Hollywood Evolution

The origins of Hollywood

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Hollywood became an international capital of movie making by 1918. Located in sunny California in a progressive residential community, it was clear that making movies here would be a place for actors, producers, and all others associated with this industry. Between the 1920's and 1950's, we saw gorgeously talented actors and actresses emerge on the screen in ways only fantasy could comprehend. Classic actresses from Lillian Gish of the silent screen era in the 1920's to Jane Mansfield of the 1950's held us captive of their charms and grace. There were so many actresses that gave us their gifts and let us sigh. For the men, we clung to the masculinity of actors such as Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable, and Cary Grant. All had compelling stories to tell and all allowed us into their world on film, if only briefly.

Changing directions

It was evident to many that movie making was based on stage productions and that actors studied and practiced religiously to meet acting standards, enticing their evergrowing audience to watch them week after week. As the 1950's glided into the 1960's and 1970's, the way film was being made changed and so did the way a lot of actors approached their assignments. The highly styled and big budgeted films started to take place in the early 1960's, such as Cleopatra and Lawrence of Arabia but another direction happened. The movie audience was younger than ever, it seemed. This is when low budget horror movies and teen flicks on the beach appeared on the scene. It wasn't until features like The Graduate and Bonnie and Clyde were shown that people started to realise that other forms of movies were being aired and started going to the theater again. There were also remakes of older films done during this time and this established a broader age range of movie goers. Acting was still done very dramatically and many people were well established in the film industry by this time.

Blockbusters for everyone

The late 1970's was a clear signal of a theme change in Hollywood. Blockbusters such as Star Wars, Superman, and Raiders of the Lost Ark were only a few of the greatly successful. These films have had sequels over the years and even remakes so I think they deserve to fit into the category of classic, although some would disagree. Acting seemed more free and definitely not stagey. So many more points of views were allowed on the screen by this time which allowed for a wide variety of actors to join in. The big movie budget sailed into the 1980's and 1990's with big hits from Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, and Frances Ford Coppola, as well as many other talented directors.

The present and into the future

Any subject matter you can think of has been approached on film. Delicate issues we experience every day as humans are accepted and dealt with in the entertainment industry and portrayed in movies. This still leaves more than enough room for other dimensions to be explored. How exciting is that? It would be refreshing to see something that is not a remake or based from a super hero story line. In some ways, the new graphics on blue backgrounds are exciting features but to me they sometimes get overdone and this ends up being too obvious. Location is where it is at. Set design is yet another art that I fear is slowly being lost, it seems. You can always paste graphics up and voila, there you have it. I have seen a wide variety of films over the years. All periods on archive have their distinct personalities and styles that I can appreciate for many different reasons. It is because of the individuality they express that makes me a fan for life but I can't help but look back and remember the dreamy qualities of yesteryear.