ABSTRACT
Any successful moviemaker in America wields a power unmatched by that of other contemporary artists: immediate contact with incredibly large and diverse audiences. Only a small handful of painters, writers, or even pop musicians can hope to reach such immense numbers of people so quickly. This chapter describes documentable developments in Hollywood film content and style over the past fifty years, the evolution of Hollywood as an industry and social institution, and the way these developments fit into larger patterns of social change. It discusses the authors' approach that deals with a large body of contemporary film theory that also addresses the relation between film and American society and politics, albeit in very different terms. The chapter focuses on the backgrounds, attitudes, and personalities of the Hollywood elite in comparison to other elites and on the types of information that Hollywood produces and disseminates.
