The (Questionably) Golden Age of Hollywood
Originally posted on Tumblr
Ah, hollywood. Haven’t we all been pulled into the glamour and romance of Hollywood at some point in our lives? I know I have. Particularly, I have always been a fan of films from an era that we’ve now come to know as the Golden Age of Hollywood. This period encompassed the 20s up to the 60s. The most notable films from this era have also become some of the most iconic films of all time such as Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Rebel Without A Cause, Casablanca, Some Like It Hot and more. Of course where would this age be without the stars of the time, stars we’ve come to venerate as icons of fashion, art and culture like Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe and Marlon Brando. The peak of this Golden Age were the 50s and 60s, modern cinema was evolving and Hollywood spearheaded the trends to which we owe our films today.
Photo from the Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection
For the sake of specifics, I will be focusing on popular films released in 50s and 60s. In retrospect one may may wonder: what is Hollywood’s secret? How did they produce such great films during a time of social, political and economic change, when entertainment would usually be the least of people’s priorities? The answer is the commonality of these films: the spectacular ignorance present in all of them.
Photo by UPI/Brettman/Corbis Newsphotos
In order to fully make sense of what I mean, let’s take a little history lesson! America has had a long history of racial divide between white and black people. The Civil Rights Movement motioning for equality started in 1954 and ended in 1968. The main goals of the movement were to end racial discrimination and segregation and to protect the rights of African-Americans. Before that, African-Americans were slaves and constantly mistreated by their white peers. The most mind-blowing thing probably is the historical parallels this momentous point in history had with cultural milestones in the film industry. While caucasians were flourishing in la la land, black people all over the country were fighting for their right to go to school and use the toilet. Martin Luther King Jr.’s I Have A Dream speech was delivered in 1963, the same year the most expensive film ever to be made at that point - Cleopatra, with Elizabeth Taylor, one of the highest earning (white) actresses of the time starring as an (definitely not white) Egyptian queen was released.
Original photo by Margaret Bourke-White
People today love to reminisce on the “simpler times” when looking back on old films from this era. The romance of it all and dramatization of the 50s and 60s are mostly based on films preserved from this time. When the world watches these movies, they do not look beyond the entertainment being flashed before them. We only see the beauty of the actress, the dreaminess of the leading man and the love affair they get themselves into with catchy music to accompany it all. It is so easy to get sucked into the insipid void of shallow entertainment which we deem as escape, when in the long run it is almost historical revision. No one watches Audrey Hepburn singing Moon River in Breakfast at Tiffany’s and thinks: where are the black people? Every single film from this era starred white people. The only film that even tried to include them in the narrative was To Kill A Mockingbird and they were simply a plot device then, a problem for the white knight in shining armor to defend them and still be proclaimed hero of the story. Aside from the African-American voice being excluded, other historical events of the time are overshadowed by the glamour of these films such as the Cold War and Korean War. In these two events, America displays its military presence and solidifies itself as a superpower of the world with its fast economic growth and recovery from World War II. They gain profit from exploiting other countries and their citizen reap the rewards. Still, we overlook everything and still celebrate America for... their movies. Isn’t that astounding?
Originally posted by primogif
Nostalgia is a trend ironically amongst millennials, the grandchildren of the generation who actually lived it. Due to the photos, films and fashion of old hollywood glamour it comes as no surprise that people see this time as the “good old days”. The lack of social media also leads people today to believe that life was generally better back then. The impact the films of that time on the audience is an example of Baudrillard’s simulacrum. We are taught to believe that what is popular and celebrated is right. It is perceived that these famous representations of the 50s and 60s are the only significant sides of the story, that they are accurate representations of reality. The overwhelming impact it’s had on society and culture blurs the lines between what is true and what is simply fiction. Realizing all this now one must ponder, was the golden age of Hollywood really golden at all?
