C I N E M O T O G R A P H Y

THE CINEMA OF THE USA

Hollywood is “The With the appearance of the dream factory”. Hollywood, great amount of the devices t h e f a m o u s d i s t r i c t i n by Lumière brothers and of California, LA, is known the other European firms, worldwide as the main place Edison suffered under high of the American cinema competitiveness. He brought industry. Here the majority of some cases to court, and, American films are shot, and basing on the patent right, he a lot of celebrities live. On tried to fight the competitors. Hollywood Walk of Fame When suddenly W. Dickson, there are more than two the engineer, who took part in thousand and a half hand the construction of the imprints of movie, theatre and kinetoscope, left the lab of entertainment stars. Edison and in 1896 created The Appearance of his own lab named “Biograf”. Hollywood After the long fight at J u s t b e f o r e t h e the end of 1907 Edison’s cinema era, well-known company gathered the Thomas Edison created at biggest competitors and Prof. his lab the device for the came to the compromise, Santhi Jayasekera demonstration of the moving according to that every has figures, which gained the the right to use the patent on PhD, Professor, name “kinetoscope”, and he the condition that the half of réalisateur made the patent on it in 1893. the income from the cinema

THE WORLD SCIENTISTS/ Vol. 7 No. 1 March 2021 57 distribution is transferred to several months and shot distribution companies. Edison, while the competitors several films. I n M a y 1 9 1 2 t h e made another suggest – to The mild climate in c o m p a n y “ P a r a m o u n t create the only company that California and the abundance Pictures” was created by would control the collection of of sunlight that allowed to Adolf Zukor. percentages and at the same make films in the open air all The target audience of t i m e w o u l d h a v e t h e the year – all these factors the first films was middle monopolistic right on the attracted almost all the class. Zukor shot such actors patent. filmmakers. The new kind of as Mary Pickford, Douglas And so in 1909 “The organization that creates Fairbanks, Gloria Swanson, P a t e n t C o m p a n y ” w a s cinema made an appearance Rudolf Valentino etc. c r e a t e d , w h e r e n i n e – cinema studio. It was Zukor who was participants were included. The first studio in the main driving power in the Soon “The Patent Hollywood was founded by success of “Paramount”. Company” conquered more the company “Centaur” During the 20-s he managed than the half of the American situated in New Jersey. It was to build the cinema chains, cinema distribution (57%). m a d e f o r t h e s h o t o f which numbers more than Photosensitivity of film westerns. 200 screens and bring to light at those years was quite low, In 1911 road house many new talents: Marlen and there was no good was remade into the cinema Dietrich, Gary Cooper, the lighting equipment. That is studio and got the name Marke Brothers, tango why the process of shot “Nestor Studio”. dancer Carlos Gardel. In depended on the weather Later on the building 1949 as the time of TV came, conditions: it was possible to turned into “Hollywood it brought about the company shot only in the bright Cinemalab”. The first full- “” to cut sunlight. length feature film made in a on the costs on the cinema “The Patent War” and Hollywood studio was “The production and draw up a climate conditions made the Squaw Man” (1914) by Cecil contract on 50 million dollars film creators search the best B. DeMille and Oscar Apfel. for 750 pictures made before place for the shot. In 1920 due to the 1949. Within the next 40 At the beginning of dramatic growth of the range years the company made 1910 the company “Biograf” of the tremendous studios more than 1 billion dollars on sent the film director David and celebrities, about 800 the distribution of the films G r i ffi t h a n d h i s t r o u p e were shot annually, and the previously perceived as (Blanche Swit, Lillian Gish, very name “Hollywood” useless. M a r y P i c k f o d , L i o n e l became synonymous to In the spring 1919 four B a r r y m o r e e t c ) t o L o s luxury, beautiful life and American cinema stars – the Angeles (California). illusionary cinema magic. film director D.W.Griffith, the G r i ffi t h l i k e d Within just 15 years a a c t o r C h a r l i e C h a p l i n , H o l l y w o o d w i t h i t s humble village turned into the Douglas Fairbanks and Mary picturesque landscapes, capital of the cinema industry Pickford launched their own which was situated long from of the USA, as about 90% of company- “ the city. And there he shot his studios were concentrated in Corporations”. first film called “In the old it. Intense competition I n t h e f u t u r e t h e California”, the drama that resulted in the collapse of structure of founders will takes place in the territory of smaller studios. constantly change. Even the t h e M e x i c a n p r o v i n c e T h e l a r g e - s c a l e main founders stared to California in the 1800-s. groups emerged, so-called move away from their activity, The company of film cinema trust. And those in and “United Artists” was people stayed there for turn merged with the film s u p p o r t e d b y t h e

