The Golden Age Of Hollywood - 1930/40's

The Golden Age of Hollywood was when the silent period ended, and many silent stars could not move with the times and make it to sound.
In these decades the development of gangster films, musicals, news-paper reporting films, historical biopics, social-realism films. light hearted comedies, westerns and horrors grew.

Warner Bros produced resolute narratives, social-realism films and realisitic gangster films, for the sound era. These films ultimately reflected the decline of the countries confidence with authority and social traditions.

Universal produced escapist entertainment with horror films. They won the Best Picture in the second Academy Awards Ceremony with 'Quiet on the western front'.

By the end of the 30's musicals were in decline, audiences lost interest as these films had over exposed song and dance which ultimately sacrificed plot and character development. Audiences bypassed the opportunity to watch musicals and favoured to watch gangster films, comedy film, horror and western films. Warner Bros saw this as an opportunity and decided to produce their own musicals, and they were a hit as audiences fell in love with the original surrealistic choreography.

During the 40's the film industry started to produce films that related to the society around them, or ones that drew then away from real life, for example they created, escapist entertainment, reassurance and patriotic themes. Some films include: Casablanca, Mrs. Miniver and Foreign Correspondent.


Fimls Produced by Studios 1930/40's:

MGM
Hell's Angels
Anna Christie
The Big House
Dance, Fools Dance
The Great Ziegfield
Captains Courageous

RKO
Cimarron
B-movie
Babes in Toyland

Paramount
Popeye The Sailor
Im No Angel