most of the movies and owned most of the movie theatres in the United
States. Making films is expensive. On the average, it costs 36 million
dollars to produce a movie. Some of this goes to pay the salary of well-
known movie stars and large sums can be spent on special effects like
computer-generated imagery (CGI). Marketing the movie to the public may
cost another 17 million dollars or more. To cover these costs film
companies receive money for movie theatre tickets and the sale or rental of
videos. They also sell CDs of the soundtrack and toys, books, or clothes
associated with the movie. Indeed, there was a time when Hollywood was the
most famous place in the USA, if not the world.
The Hollywood story begins at the end of the last century.
1887. A man called Harvey Wilcox bought a large ranch in a district
north-west of Los Angeles in California. His wife called the land
‘Hollywood’.
1902-04. The first cinemas (‘nickelodeons’) opened in the USA.
1911. Two brothers from New Jersey built Hollywood’s first film studio.
1912. Film-makers from the east coast of the USA came to California,
first in small number and then in thousands.
1912. The Hollywood industry was born.
There were several reasons why film makers went to Hollywood. Firstly,
there was a lot of space, secondly, California’s warm sunny weather was
ideal for making films outside. Thirdly, there was a variety of locations
for filming: ocean, mountains, deserts, villages, woodland and rivers.
By 1939 the great dream factory studios made nearly 500 movies a year,
drew American audience of 50 million a week and earned over 700 million
dollars at the box office-all with the help of 30,000 employees who dealt
with everything from processing film to fan mail.
In the 1950s and 60s Hollywood became more international. Famous stars
like Maurice Chevalier from France, Marlene Dietrich from Germany and Sofia
Loren from Italy came to Hollywood. Even today many international stars
like Gerard Depardier and Arnold Schwarzeneger make films in Hollywood.
A big film studio, like MGM or Warner Brothers, brought to life a lot
of film stars. They could make or break a star.
The Hollywood film studio produced different types. There were the
silent Charlie Chaplin comedies of the 20s, gangster films, Frankenstein
horror films and Greta Garbo romantic melodramas of the 30s, the musicals
of the 40s and 50s, the westerns (cowboy films) of the 50s, the historical
epics of the 60s, the science fiction films of the 70s and the Steven
Spielberg action films and violent horror films of the 80s. Who knows what
the next century will be famous for?
Beverly Hills.
Most visitors to Los Angeles, California want to go and see Beverly
Hills. This is where you find the homes of the movie stars. But Beverly
Hills isn’t Los Angeles. It’s a small city next to Los Angeles. All kinds
of celebrities live in Beverly Hills. These celebrities may be movie stars,
television stars, sport stars, or other people in the news. Tourists can
buy special maps for the homes of the stars. These homes are very
beautiful. They usually have swimming pools and tennis courts. But
sometimes you cannot see very much. The homes have high walls or trees
around them. Beverly Hills is also famous for Rodeo Drive. This is one of
the most expensive shopping streets in the United States. Rodeo Drive
started to be an elegant street in the 1960s. Many famous stores are opened
on the street. People liked all the new styles and fashions they could buy.
Today you can find the most expensive and unusual clothing, jewelry and
furniture in the world on Rodeo Drive. Rodeo Drive is a very special
street. When you want to park your car in public parking, an attendant will
come and park your car for you. Beverly Hills is really a small city. Only
About 35,000 people live there. But during the day more than 200,000 people
come to Beverly Hills to work or to shop!
The major film genres.
The major film genres developed in the United States are the following:
Comedy. Charles Spencer Chaplin became the most widely recognized
comedy figure in the world. He emphasized the development of character and
plot structure, in contrast to the simple reliance on gags and gimmicks
that characterized the work of other comedy producers of the day.
Westerns. The Western (a film about life in the American West in the
past) was the first American genre to be developed and has remained a
staple of the American motion-picture art and industry. It has been
estimated that one quarter of US films have been Westerns. However, today
most American Westerns are made in Italy and are called '"spaghetti
Westerns".
Musicals. The musicals of the late 1920s and the early 1930s consisted
of a series of "numbers" by established stars of Broad-way, vaudeville and
radio. Later manifestations of the form were the biographical musicals,
often highly fictionalized, about great composers, musicians, singers,
providing an opportunity to string together some of their most popular
hits. The transferring of musicals intact from the Broad-way stage became
almost automatic beginning in the 1950s.
Gangster films. While the Western deals with a mythical American past
and the musical with a fantasy land, the gangster film is closely tied to a
real facet of American life. In earlier films, the gangster had risen to
the top to enjoy wealth, power, beautiful women, expensive homes and large
cars, but before the end of the film he was bound to be caught by law-
enforcement officers, overthrown by fellow gang members or killed. Such
punishment was considered obligatory. By 1971, however, "The Godfather"
showed how far the genre has evolved: Marion Brando, in the title role,
dies of old age. The gangster was another businessman.
