studio system

…the great age of the studio system (1927–48), strong directors vied with the factory conditions in which films were made. Those directors with powerful personalities (such as Frank Capra, Howard Hawks, John Ford, and Ernst Lubitsch) were given great freedom, but they still had to work with actors and actresses…

If the coming of sound changed the aesthetic dynamics of the filmmaking process, it altered the economic structure of the industry even more, precipitating some of the largest mergers in motion-picture history. Throughout the 1920s, Paramount, MGM, First National, and other studios had…

…a decisive rejection of the old studio system in favor of director-driven creativity and experimentation. In their subject matter, New Hollywood films reflect the concerns of the then rising Baby Boomer generation and are known for their frank depictions of sex and violence, antiauthoritarian and cynical attitudes, and engagement with…