Book Reviewed: American Cinema of the 1920s: Themes and Variations by Lucy Fischer

Hollywood in antiquity The 1920s Hollywood make a pivotal decade for the movie industry transitioning from silent films to "talkies." This era also founded the studio system with major players like MGM, Paramount, Warner Bros., and Universal Studios. They also created the star system that helped to produce a large number of creative films. European directors and actors migrated to Hollywood enriching the cinematic landscape. This cross-pollination led to a blend of styles and techniques. The industry was dominated by flappers, a new generation of young women who defied traditional norms of behavior and fashion. The twenties began on the heels of the WWI which led to the making of successful war films. Some great movies include: "The Gold Rush" (1925), starring Charlie Chaplin, with his iconic "Little Tramp" character through various misadventures in the Klondike Gold Rush. "Metropolis" (1927), an epic that explores themes of industrialization and class struggle. "Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ" (1925), directed by Fred Niblo for its chariot race scene and massive scale. It was one of the most expensive movies of the silent era. "Wings" (1927), a World War I movie that shows the fighter pilots engaged in aerial combat sequences, and "The Phantom of the Opera" (1925), starring Lon Chaney is a successful experiment in making a horror film. African Americans were demeaned by racist portrayals in early days of Hollywood. For example, in Max and Dave Fleischer's comic film Chemical Ko-Ko (1929), a black janitor drinks a magic potion and turns white, and then he loses interest in doing a menial job. The 1927 film “The Jazz Singer" reflects the racial attitudes and prejudices of 1920s, showcasing how deeply embedded these stereotypes were in American popular culture. Al Jolson plays a Whiteman performing with a blackface, this practice of white actors playing the roles of black actors were common but shows that this practice was culturally accepted at that time. "Hearts in Dixie," a 1929 movie is significant in the history of American cinema in the context of race relations and representation. It is one of the first all-talking, all black-cast films produced in Hollywood, which aimed to portray African American life in a humanized way. This story is about an elderly African American who tries to save his grandson from his shiftless father. A major studio's early attempt to create a film with a predominantly African American cast intended for mainstream audiences was an audacious effort. Despite its progressive intentions, "Hearts in Dixie" still relied on several stereotypes common in the portrayal of African Americans at the time. Characters often embodied the archetypes of the "happy-go-lucky" Black person or the "loyal servant." You will come to appreciate this book if you have time to watch the movies of 1920s many of which are aired on the Turner Classic Movies (TCM). This is a fascinating book to read and highly recommended to readers interested in the history of Hollywood and the early days of Hollywood’s Golden age.