Why Are Films So Important To The 1960s

Ask anyone to name the greatest decade of bands and they'll say the 1960s. The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Beachboys, and many more. The 1960s was the decade of rock n roll, music that set a scale for the rest of all music.The Beatles being so important to the 1960s music industry that many films were made in honor of their songs. And although music was important the effects racial wars has in the 1960s on film has changed the way people view film from then on. 1960s was a decade for new discoveries, July 20th astronauts, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrich became known as the first men to ever land on the moon. But with all this excitement on America’s new landing, back home not only was a war going on outside, there was a war going on within our country. African Americans on the bottom of the scale continue to scan for hope, while southern states are known for their strong efforts to deny blacks respect, though African Americans still found a way to march on. Rev Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. a famous activist, “He came home with a deeper understanding of nonviolence and a deep commitment as well. For him nonviolence was no longer just a philosophy and a technique of social change; it was now a whole way of life.” (The sixties in America: Biographies, 131)

However the 1960s was also a decade of poor film production. There was many financial difficulties within the film industry. “By mid-decade the average ticket was less than a dollar and the average film budget was slightly over one and a half million dollars.” (Tim Drinks) By the end of the 60s the film industry went through a bad depression. Although film went through troubled times, the 1960s was the first decade of multiplexes. Stanley H. Durwood was the king of multiplexes composed of a side-by-side theater containing 700