58 THE WORLD SCIENTISTS/ Vol. 7 No. 1 March 2021 i n d e p e n d e n t c i n e m a world. are 205 Oscars, with 15 of p r o d u c e r s t h a t w e r e The mascot of the new them in the category “The interested in the marketing c o m p a n y b e c a m e t h e Best Film”. channel of their own films in growling lion of Goldwin’s W a r n e r B r o s . t h e c o n d i t i o n s o f t h e studio, “Leo the Lion”, which Company was named after monopolistic studio system – appeared on the cinema the four Warner brothers their names were Walt screens in 1916, and the new (Harry, Albert, Sam and Dusney and Orson Welles. motto of the company was Jack), who emigrated from B e c a u s e o f t h e “Art for the sake of art”. Meier Poland to the USA, and is one c l a s h e s b e t w e e n t h e was appointed as the head of of the biggest concerns on producers till the end of 1930 the cinema production. The the film and TV series “United Artists” practically first Meier’s task was to finish production. went out of the business. the major film in the history of In 1904 the brothers The most fortunate the cinema – “Ben-Hur: A Tale spread the films on the decade for the company was of the Christ”. The triumph of territory of the four states, 60s, when Bondiana movies this film allowed MGM to and to 1918 they opened the and the series of the films have the status of the best studio Warner Bros. Studio “The Pink Panther“One of the Hollywood studio and have and started to produce their most successful films during the first place in the “Big Five” own films. the history of the studio of cinema producers. In 1927 the sound film became the musical “West I n 1 9 2 8 M e i e r “The Jazz Singer” was Side history” released the first full-length released, with the sound In 1967 the control color film with the audio track effects. It caused a real over “United Artists” passed “Viking”. Starting from 1938 sensation and marked the to to the investment company the studio released at least 2 beginning to the “speaking “Transamerica”. films in color. pictures era”. After the flop of the block-buster film “Heaven’s The most successful In 1928 the brothers Gate” in 1980, the company projects at MGM were released the film “Lights of was put up for sale. The cartoons, which were made New York” with the full audio owner of MGM, the billionaire in the 40-s and such masters track. From this time all the K i r k K e r k o r i a n , h i g h l y as Tex Avery, Harman Ising cinema industry turns to the interested in the rights on the and Hanna-Barbera (Tom films with the sound. The old films of the studio, and Jerry cartoons) worked color film “Gold Diggers of acquires “United Artists” and on them. Broadway” marked the practically joins it to MGM. The end of the 50-s beginning of the color film The media company the mass spread of TV epoch. famous world-wide was causes the outflow of the The period between opened by the owner the audience from the cinema. 1929-1931 is the time of color cinema chain, Markus Lev. After four years the company musicals: “Sally”, “Bright In 1924 he organized registers the losses. From Lights”, “West Song”, and the merger of the three this moment MGM had seen “Under a Texas Moon”. cinema companies – Metro a progressive and inevitable In 1931 the series of Pictures”, “” decline, accompanied by the cartoons – Looney Tunes and “Louis B. Mayer Pictures” reduction of the market –funny sketches with jazz to the one with the name share. soundtrack. “Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer”. I n 2 0 1 0 M G M At that years the T h i s c o m p a n y declares itself bankrupt with cartoons about Bugs Bunny became the first cinema the debt of 4 billion dollars. and Duffy Duck, and later on producer of its kind in the Under company’s belt the cartoon “”.