War films. They have evolved into a major American genre, since wars
have occupied so much of contemporary American history. The Second World
War has been the subject of the greatest number of American films in this
genre.
Horror films (thrillers). In the 1920s the creation of a monster who
gets out of control or is coming to life from non-human beings who survive
by killing the living provided the basic story lines of countless horror
films. These films also have dealt with supernatural forces that manifest
themselves as an unseen power rather than in individual form. A third major
kind of horror films deals with people who are insane or in the grip of
psychological powers beyond their control.
Horror films as a genre is associated with the name of Alfred
Hitchcock. Like Walt Disney with animated cartoons, Alfred Hitchcock was
thought not just to have invented a film genre but to have patented it
(hence "Hitch", another name for a horror film).
Detective and spy films. These include first of all the James Bond
series. Hitchcock's films of this genre feature ordinary people who
accidentally become involved with spies or other evil doers.
Science fiction. After the Second World War science-fiction films
increasingly suggested that the dangers of the future stemmed from what
human beings were doing in the present.
Film Companies
Columbia Pictures (also Columbia)-American film company, which produces
films for cinema and television.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) — a film company based in Hollywood, which
has made many famous films and animated cartoons.
Paramount- a film company in Hollywood.
20th Century-Fox — an American film company.
United Artists — a film company (studio) in Hollywood.
Universal — n film company (studio) in Hollywood.
Warner Bros (Brothers) — an American film company.
Film Directors and Producers
Alien, Woody (1935—) — a comic actor and maker of humorous films. Since
the late 1960s, he has been directing films and acting in them, usually
playing a neurotic, bookish New Yorker. Some of his best-known films have
been "Annie Hall", "Manhattan" and "Hannah and Her Sisters".
Capra, Frank (1897-1991) - a film director, best known for the films
"Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" and "It's a Wonderful Night".
Chaplin, Charlie (Charles Spencer) (1889-1977) — an English actor and
director who worked mainly in the United States in silent black-and-white
comedy films. He created the beloved character, the Little Tramp, who wore
a shabby black suit, derby hat and floppy shoes, and walked with the backs
of his feet together and the toes pointing outwards. He always walked with
a cane.
By 1918 Chaplin had forsaken short comedies for longer, independently
made films, including "Shoulder Arms" (1918) and "The Kid" (1921). His
major films, produced for United Artists (a film company which he helped to
found in 1923), included "The Gold Rush" (1925), "The Circus" (1928), "City
Lights" (1931) and "Modern Times" (1936), the latter two made as silent
films with synchronized sound effects. Chaplin spoke on the screen for the
first time in "The Great Dictator" (1940), which ridiculed Hitler and
Mussolini. In "Monsieur Verdoux" (1947), which draws an acid analogy
between warfare and business morality, the tramp disappeared entirely; the
film provided further ammunition for a growing anti-Chaplin group who
attacked his unconventional personal life and political views.
After 1952 Chaplin resided in Switzerland. He starred in his production
"A King in New York" (1957), a sharp satire on contemporary America, and
wrote and directed "A Countess from Hongkong" (1967). Chaplin made a
triumphant return to the United States in 1972. He was given an Academy
Award (an Oscar) for his part in "making motion pictures the art form of
the century".
Coppola, Francis Ford (1939)- a film director, best known for the films
"'The Godfather" and "Apocalypse Now".
Ford, John (1895-1973) - a film director, especially known for his
Westerns including "Stagecoach", "How the West Was Won", etc.
Goldwin, Samuel (1882-1947) - a film producer, head of one of the
companies, which later became MGM. Goldwyn is famous for saying odd things
like "include me out".
Griffith, D. W. (1875-1948) - a film maker, known especially for his
use of new photographic methods and for his epic silent films, such as "The
Birth of the Nation" (1915) that required huge casts and enormous sets.
Griffith directed the first film, "The Adventures of Dollie", in 1908
and went on to make hundreds of pictures. With "The Birth of the Nation",
he created a landmark in film industry. Also influential on the future of
the film was "Intolerance" (1916). Griffith continued to make successful
films throughout the 1920s. However, the Victorian sentiment that pervades
his films was increasingly alien to the theme. He failed to make the
transition to sound pictures.
Russel, Ken (1926-) — a film director, best known for documentary films
and for the film "Women in Love".
Scorsese, Martin (1942—) — a film director whose works include "Taxi
Driver", "The Last Temptation of Christ", etc.
Spielberg, Steven (1946—) — a film director who has made many very
popular films, including "Jaws", "LT", "Raiders of the Lost Ark", "Star
Wars", "Empire of the Sun", etc. His films
are well known for being very fast moving and full of exciting action.
Zinneman, Frederick (1907- ) – an American film director, born in
Austria, famous for the films such as "High Noon" and "The Day of Jackal".
Wilder Billy (1906-) – a film director whose films include "Sunset
Boulevard" and "Some Like It Hot".
Films.
"The Birth of the Nation" — a dramatic silent film from 1915 about the
American Civil War. "The Birth of the Nation" was directed by D. W.
