New Hollywood Film Era

New Hollywood Film Era

            The New Hollywood Era was a huge movement in the American film industry.  This era, sometimes referred to as the Post- Classical Hollywood Era or more commonly, the American New Wave, occurred from the mid 1960’s to the early 1980’s.  Films transitioned from being directed by independent filmmakers to the studio system.  Because films were beginning to decline, the studio system incorporated stereo sound, cinemascope, and sometimes even 3-D to keep their audiences entertained. 

New Hollywood films emphasized realism due to the new company, The Motion Picture Association of America.  A major change used in films during this period was location shooting.  Previously, the movies had been shot either behind a blue screen set (known today as the green screen) or in areas where the movie did not take place.  However, to create a better sense of realism, the films during this period were shot at the actual location of the scene and therefore, put the actors in the actual location resulting in more realistic acting and setting.  A few reoccurring themes included anti-political movies, films discussing sexual freedom, and heroism.  The 35mm camera made its breakthrough during this era.  Editing for artistic effect was initiated as well during this time period. 

The film Bonnie and Clyde proved to be a national landmark film and truly started the New Hollywood Film Era.  This film, which was an American crime film about notorious bank robbers, used the most modern filmmaking techniques.  In addition, this film was one of the first to be abrupt and clear on its sexual position.  It was one of the first films to use squibs, small explosive charges to simulate bullet shots.  Bonnie and Clyde received multiple Academy Awards and was one of the first 100 films selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.     

Another important film during this time period was Heaven’s Gate.  It was a 1980 American Western based on the Johnson County War.  This film was one of the last of the era and proved to have drastic effects.  It is considered one of the biggest box office bombs of all time and ultimately led to the collapse of the United Artists Studio.  The directors of this film were given large budgets with little studio control.  They tried to make great, elaborate scenes and eventually spent too much on certain scenes and had nothing left for the rest of their movie.  However, this film eventually led to the high concept feature, which is still present in films today.  The high concept feature is the idea of “what if _____ happened?” and led to the ideas and basis of many following films. 

The New Hollywood film era was a great period, which included many box office favorites such as Rocky, Star Wars, and Planet of the Apes.  This film era truly transformed films for the better.