Audiences today lament the seemingly endless blockbusters that seem to have taken over theaters these days. Isn’t there room for quiet films anymore?
To understand Hollywood’s current blockbuster situation, we must go back to the 1950’s. Television landed like an atom bomb in American homes. How could Hollywood compete with this box that provided free, over the air programming to the masses? Hollywood quickly decided that the way to do this was to offer something that television could not- massive, awe inspiring visuals in mammoth productions. Cecil B. De Mille and other big name producers began mounting ever larger productions in CinemaScope, 3D and VistaVision. The smaller, talky dramas and screwball comedies fell by the wayside as ever bigger spectacles enchanted audiences.
This, however, would not prove to be sustainable. Twentieth Century Fox had to sell off most of its storied backlot in order to recover from its lavish misfire Cleopatra. Spiraling, out of control budgets threatened the solvency of many studios since many of them no longer balanced out the big films with smaller films since the smaller films were seen as being something that television could offer. How could Hollywood bring back the smaller, lower budgeted pictures that could counterbalance the lavish spectacles?
It would be the counter culture and the collapse of the studio system that would point the way forward. While television couldn’t duplicate the massive, lavish spectacles that were slowly bankrupting the studios, it also couldn’t show nudity, violence, sensuality or profanity. The strict, voluntary Hayes Code ensured that movies couldn’t include these things. The important word for Hollywood, however, was “voluntary”. The restrictions were put in place to circumvent outside legislation after early Hollywood scandals. Broadcast television, however, was regulated by the FCC. It couldn’t show more adult content if it wanted to. Thus, the MPAA and its rating system were born.
By telling audiences what they could expect beforehand, Hollywood could be more aggressive with content. Smaller films featuring profanity and nudity would usher in a new era of filmmaking- and help the studios balance the books again.
So what has changed things now? Peak TV. Unfettered by broadcast licenses and the FCC, cable networks and streaming providers are constantly pushing the envelope. USA Network regularly features the F word. Amazon Prime allows nudity. Filmmakers who would have made a film before can now tell possibly longer stories on television. So in order to stand out, motion pictures have to get bigger. Will there be something new to fill the void? Only time will tell.
