Synopses & Reviews
The Classical Hollywood Reader brings together essential readings to provide a history of Hollywood from the 1910s to the mid 1960s.
Following on from a Prologue that discusses the aesthetic characteristics of Classical Hollywood films, Part 1 covers the period between the 1910s and the mid-to-late 1920s. It deals with the advent of feature-length films in the US and the growing national and international dominance of the companies responsible for their production, distribution and exhibition. In doing so, it also deals with film making practices, aspects of style, the changing roles played by women in an increasingly business-oriented environment, and the different audiences in the US for which Hollywood sought to cater.
Part 2 covers the period between the coming of sound in the mid 1920s and the beginnings of the demise of the studio system in late 1940s. In doing so it deals with the impact of sound on films and film production in the US and Europe, the subsequent impact of the Depression and World War II on the industry and its audiences, the growth of unions, and the roles played by production managers and film stars at the height of the studio era.
Part 3 deals with aspects of style, censorship, technology, and film production. It includes articles on the Production Code, music and sound, cinematography, and the often neglected topic of animation.
Part 4 covers the period between 1946 and 1966. It deals with the demise of the studio system and the advent of independent production. In an era of demographic and social change, it looks at the growth of drive-in theatres, the impact of television, the advent of new technologies, the increasing importance of international markets, the Hollywood blacklist, the rise in art house imports and in overseas production, and the eventual demise of the Production Code.
Designed especially for courses on Hollywood Cinema, the Reader includes a number of newly researched and written chapters and a series of introductions to each of its parts. It concludes with an epilogue, a list of resources for further research, and an extensive bibliography.
Synopsis
The Classical Hollywood Reader covers the history of Hollywood from the advent of the Motion Picture Patents Company in 1908 to the beginning of the end of the era of the vertically integrated studio system in 1948.
Section 1 covers the period between 1908 and 1912, focussing on the structure and practices of the US film industry and developments in acting, stardom and style in the late 1900s and early 1910s.
Section 2 covers period between 1912 and 1927, including the distribution, exhibition and aesthetic characteristics of single and multi-reel films and features in the 1910s, the rise of vertical integration and developments in film production, presentation and exhibition, aspects of film style, and aspects of national and international film distribution in the 1920s.
Section 3 covers period between 1927 and 1939, which includes the advent and impact of sound, the establishment and implementation of the Production Code, the nature of the studio system, the nature of cinema-going, the star system, stylistic and technological innovations of various kinds, Hollywooda (TM)s relationship with radio industry, and modes of distribution and exhibition in the 1930s
Section 4 covers the period between 1940 and 1948, covering developments in sound design, the impact of World War Two on the nature, content and context of Hollywood and its practices, and the decline in audiences and the nature and impact of the Supreme Court ruling in the late 1940s.
Designed especially for courses, the readings are preceded by a general introduction by the editor, Steve Neale. It concludes with suggestions for further reading and research.