Fur coats, sharp suits, cigarette holders and perfect curls have successfully defined our perception of the iconic Golden Age of Hollywood, leaving us with a nostalgic feeling for sophisticated extravagance. Rita Hayworth, Marlene Dietrich, Humphrey Bogart and Marlon Brando are only a few of the notable names that have built this enormous film industry. But what makes this era so fundamental and exceptional?
The Golden Age of Hollywood, also known as Old Hollywood, is the period starting in the 1920s with the emergence of sound-film productions and lasting until the mid-1960s, when it was replaced by the New Hollywood style. It was a game-changing manner of filmmaking due to its innovative narrative and visual style, accompanied by the enormous social impact of the growing industry. Let’s dive into further detail, shall we? Lights, Camera, Action!
The industry started changing quickly with its reorganization in a studio system when the first studios appeared—Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros. and RKO were the “Big Five” that ruled Hollywood and initiated the back-to-back movie release. They produced around 800 movies each year, while in comparison with current times, the number has reduced to 500. Surprisingly, this was happening exactly during the Great Depression, while millions of Americans were lining up to find jobs but, despite that, still had money to spend on art. Up to 88 million people were visiting the movie theaters each week in order to escape the harsh reality and immerse themselves in a world of glamour, love affairs, and celebration. The great variety of genres—westerns, musicals, gangster and crime, comedies, and even animated short movies from Looney Tunes—helped keep up the spirit of the people and detach them from their everyday problems, only proving the incomparable power of art.
The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind are some of the most popular movies that started successfully incorporating highly saturated color thanks to the new technology—the Technicolor three-strip camera. Together with the addition of sound, the movies had completely transformed themselves compared to just 20 years back and provided a realistic, innovative entertainment experience. The lavish musical movies demanded major costume departments, leading to costume designers becoming an integral part of the movie-making process. Some of the greatest names like Adrian, Edith Head and Orry-Kelly managed to channel the energy of the story, conveying elegance, passion and beauty. The attention to detail made Hollywood cinema an ongoing experience since women were more engaged with what their favorite celebrity would wear than with the new Paris collections, strengthening the industry’s presence in everyday life.
The star system on which Old Hollywood largely operated succeeded in creating icons for many future generations to admire and love. The studios put a lot of effort into training, styling and advertising the talents they found, after which they locked them in with contracts in order for the actors to be their trademarks. They would create particular archetypes:
- Femme fatale – Marlene Dietrich (Shanghai Express), Rita Hayworth (Gilda)
- Rebel – Marlon Brando (A Streetcar Named Desire), Humphrey Bogart (Casablanca)
- Hero – Clark Gable (Gone with the Wind), Gary Coooper (High Noon)
- Neighbor girl – Debbie Reynolds (Singing in the Rain)
US icons like Katharine Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean and Clark Gable were idolized by the audience, which flooded the movie theaters just to see their favorite star in their new movie, bought every magazine featuring them and followed the film premieres. The foreign-born actors would bring sophistication, mystique and charisma to the set. A great example is Marlene Dietrich, whose larger-than-life persona brought her huge success outside her homeland, Germany. Greta Garbo captured the tragically romantic woman, while Sophia Loren captured the elegantly seductive lady. Thanks to their presence, Hollywood gained international interest and became a truly global empire.
The Golden Age of Hollywood will forever remain the most glamorous, dreamy and groundbreaking period of Cinema. It revolutionized Cinema through the high standards it set and the enormous social impact it had during the difficult times of economic depression and world wars. The art completed its task—led people away from reality, gave them beauty and, most importantly, made them feel enchanted.
