The 1920′s
The film industry took off during the Roaring Twenties with success beyond believe. The movies I plan to watch from this decade are The Troll of the Sea, Steamboat Willie, The Karnival Kid and The Love Parade.
Movies became big during this time because they were new and exciting. The most movies were produced during this decade along with the 1930′s than compared to today’s industry, beating us by almost 300 movies produced. This surprised me because after the Stock Market Crash in 1929 the industry still stood stronger than would be believed. It did take a dive like many businesses did during this time but it still thrived and continued to produce hundreds of movies a year. This may be due to the fact that people were looking for cheap thrills and going to the movies was still affordable to some in places like Hollywood or New York. The crash affected all people in America but some were affected more than others. These elite few were lucky to have the money to spend and continue their lives with little change. Movie stars could have easily been in this few as well for their industry was successful.
There were five big producers that stepped forth during this time. Warner Bros., Paramont, RKO, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and 20th Century Fox were the big names. They all still stand strong today with movies that range from movies to television shows. Warner Bros. is currently producing Wrath of the Titans, a sequel to the hit Crash of the Titans and has also produced all of the Scooby-Doos a classic children’s character. Paramont has also stayed on top of the industry by producing movies such as Transformers and True Grit. RKO is a lesser known icon but is still producing today with hits like Mighty Joe Young and Are We Done Yet?. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the classic lions head icon produces movies such as The Hobbit which will be in theaters this December and the classic West Side Story. 20th Century Fox is also a big house hold name with movies such as Avatar and Rio. These companies are continuing to grow in today’s society and thriving much like they originally did when they claimed the title The Big Five.
During the rise of the movie industry the media head lines affected the roles played on the screen much like they roles that we watch today are still affected by what is happening during the world today. The Roaring Twenties brought many new things to the world and to the movie making industry. This may be due to the effects of being placed between two events that changed America, World War 1 and The Great Depression. Flappers also changed the way women were looked at after gaining their rights in 1920, these ladies covered the screen in movies such as The Flapper made in 1920 and actress Colleen Moore stepped forward as the leading flapper on stage to inspire the look and the essence.
Walt Disney made his presence known in the 20′s as well with his first big hit Steamboat Willie introducing Mickey Mouse as his leading character. This broke the way for the Disney franchise that we associate with him today with classic movies such as Snow White to recent releases like Tangled. Disney has reached the great expectations that were set out for this studio by Walt and I belive he would be proud of everything his family has done with his original business.
The Roaring Twenties paved the way for the movie industry we all know and love today. Without this monumental decade we would not have the hit movies and tv shows that fill our shelves and drawers. The industry continues to build but will most likely never hit the high that became apart of the 1920′s.
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