Flashback: A Brief History of Film Chapters 5-8 Summary and Analysis

As Chapter Five opened, the chief differences between European and American movies from 1912 to 1960 came to the forefront. European movies focused more on artists while Americans focused more on entertainment. In Europe it seemed as if movies were made to embolden man, not necessarily to make money. However American movies both emboldened man and made money. The entertaining films held so much appeal that America earned 40% of its gross profits abroad, half of that in Great Britain alone.

The popularity of American films helped structure the Hollywood studio system. Movies were made by committee, focusing on studios, stars, and genres. The 1920s were the beginning of the Golden Age of the Studio, which lasted for 25 years. The Big Five of Paramount, Warner Bros., Fox, MGM, and RKO...