In the past three decades, dance, both ballet and modern, has been the most rapidly developing performing art in the nation. New York City has become the dance center of the world.
HOLLYWOOD FILMS
Born in Hollywood after the turn of the century, the motion picture became the monumental popular art form of the century. In Hollywood's golden age during the 1940s, the major studios were turning out over 400 movies each year.
Like most businessmen, motion picture executives and entrepreneurs wanted to develop products that had mass appeal. Once they found a successful formula, they repeated it in film after film. Westerns, gangster films, comedies, and musicals were some of the popular films that emerged as distinct genres. Hollywood films were tailored to an American audience and appealed to its tastes by reinforcing traditional myths, values, and beliefs. The western fused violence and rugged individualism into larger, mythical themes of taming the frontier, curbing lawlessness, and forging a nation. Entertaining comedies and musicals carried messages of aspiration and optimism. In film director Frank Capra's (born 1897) It Happened One Night (1934), the poor boy who fell in love with a rich girl managed to win her heart. Class divisions were healed and everyone lived happily ever after. Audiences were charmed. During these decades of Hollywood's golden age, films, movie stars, and even the architecture of the theaters were glittering and glorious.
Influence of television
The movies have changed since television intervened. Film attendance declined sharply, conglomerates bought up studios, and Hollywood's old monopoly on stardom and American style was lost. Today's moviegoers are mostly teenagers. Their parents prefer television entertainment. The major film studios have adapted to the new viewing patterns by cutting back on production, targeting films to the younger audience, and creating new markets. Studios have recaptured television audiences by renting their feature films to television networks and by producing low-budget made-for-TV movies and television series. Video cassettes have also created new markets for film studios. Although the golden age is past, films remain a popular and profitable form of entertainment in America.
Innovations in these varied artistic fields have enriched America's cultural life and have made an impact on the rest of the world. The flourishing of the arts in America today signals a continued momentum for new developments in American art in the future.