"Hollywood on the Hudson" traces the roots of the modern American film industry to New York City between the two world wars, when an industry built on centralized authority began to listen, for the first time, to a range of independent voices, each with their own ideas about what the movies could say and do. The Hollywood studio system was geared toward creating a standardized product and sought to appeal to all ages and classes, whereas New York cinema was technically innovative and culturally specific, and played to niche audiences, from art houses to ethnic enclaves. But the collapse of Hollywood's economic and industrial model in the post-World War I era forced American filmmakers to rethink the way they made films and sold them to audiences. Finding they could no longer depend on a system that required long-term contracts and studio backlots with elaborate standing sets, they began to adopt the methods being used by writers, directors, and actors in New York.

Featured Works:

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (John Robertson, 1920); Way Down East (D.W. Griffith, 1920); While New York Sleeps (Charles Brabin, 1920); Enchantment (Robert Vignola, 1921); The Green Goddess (Sidney Olcott, 1923, pictured); Janice Meredith (E. Mason Hopper, 1924); Monsieur Beaucaire (Sidney Olcott, 1924); Love 'Em and Leave 'Em (Frank Tuttle, 1926); The Letter (Jean De Limur, Monta Bell, 1929); The Struggle (D.W. Griffith, 1931)

Program information:

Hollywood on the Hudson: Filmmaking in New York, 1920-39

Related Articles:
Eastern Promises by Richard Koszarski posted Sep. 18, 2008