Introduction
The evolution of popular culture has sharply etched in our societal imagination the effects of movies than any other product. Most of the American citizens swiftly recognize the diverse images related to movies: Charlie Chaplin, the prospector who eats his shoes in The Gold Rush. James Cagney, the notorious gangster in Public Enemy, and Paul Muni, the WWI veteran in the movie I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang.
Also the depiction of Gloria Swanson in the movie Sunset Boulevard is a critical illustration of how movie has evolved. Movies outline an indispensable piece of cultural artifacts that provides an opening into the American traditions as well as societal history. As an amalgamation of art, commerce, and entertainment, the movies offer a host of understandings into the Americans changing principles, fantasies, and obsessions.
Like any other cultural artifact the movies have undergone a considerable change both in production and screening. From the wake of the 1890, the movies have faced technical, political and economic changes which have equally impacted on the American society (Entwistle 111).
Exploring the diverse changes that the movies have encountered they have moved from the typical entertainment to the broad scope of information. This is well demonstrated by the growth of motion pictures. Perhaps that is why sociological historians regards movies as sociological data that record the environment, look, and the mood of specific historical development and settings.
The movies are almost equated to the ideological developments that advance specific political or ethical values or legends; as emotional texts that address individual and societal anxieties and tensions. Or as artistic documents that stand for particular reflections of gender, customs, class romance, and aggression; and as illustration texts that proffer compound degrees of significance and seeing (Entwistle 74).
Movies in the American society
Therefore, exploring the American movies they have gradually evolved from the silent era when the earliest productions revolved around the working class communities, and characteristically explored the concerns of the poor in their fight against the affluent and powerful.
The most outstanding features within the American movies are linked to the age of transformation when the popular culture was a foremost theme within societal and ethical issues revolving around progressive interlude: break ups, labor control, child labor, migration, political dishonesty, scarcity, prostitution, jails, and women’s suffrage (Barthes 104).
The nature and tone of the movies varied considerably-this saw realistic movies and others touched their subjects with sentimentality as well as humor. This progression changed after the WWII where the new concepts were introduced into the movies. Such changes included employing the movies to tackle or reflect on diverse complex social issues and this was significantly different with the silent era movies which were viewed to be less dominant with the social issues of the time.
Themes
Economic, social, and political changes played a considerable role in affecting the scope of movies. As a major constituent of popular culture the movies absorbed diverse cultural and economic factors which changed the way it was perceived. From the wake of 20th century the movies faced other historical challenges which embraced the new dimension of presentation.
However, the wake of 20th and 21st century has seen the scope of movies growing from mere common aspects to more involving social issues. This can be testified by the fact that the previous generation of movies dwelt on the subject of female honor and other assorted elements of femininity.
Eventually, the themes of later movies as is illustrated by the 1960s productions which depicts progression from Victorian moralism,reformism,and sentimentality and positively expressed novel themes such as glamour, exoticism, sex, sophistication, and urban appeal (Barthes 104).
This was followed by a crop of new movie icons who personified and appealed passionately to the greater society effectively. Innovative genres too appeared: blustering adventures; urbane sex comedies rotating around the question of marital commitment; quixotic dramas probing the manners and ethics of the well-bred and well-to-do; as well as accounts of “blazing youth” in addition to the new sexual independence.
Conclusion
Changing social and individual preferences helped the integration of the movies with other social features. From the eruption of rock, hip hop, to rap music, the movies acquired a new dimension. This illustrates why they stand as historical tools of reference as well as vehicles of popular culture.
Exploring the content of the movies they attempt to explain the origin and the meaning of diverse social aspects. Thus, characterized by fledging social, religious and political questions, the movies addressed the growing features affecting the entire community and more advocated the place of a woman in the community. However, the entry of 20th century saw the radical changes in the manner the movies explained and explored the American society due to the complexity of such issues as taste, fashion, style and preferences.
Works Cited
Barthes, Roland. The Fashion System. London: Jonathan Cape, 2002.
Entwistle, Joanne. Modern Social Theory. Cambridge: Polity Press, 2000.