How Did Hollywood's Influence On American Culture

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries there was a dramatic shift in the populations of cities and due to this dramatic shift the demand for movies also increased thanks to their relative inexpensiveness. Going to the cinema became a favorite pastime of the lower classes and was a highly demanded consumable product. In the early days of film it was a concern to many that the lower classes would/could be influenced by viewing films that romanticised crime but there was very little evidence that this increased crime among the poor. Along with the shift in populations there was accelerated advancement in the development of new projectors, films and cameras thanks to numerous investors who were willing to take a risk on a new medium.

Around this time there was dramatic rise in the production of films. Some companies such as Fox went from 4 films a year to over 175 by 1918. Hollywood has had a direct influence on the culture of America and the world at large. They have romanticised events that they probably should not have such as war and gangsters, such genre films were popular in the late 20’s and early 30’s. They have directly affected public opinion for better or worse by creating films which then directly led to the creation of censorship with the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA) “Don’ts” and “Be Carefuls.” The reluctance of the filmmakers to follow the the aforementioned code of conduct led to the creation of the Production Code Administration (PCA). The PCA was ran by one man, Joseph Breen and he took his job very seriously. The film studios decided that it was best to comply with the codes and by doing this it restricted artistic expression and directly influenced America’s opinions on topics such as