January 1, 1970

Hollywood’s ‘golden age’ of cinema lasted from around the 1920s to the 60s. In the 1920s the number of cinema-goers in America almost doubled from 50 to 90 million weekly. Big film studios such as Paramount and MGM were extremely prolific and hired thousands of actors, producers, writers and technicians. Classical Hollywood cinema had a distinctive style, featuring clear narratives, linear time and space and continuous editing, setting a standard which filmmakers could either conform to or rebel against. We associate this genre of cinema with iconic movie stars such as Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly.