WWI era hollywood

Did you know that 12 million people daily go to see a movie in the united states? Films must be able to conform to the biases of the audience, otherwise, who would go see the movie if you do not relate to it? This is very true to the time of cinema during the first world war. Films could promote the war, and change the audience members view of the war in seconds. War films were "said" to be accurate, because they claimed they got their information from the newspapers. Propaganda was very easy to create in Hollywood during the WWI era. 

So where did Hollywood come from? Film makers were attracted to the land because it was cheap, there was cheap labor, varied scenery, and a good climate. I would want to make movies there! Hollywood was started in 1910 by a man named Whitley, thus leading to the golden age of film in 1915. Men like Laemmle (Universal) and Zukor (Paramount) came to this Hollywood in search for fame. When the war began, all the Hollywood writers like Laemmle and Zukor responded with 'artistic rage.'  So by the 1920's Hollywood was the film capital of the world!

Hollywood became anti-German very quickly. The government asked the film makers to use propaganda in their films to make the U.S. look better. (Like the good guys in the war) Film makers in the war brought their cameras and got actual footage, but because it was so raw, most films didn't make it to the screen. The government wanted to encourage war, not make it look like a huge bloody murder of innocent American soldiers. For these war films there were no directors, interesting, right? Most films they recorded did not seem to make "dying for your country" look glorious. The war started to seem pointless, almost a disappointment to these film makers. Emotions portrayed in silent films were like no other, and most scenes were not exaggerated because they were in the newspapers!

Many Films released addressed the issue of national loyalty. Would immigrants remain loyal to their place of birth or remain loyal to the U.S.? Movies like The Kaiser, To Hell with the Kaiser, Beast of Berlin, The Immigrant, and Italian, were all against immigration during WWI. Most movies, however, all had one villain: Germans. Film makers like Laemmle, who was German, wanted to prove their true 'Americanism.' Laemmle, who did Beast of Berlin, very much proved their loyalty. In a newspaper article in 1917, they advertised for this very movie. 

"Keep your eye on the people around you. Should anyone make remarks that you can construe as sedition or unfriendly to the United States CALL THE POLICE and have him arrested. Watch the enemy aliens. Save your country."

This newspaper article also called the Kaiser one who "Murdered womanhood, humanity  youth, civilization, and freedom." As you can see, this propaganda certainly changed the view of Americans who went and saw these types of movies on the weekend. After these films were seen, people began to treat German-Americans with disrespect. This could be compared to how the Blacks were treated in the 60's, they were spit on, and people wouldn't even eat at the same restaurant as Germans. A huge impact like this caused a real issue of loyalty to ones country.

Film makers were eventually told to cut out all German astrocities in movies, and this is when they knew the war was over. This is when I wonder why would any human being treat another like a pointless fly, swat at until its dead, and get disgusted how it lands our our food. Should we befriend the flies, or continue to be the bigger and better ones. (That is, if flies could communicate..this is merely an analogy.) I think how Americans treated Germans after the terrible propaganda was wrong, and that things like the Sedition act are messing with the right to freedom of speech. Movies, however, continue to make an impact on us. Whether you like it or not, you will probably conform to what everyone else does. (This is just an opinion- you could be different and cool..this is not meant to offend you)

Movies like All Quiet on the Western Front (1930-trench warfare), Paths of Glory (1957-ant hill), Legends of the fall (1994-trench warfare) and Joyeux Noel (2006-Christmas truce) all have been made after the war was over, so in the film world, the WWI era has not ended.

All quiet on the Western front

Hollywood early 1900's

Beast of Berlin

Carl Laemelle

Sources:
digitialhistory.uh.edu
laemmle and zukor, reason film makers came to hollywood
wsws.org
information about war films, cinema facts
digitalhistory.uh.edu
movies about immigration during war period
www3.northern.edu
Movies about the anti-german war, HW is anti-german
school.ebu.com
AVL source: about the golden age, who started hollywood
chronolingamerica.loc.gov
PRIMARY source: newspaper article about beast of berlin
empireonline.com
different movies WWI movie
youtube.com
true story about filmers in war, hollywood, and the anti-german propaganda
IMAGES: (also captioned)
wikipedia.org
solarnavigator.net
missourioverthere.blogspot.com