Essay on Taboos in American Culture

Within this essay, I will be discussing the American New Wave era of the 1960s in the film industry. I will be discussing how the film industry was influenced by new filmmakers that emerged during this time and how their artistic and cultural ideas changed the way that the film industry in America functioned. I will be exploring what the American New Wave was and how the films evolved and took a new direction at this time in film history. I will also be discussing the influence that significant filmmakers had upon the industry at the time and I will be discussing the films that were created in the 1960’s that contributed to the American New Wave.

By the 1950’s the major American film studios had perfected a specific style of film which is often referred to as classic Hollywood cinema or the golden age of Hollywood. At the time this particular style of film had narratives that were mostly upbeat and quite conservative. Most of these films were shot on a structured set and had high-key lighting to ensure that everything in a shot was visible. A lot of the films from the studio system that were made are now significant in film history, however, by the 1960s audiences wanted to see something new and different.

By the 1960’s audiences became less interested in this style of film and the filmmakers who created these films soon became largely irrelevant. The studio system had become unappealing as most of the films created in a studio environment were similar in theme and style. Also, the narratives were often predictable within this era of filmmaking. Audiences became uninterested and attendance at cinemas declined as audiences began to watch more television at home rather than go to a cinema to watch films that were very similar to ones they had seen previously. Audiences wanted to see something new and exciting however these particular films were not fulfilling that for them. By around 1963, studios and stages were being closed down and some were destroyed leaving the studio sets deserted.

“Even as American films became more meaningless, foreign films were beginning to find an emerging audience, hungry for something different.” (Easy Riders, Raging Bulls. 2003)

Art cinemas then became more popular and American audiences would go to watch foreign films as they introduced something different at this time. After living through the very violent time of the Second World War these filmmakers desired to have a more authentic and raw style of film which was unique in contrast to what classical Hollywood cinema could provide. They wanted to create films that were more realistic so a lot of them had themes that were representative and taboo. These filmmakers also started to make films outside of the studio system and produced on-location films to create a more authentic style of film. American filmmakers became inspired by this style of film as they showed something exciting and different compared to the style of classic Hollywood cinema as it introduced a new way of storytelling.

The American New Wave was introduced in the late 1960’s. This is a term that refers to a movement in American film history when a new and young generation of filmmakers brought something new and innovative to film that had a huge influence on the industry. These filmmakers were influenced by the revolutionary new waves of cinema that were being introduced in Europe at the time. They were able to re-imagine some of Hollywood’s classic genres. Instead of making films that conformed to the classical Hollywood cinema style they would implement more taboo themes and realistic subject matters. It was a way for a new generation of filmmakers to express their artistic visions through film. The techniques and ideas they brought changed the way that films were created. As the studio system became irrelevant, new filmmakers found a new way of making films as B movies which are low-budget films. When studio films took a decline, filmmakers of classical Hollywood cinema such as Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, and John Ford didn’t want the younger generation of filmmakers to fall into commercialism and encouraged them to continue to make films that were high quality and had artistic content. (Knudsen,2016)

When the new generation of filmmakers emerged, they challenged the traditional ways of Hollywood cinema and the industry took a new direction. They were creating films that would reflect the climate of America and it had a lasting impact on American filmmaking. Previously characters would often be well rounded and easily motivated and storylines would often be predictable. Once the new wave emerged, characters and storylines became more complex and exciting for the audience. The style of the film became much less censored and more explicit.

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Many filmmakers contributed to the American New Wave. Roger Corman was a young American director and producer. Previously in his career, he worked at 20th Century Fox as a story reader however he decided to leave when he realized he would receive no credit from his work there. He then decided to pursue his career in filmmaking by himself. Later in his career, he decided he would train many other young filmmakers who he recognized had talent, teaching them the art of a low-budget B movie. Some of the filmmakers he taught were Martin Scorsese, Peter Bogdanovich, Jonathan Demme, Ron Howard, and Francis Coppola. By the middle of the 1960s, Roger Corman worked with an independent film production and distribution company called American International Pictures and built a business that made extremely low-budget B movies. He became very successful and started to hire other filmmakers who would struggle to make it in the studio business. One of the main reasons why Roger Corman was a significant filmmaker in this era was because he created films that were relevant to what was happening at the time and things that people were talking about. For example, he made a film called “The Trip” In 1967 which was based on a character taking the drug LSD which at the time was being talked about in the newspapers. He also made a film in 1966 called “The Wild Angels” which was a film about a group of motorcyclists called The Hells Angels. This was released at a time when motorcycles were a big subject in the newspapers. Roger Corman was strategic with the subjects he chose as he would create something that audiences knew about at the time as this would be more appealing to them and encourage them to see his films.

The young filmmakers he hired would have a small salary or often no salary at all, however, he allowed them to use cameras and equipment to create films and be involved in his productions which challenged them to new levels of technology and independence.

A film that is known to be one that contributed to the start of the American new wave was “Bonnie and Clyde” a film by Arthur Penn made in 1967. The film is set in 1937 in America during the great depression and is based on two real-life young lovers on the run from the authorities whilst committing a violent crime spree across the country robbing banks and stealing cars. The roles of Bonnie and Clyde were played by Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty who was also a producer of the film. Warren Beatty was an actor who had starred in many films before the new wave. In the 1960’s he decided he wanted to break away from classical Hollywood-style films as he no longer wanted to be seen as just another handsome film star and he wanted to be involved in films that were more exciting in content and had more depth. When he was offered the role of “Clyde” he worked for little salary as it was something he was passionate about being a part of.

“Bonnie and Clyde” includes many previously taboo subjects that cinema attempted to stay away from before the American new wave. It is the graphic violence and sexual nature that excited the American audiences and made them want to see more. The director did not shy away from these subjects of the lives of criminals. The film scandalized the traditionalists, for example at the start of the film there is a nude scene of the character Bonnie and the film ends with a graphic rampage of their death. Many scenes include blood and gore that pushed boundaries however the audiences found this enjoyable as it was something they were not used to seeing in cinemas.

Narelle (2017) suggests that “the film uses the subtleties of the French New Wave liberally and the connection between the two movements is palpable.”

Therefore, the American filmmakers took influence from foreign filmmakers, seeing their ideas of taboo subjects and using this as inspiration for American films. Narelle (2017) goes on to explain that before the making of the film, Warren Beatty had originally approached multiple French new wave film directors to encourage them to make the film, therefore the influence was there even at the point of creating the concept of the film. This influence was evident in the characterization of the protagonists, the fast cuts, and the spontaneous music that was used to shift the tone of scenes abruptly.

When this film was first presented to Warner brother, the studios didn’t believe the film would be successful as the nature of the film was an anti-establishment theme and they thought it wouldn’t be appealing to audiences and thought it would be a failure, however, the film was a huge success with critics describing it as the best film of the year. The film perfectly reflected what was happening at the time in 1967 when protests against the Vietnam War were happening, there were riots in the ghetto and anarchy in the streets as the younger generation was speaking out which is why the film was such a huge success at the time. This is when audiences realize they may have a sympathetic ally in Hollywood (Easy Riders, Raging Bulls 2003)

“Bonnie and Clyde” was a film that triggered a whole new style of filmmaking. The new filmmakers were inspired and challenged the ways of classical Hollywood cinema to create a new way of filmmaking that was more realistic and had more depth. The American New Wave and the filmmakers that contributed to it brought an innovative and revolutionary style to the film industry. Cinema attendance began to increase and the way films were made was reimagined and reinvented making audiences excited about attending the cinema again. The American New Wave was what the film industry needed for it to be successful once again.