Hollywood: A Very Short Introduction

Hollywood: A Very Short Introduction tells the story of Hollywood, from its nineteenth-century origins to the emergence of internet media empires. It recounts how the studio system rose out of the ashes of Thomas Edison’s trust to create the handful of companies that have dominated global screens and imaginations for over 100 years. It reveals that the elements taken to be a natural part of the Hollywood experience—stars, genre-driven storytelling, blockbuster franchises—are the product of cultural, political, and commercial forces. The challenges of new technologies, including sound, home video, and computer graphics, are explored and Hollywood’s responses to World War II, independent film movements, and regulations imposed by Washington are also examined.