Week 3 - The Studio System

FIL2400 - History of the American Cinema

Week 3 - The Studio
System

Using Paramount Pictures as a case study, the segment probes the economics of mainstream film making in America. A survey of Hollywood's industrial past as well as a window on today's multimedia entertainment environment, the program features studio-era stars and directors as well as contemporary Hollywood figures like Harrison Ford and Michael Eisner.

Class Meeting
Saturday, September 19
9:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Room Hendry Hall 143

In-Class Discussion
Mise En Scene / Movement
A PowerPoint presentation. Note: Includes LARGE graphics, if you don't have a fast Internet connection, be patient.

Reading Assignments
Study Guide - Unit 2: The Studio System
American Cinema - Chapter 4: The Studio System

Television Assignments
Sunday Night/Monday morning - September 21
Midnight - 1:00 AM
Program 2 - The Studio System

Additional Screenings
* Citizen Kane
Duck Soup
Morocco
Dinner at Eight
The Informer
Grapes of Wrath
Public Enemy
To Have and Have Not
The Bride of Frankenstein

Learning Objectives
A. Understand the studio system in economic terms
B. Recognize the role of distribution and exhibition in the film industry
C. Understand the economic concepts of vertical integration and oligopoly
D. Grasp the significance of the Justice Department's actions against the studios
E. Understand the consequences of the breakup of the studio system

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