Griffith. The film, based on Thomas Dixon's novel "The Clansman", has been
condemned for historical distortion and racial bias, but it became a
landmark in the artistic development of motion pictures through its
successful introduction of many now-standard film techniques.
"Planet of the Apes " - a film set in about imaginary future where
monkeys rule the world.
''Psycho'' — a horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It is
especially known for a scene in which the character Mario (Janet Leigh) is
stabbed in a shower by Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins).
"Rocky" — the first of a group of films (later ones were called "Rocky
II", "Rock III", etc.), starring Sylvester Stallone as a determined boxer
called Rocky. In each of the films the main character overcomes
difficulties and win a fight against a strong opponent. The films are
especially popular with young people.
"Star Wars " — a popular science-fiction film about the battle between
the hero, Luke Skywalker, and Darth Vader, an evil person who wears a black
mask over his face and comes from an evil empire. The film was directed by
Steven Spielberg and is remembered for its many new exciting special
effects.
"The Terminator" — a film with Arnold Schwarzenegger, set in Los
Angeles in the near future in which a lot of people are killed. The film
was followed by "Terminator II".
Actors and Actresses.
Astaire, Fred (1899—1987) — a dancer, singer and actor who made many
films, often with his dancing partner, Ginger Rogers, and who was known for
his stylishness.
Bassinger, Kim (1954—) — a film actress, known especially for playing
attractive, sexy women.
Brando, Marlon (1924—) — an actor whose films include "A Streetcar
Named Desire", "On the Waterfront", "The Godfather", etc.
Cooper, Gary (1901—1962) — an actor who often played strong, silent
heroes, for example in the film "High Noon".
Costner, Kevin (1955—) — an actor and director whose films include
"Dances with Wolves", "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves", "JFK", etc.
Cruise, Tom (1962—) — an actor who has played leading film parts since
the early 1980s, e.g. in "Top Gun" and "Cocktail". He is especially popular
with women.
De Niro, Robert (1945—) — an actor, known especially for his part in
the films "Taxi Driver" and "The Deer Hunter".
Dietrich, Marlene (1904—1992) — an American actress and nightclub
performer, born in Germany, who usually played the part of an extremely
sexually attractive woman. She is best remembered for her part in the film
"Blue Angel".
Douglas, Kirk (1916—) — a film actor, known for playing the hero in
films such as "Spartacus".
Douglas, Michael (1944—) — a film actor, son of Kirk Douglas, known for
his part in the films "Fatal Attraction" and ''Romancing the Stone".
Eastwood, Clint (1930—) — a film actor and director, best known for
playing parts as a gunfighter in Westerns and a modern city police officer.
His characters almost always have their right on their side, and no fear.
Fonda, Henry (1905-1982) - an actor who made many films including "The
Grapes of Wrath", "Twelve Angry Men", "On Golden Pond", etc.
Fonda, Jane (1937—) — an actress, daughter of Henry Fonda, known for
her left-wing views, especially her support for Vietnam and her opposition
to the American government during the Vietnam War. Her best-known films are
"The China Syndrome" and, with her father, "On Golden Pond". She is also
known for her interest in active physical exercise.
Fonda, Peter (1939—) — an actor and director, best known for his film
"Easy Rider"; son of Henry Fonda.
Fox, Michael (1961-) -- an American actor, born in Canada, who has
appeared in such films as "Back to the Future" (parts 1, 2, 3). He is very
popular, especially with young girls.
Gable, Clark (1901-1960) - a film actor, best known for his role as
Rhett Butler in "Gone with the Wind". He also appeared in many other
Hollywood films, including "Mutiny on the Bounty", "The Misfits", etc.
Garbo, Greta (1905—1990) — an American film actress, born in Sweden.
She was celebrated for her classic beauty and her portrayals of moody
characters.
Having first attracted notice in the Swedish silent film “The Story of
Gosta Berling” (1924), Garbo went to the United States in 1925 and became
perhaps the most celebrated motion-picture actress of the time, a
provocative, enigmatic embodiment of feminine beauty and mystery. “Flesh
and the Devil” was her best-known silent film; among her notable talking
pictures were “Anna Christie” and the comedy “Ninotchka”.
Greta Garbo became famous for her with drawn, aloof off-screen
personality. In the movie “Grand Hotel”, she made the famous complaint, “I
want to be alone.” Garbo retired from the movies in the early 1940s and
lived as a recluse ever since.
Garland, Judy (1922-1969) - a film actress and singer who was most
famous as the character of Dorothy in the film "The Wizard of Oz".
Gere, Richard (1949—) — an actor, known especially for his part in the
films "American Gigolo", "An Officer and a Gentleman" and "Pretty Woman".
Goldberg, Whoopi (1949-) - a film actress who appeared in "The Color
Purple" and "Ghost".
Grant, Cary (1904-1986) - an American actor, born in Britain, who is
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