen
WW II: careful, woo Latin America and portrayal of Latinos not offensive (1922: Mexico complained about the portrayal of evil, sneaky Mexicans nicknamed “greasers” in westerns.
Good Neighbor Policy
- Movies were released with Latin characters that were cheerful, the theme of friendship was emphasized.
Ex: That Night in Rio, 1941, Brazilian actress Carmen Miranda. Portrayal of Carmen as a cheerful and somehow ridiculous character who cannot pronounce English properly was more stereotypical than they though. Heavily criticized by late-century scholars but it shows the kind of efforts the US was trying to make, which were not separated from economic interests.
Office of War Information recommandations
- Not listened by Hollywood: movies insisted on the United States’ contribution to the war effort(So Proudly We Hail (1943), Sahara (1943) and Since You Went Away (1944).)
- People wanted movies that reflected their lives, not sugar-coated propagandist stories as the only option (1930s, movies had to respect the Hays Code that set conservative standards of morality that censored movies)
New York Times film critic Bosley Crowther
“The public is not tired of war’s realities, but of woefully cheap makebelieve. What we want in our films is honest expression of national resolve and a clear indication of realities unadorned with Hollywood hoopla.”
