American Cinema of the 1910s: Themes and Variations (Screen Decades: American Culture/American Cinema)

It was during the teens that filmmaking truly came into its own. Notably, the migration of studios to the West Coast established a connection between moviemaking and the exoticism of Hollywood. The essays in American Cinema of the 1910s explore the rapid developments of the decade that began with D. W. Griffith's unrivaled one-reelers. By mid-decade, multi-reel feature films were profoundly reshaping the industry and deluxe theaters were built to attract the broadest possible audience. Stars like Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, and Douglas Fairbanks became vitally important and companies began writing high-profile contracts to secure them. With the outbreak of World War I, the political, economic, and industrial groundwork was laid for American cinema's global dominance. By the end of the decade, filmmaking had become a true industry, complete with vertical integration, efficient specialization and standardization of practices, and self-regulatory agencies. It was during the teens that filmmaking truly came into its own. Notably, the migration of studios to the West Coast established a connection between moviemaking and the exoticism of Hollywood. The essays in this book explore the rapid developments of the decade that began with D. W. Griffith's unrivaled one-reelers. By mid-decade, multi-reel feature films were profoundly reshaping the industry and deluxe theaters were built to attract the broadest possible audience. Stars like Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, and Douglas Fairbanks became vitally important and companies began writing high-profile contracts to secure them. With the outbreak of World War I, the political, economic, and industrial groundwork was laid for American cinema's global dominance. By the end of the decade, filmmaking had become a true industry, complete with vertical integration, efficient specialization and standardization of practices, and self-regulatory agencies Contents......Page 6 Acknowledgments......Page 8 Timeline: The 1910s......Page 10 Introduction: Movies and the 1910s......Page 16 1910: Movies, Reform, and New Women......Page 41 1911: Movies and the Stability of the Institution......Page 63 1912: Movies, Innovative Nostalgia, and Real-Life Threats......Page 84 1913: Movies and the Beginning of a New Era......Page 107 1914: Movies and Cultural Hierarchy......Page 130 1915: Movies and the State of the Union......Page 154 1916: Movies and the Ambiguities of Progressivism......Page 175 1917: Movies and Practical Patriotism......Page 198 1918: Movies, Propaganda, and Entertainment......Page 219 1919: Movies and Righteous Americanism......Page 240 Sources for Films......Page 264 Works Cited and Consulted......Page 268 Contributors......Page 276 Index......Page 278