The conjunction of art and culture

Movies and culture are very closely related to each other. The chemistry between movies and culture is very intense and sometimes proportional to American movies, no doubt leaving a very strong influence for generations, on those who are the consumers...

Timelines: the journey towards a progressive era

American movies influenced audiences for a long time and they became an integral part of American society. It is very important to mention, while some ideologies may be prevalent in American society, it's constantly changing. Mainstream films that were produced between 1940 to 1950, talked about mainly conservative societies and powerful institutions. However, in the 1960s a youth culture began to emerge. They were mainly against the government and conservative institutions. It eventually became an important aspect of movie makers and viewers started to accept this unconventional anarchistic perspective. In the film Bonnie and Clyde, a young couple sets out an agenda to rob banks until they are killed in a police ambush. This film measured the tolerance of the audience and the optimum limit to show this kind of violence. This movie is one of the classic hits that American viewers have ever experienced. Another popular movie was Easy Rider(1969), containing mostly drugs, sex and violence. In 1969 this movie surprisingly gained huge popularity among newly liberated 'modern' audiences.

Influences of war on Hollywood

Wars and massacres always affected societies in many different ways, so with Hollywood. America entered WWII in 1941 after the Pearl Harbor bombing. Before that time American movies largely reflected a neutral stance. But after that devastating event the government started seeking help from Hollywood, which resulted in the 'Federal Bureau of Motion Pictures Affairs'. The films started to change and influence people more about thinking about American pride and patriotism. Frank Capra's movies were initially made for the U.S. Army and were later shown to the general public.

Some Masterpieces of War

Unlike the WWII  patriotic movies, many filmmakers strongly displayed their perspective on anti-war. Movies like The Deer Hunter(1978), Apocalypse Now (1979) portrayed the negative aspects of the military. While in movies like Oliver Stone's Platoon(1986), Full Metal Jacket(1987) reflected the sense of loss and defeat in the Vietnam war.

Movies are an important part of most Americans. It can surely feel the void in viewers' life but as Jean-Luc Godard said "cinema is the most beautiful fraud in the world"