This documentary hosted and narrated by Henry Fonda, is an examination of Hollywood from the era of sound to the 1950s. In 1927 talkies were introduced for the first time - an event that revolutionised the motion picture industry. The rise in popularity of action and gangster films in the 1930s made stars of anti-heroes such as James Cagney and Edward G. Robinson, when the most popular themes of the era were sex and violence. Also examined are the ways in which Hollywood films responded to the Depression of the 1930s, the war years and the prosperity of the late 1940s. Movie stars dazzled the burgeoning film going public with premiers, selling the dream (both on and off the screen) to audiences. In the 1950s television posed a major threat to box office receipts, which resulted in the introduction of new cinema technology and new genres to lure audiences back to the theatre. Featuring numerous clips from classics of the 1930s, 40s and 50s and music by Elmer Bernstein.
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Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
317213
Languages
English
English
Audience classification
G
Subject categories
Advertising, Film, Journalism, Mass Media & TV → Hollywood (Los Angeles, Calif.) - History
Advertising, Film, Journalism, Mass Media & TV → Motion picture acting
Advertising, Film, Journalism, Mass Media & TV → Motion picture industry - History
Advertising, Film, Journalism, Mass Media & TV → Motion picture industry - United States
Advertising, Film, Journalism, Mass Media & TV → Motion picture studios
Advertising, Film, Journalism, Mass Media & TV → Motion pictures - Excerpts
Advertising, Film, Journalism, Mass Media & TV → Motion pictures - History
Advertising, Film, Journalism, Mass Media & TV → Motion pictures - Plots, themes, etc
Advertising, Film, Journalism, Mass Media & TV → Motion pictures - Production and direction
Advertising, Film, Journalism, Mass Media & TV → Motion pictures - United States - History
Advertising, Film, Journalism, Mass Media & TV → Musicals - Production and direction
Documentary → Documentary films - United States
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Black and White
Holdings
DVD; Access Print (Section 1)