Film & Media: Hooray for Hollywood, American Cinema 1900-1960

Even today, our notion of cinema is still influenced by the films produced during the Golden Age of Hollywood. This course will chart the development of the American film industry, from its humble beginnings as a sideshow attraction to the rise and fall of the studio system. The key films and stars of this period will be analysed and discussed, noting how they both reflected and shaped the American Dream. It will then explore how the studios mobilised during World War Two, only to find themselves being attacked as vehicles for communist propaganda! Finally, it will also look at the darker side of Hollywood glamour: the scandals and some salacious secrets! This informal course is for anyone who loves old American movies and want to find out more about their background. This is the one course which can be said to have “more stars than there are in heaven!”