Hollywood’s today power and global monopoly of the film industry and the screens is due to the perspective in which this new art was seen by its pivotal developers, unfortunate events and the love of humans to look and be amused by new ways.
Mostly, films were about capturing reality itself and showing it to the delighted masses that dashed a train in a movie theater. Movies by this time lasted around 10 to 15 minutes, just one-reel, because of the attention span of the audience; in time, the films were longer and longer.
Eventually, in the beginning of films, this new art or way to express reality was rapidly absorbed by people, because it affirmed ideas that where conventional and already held by society. People just loved to see the portrayal of their most deep feelings and to be excited about stories that seemed real, such as: Georges Méliès’ “A trip to the Moon” or Edwin Porter’s “Life of an American Fireman”; nevertheless, there were technical limitations, these were more sophisticated films, still, the acting was very theatrical and the camera did not had a lot of movement because the focus was more on the set than in the shot. But films were becoming more and more popular each day, with France and Italy as the most globally popular and powerful.
Europe was at the top of the scale until World War I stroke the continent, causing a devastating interruption in the European Film Industries, which as an unintended consequence, putted the American Film Industry A.K.A. Hollywood in the position it has held ever since. Even though in the silent era of film, movements such as the German Expressionism or The Soviet Realism were struggling to get up, it was no match for the monstrous film industry of America, which jumped even higher after World War II.
The other important fact that launched Hollywood to its present stand was the perspective in which film was seen by its pivotal developers, the difference is really simple and is easy to see even today. In The American Film Industry, Thomas Edison, who was a businessman who developed many devices which greatly influenced life in the 20th century and one of the first inventors to apply the principles of mass production; led to the creation of the motion Pictures Patent Company. On the other hand, in Europe was Pathé Frères. The main difference resides in the history of each country and how this shaped the way of thinking; on the one side we have United States, a country with practically no artistic history, a country of immigrants and highly interested in its growth as a nation; on the other side we have Europe, a country full of artistic history and with a deep devotion to the high arts. These particular backgrounds made that Edison on the one hand thought of film in terms of paid entertainment, in capital terms, he was a businessman, so his interest was to make money. And in Europe films were and are still seen as an art, and expression of the feelings.
Since the very beginnings of the film industry, the road on which films were to walk, were delineated by the perspective of its precursors and developers, by people love to look and watch and by events that were uncontrollable by the industries it selves, all these things joined to such a point that it almost seemed as it had to be by destiny that Hollywood monopolized the film industry with its entertaining films, and Europe and other industries such as Latin American or Asian cinema were left in the shadow, with their films that represent a message and an expression of art.
Mostly, films were about capturing reality itself and showing it to the delighted masses that dashed a train in a movie theater. Movies by this time lasted around 10 to 15 minutes, just one-reel, because of the attention span of the audience; in time, the films were longer and longer.
Eventually, in the beginning of films, this new art or way to express reality was rapidly absorbed by people, because it affirmed ideas that where conventional and already held by society. People just loved to see the portrayal of their most deep feelings and to be excited about stories that seemed real, such as: Georges Méliès’ “A trip to the Moon” or Edwin Porter’s “Life of an American Fireman”; nevertheless, there were technical limitations, these were more sophisticated films, still, the acting was very theatrical and the camera did not had a lot of movement because the focus was more on the set than in the shot. But films were becoming more and more popular each day, with France and Italy as the most globally popular and powerful.
Europe was at the top of the scale until World War I stroke the continent, causing a devastating interruption in the European Film Industries, which as an unintended consequence, putted the American Film Industry A.K.A. Hollywood in the position it has held ever since. Even though in the silent era of film, movements such as the German Expressionism or The Soviet Realism were struggling to get up, it was no match for the monstrous film industry of America, which jumped even higher after World War II.
The other important fact that launched Hollywood to its present stand was the perspective in which film was seen by its pivotal developers, the difference is really simple and is easy to see even today. In The American Film Industry, Thomas Edison, who was a businessman who developed many devices which greatly influenced life in the 20th century and one of the first inventors to apply the principles of mass production; led to the creation of the motion Pictures Patent Company. On the other hand, in Europe was Pathé Frères. The main difference resides in the history of each country and how this shaped the way of thinking; on the one side we have United States, a country with practically no artistic history, a country of immigrants and highly interested in its growth as a nation; on the other side we have Europe, a country full of artistic history and with a deep devotion to the high arts. These particular backgrounds made that Edison on the one hand thought of film in terms of paid entertainment, in capital terms, he was a businessman, so his interest was to make money. And in Europe films were and are still seen as an art, and expression of the feelings.
Since the very beginnings of the film industry, the road on which films were to walk, were delineated by the perspective of its precursors and developers, by people love to look and watch and by events that were uncontrollable by the industries it selves, all these things joined to such a point that it almost seemed as it had to be by destiny that Hollywood monopolized the film industry with its entertaining films, and Europe and other industries such as Latin American or Asian cinema were left in the shadow, with their films that represent a message and an expression of art.
No comments:
Post a Comment