THE WORLD SCIENTISTS/ Vol. 7 No. 1 March 2021 59 Today the company is called – westerns by David L. Ford; characterized by creative Time Warner. The following – “black” films with Humphrey experiments and minor films were made at this Bogart; budget of the film. studio: “Green Mile”, “Matrix”, – musicals with Freddie Unlike Hollywood, “ I n c e p t i o n ” , “ D e v i l ’ s Astaire and Gene Kelly; i n d e p e n d e n t A m e r i c a n A d v o c a t e ” , “ S h e r l o c k – thrillers by Alfred Hitchcock. cinema is less popular is less Holmes” and the series of the And so on right up to popular in America than in films about Harry Potter. the fantasy, action films and Europe and Canada. The target of the box-office hits of the recent T h e t e r m cinema production was the times: all these genres live “independent cinema” could mass audience, and that was and appear to satisfy the be referred to any country of a tremendous limit to the mass audience, leaving the the world: France with its freedom of the film director as narrow self-expression “New Wave” in the 60s, Italy to the master. The system frames for a film director. with its “Neorealism” after the required “the show” that The modern period. w o r l d w a r p e r i o d . T h e would bring more profit, and it It unfolds with the studio majority of the home cinema were actors-celebrities and system collapse form the of the Perestroika period producers that got the beginning of the 60s. The (Soviet and later Russian) privilege, not film directors. interest for the traditional could be referred to this The future celebrities c l i c h é fi l m s w i t h t h e category. had special preparation at celebrities was steadily B u t t h e t e r m cinema studios, and PR- declining. Studio bosses tried “independent cinema” fits industry was working on the to attract the new film more to the American cinema celebrities’ image. The notion directors-experimentalists: industry, with its evident of a celebrity in Hollywood George Lukas, Steven contrast between the big, rich Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, emerged in the 20s and Hollywood cinema and small and Francis Ford Coppola. reached its blossom in the and poor, but not less It was this group of film 40s-50s. And just in the 70-s t a l e n t e d , i n d e p e n d e n t directors that formed the with the collapse of studio cinema. The film directors of modern cinema. Their films system stars become more were a big success that the independent cinema can independent and free from determined the appearance have dare experiments, the control of cinema studios, of the new notion “box-office sometimes rejecting the they started to create their hit”. The new wave of the c o n s e r v a t i v e v a l u e s , own image and choose the new, unordinary and candid prejudges and political repertoire of the films they are cinema in the 70s found its taboos. Even sex scenes going to be featured, and own audience, and the brand sometimes fling cap over the even started to make their new stage in the American windmill. own contribution to the cinema broke out. In contract to the development of the different A m o r e d e t a i l e d Hollywood cinema (palm genres. attention should be paid to t r e e s , b e a c h e s ) O n e o f t h e m a i n the so-called “independent “ i n d e p e n d e n t c i n e m a ” achievements of Hollywood American cinema”. This always takes place in some i s c o n n e c t e d t o t h e t e r m w a s u s e d a t t h e concrete jungles in the big e l a b o r a t i o n o f s u c h beginning of the 21st century c i t i e s o f A m e r i c a . interesting genres as: to mark the American cinema I n d e p e n d e n t A m e r i c a n – comedies by M. Linder, C. s t u d i o t h a t e x i s t s cinema appeared in the 40s. Chaplin, B. Keaton, G. Lloyd; independently from the The most prominent film – d r a m a s w i t h R u d o l f American major companies. director of the 40s-50s was Valentino; This kind of cinema is Jonas Mekas.

60 THE WORLD SCIENTISTS/ Vol. 7 No. 1 March 2021 Truly “independent George Lukas. the film gave rise to the cinema” appeared at the It was a tremendous subculture in the youth moment as the films by event for the independent culture. Quentin Tarantino and the cinema that determined the Coen brothers came into new stage in its development. fashion. And today this work serves as Another “independent a good example of a good film director”, Andy Warhol, fantasy. strongly believed that every Another prominent human has the right on the 15 person in the independent minutes of fame. His “film cinema was Samuel Fuller. screen test”, the series of His masterpieces in different three-minute portraits, forms genres had a direct influence the impression of interaction, on the creative work of such which is very typical of some outstanding film directors films by John Cassavetes. such as Martin Scorsese, O n e o f t h e m o s t Vim Vanderson (Germany), significant events that had an and even the works by Godar impact on the development of (France). This once again the independent cinema was reminds about the close the release of the film “Easy interaction between the Rider”, produced by Roger independent film directors Corman and directed by the from America and Europe. actor Denis Hopper. The 80s saw the new By his road thriller cult figure, David Lynch, who “Wild angels” Roger Corman always tried to find the anticipated the rebellious balance mysticism with wave in the cinema of the fantasy, turning the flight of 60s. fancy of the creator into a R o g e r C o r m a n ’ s pure avant-garde. David’s workshop on AIP studio Lynch style of making thrillers prepared many famous film is unique, and many film directors such as Francis directors tried to imitate it, but F o r d C o p p o l a , M a r t i n nobody has really reached it Scorsese, Jonathan Demme, yet. James Cameron etc. Let us name some A huge impact on the famous film directors of the development of the American independent cinema and independent cinema had the some of their films: w o r k b y F r a n c i s F o r d – Steven Spielberg “Jaws” Coppola – a pupil of Roger (1975); Corman. – George Lukas “Star Wars” With his adherents (1977); George Lukas, John Milius, – David Lynch “Eraserhead” Walter Murch he founded the (1977); cinema studio American – Francis Ford Coppola Zoetrope in San Francisco. “Apocalypse Now” (1979). The first picture at this The popularity of studio was “ТНХ 1138” by these films was global. And

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