The American Cinema

The American Cinema

THE AMERICAN CINEMA
First published in "La Philatelie Francaise" By Herbert Engel

Adaptation and translation from French by George Constantourakis, JAN-MAR, 1999

From Griffith to Oliver Stone passing through Cecil De Mille and Altman, the inventive American Cinema produced films that set the standard and encouraged the emergence of numerous actors of talent. It was also in the U.S. that the greatest studios were established. The Maximum Card is the philatelic medium to examine the rich history of the American Cinema.

For many, the American Cinema is, above all, the entertainment business. It is an industry having considerable means, using the latest technology. It has the status—as that of American culture—of global appeal. That in turn creates passionate discussions, contradictory declarations, and accusations of its supposed intentions.

In 1890 the U.S. inventor Thomas Edison (1847-1931) pioneered the kinetoscope camera, showing moving pictures as a series of images recorded and reproduced in rapid succession, giving the impression of a continuous movement. In 1895 in France the brothers Lumiere were the first to project the image on a screen for a large audience.

The true birth of the classic American Cinema dates from 1915 with the film of D. W. Griffith (1875-1948) The Birth of a Nation that describes the American Civil war, Lincoln’s assassination, and the emergence of the Klu Klux Klan. The influence of Griffith’s work is apparent between 1915 and 1924, as it set the foundations of the American Silent Cinema as a form of Art. D. W. Griffith appeared on May 27, 1975 on U.S. stamp, Scott Nr. 1555.

The preeminence of Griffith should not make us forget the contributions of his contemporaries, such as Cecil De Mille (1881-1959), who made the first American feature film in Hollywood The Squaw Man (1913).

The contribution of the film comedy is also important. The producer Mack Sennet (1880-1960) brought forth great talents such as Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977) the foremost comedian and later director (See: Figure 1). This burlesque school flourished during the 1920s with men such as Buster Keaton (1895-1966), U.S. stamp Nr. 2828, and Harold Lloyd (1893-1945), U.S. stamp Nr. 2825 (See: Figure 2). These comedians rapidly became the top stars of the era of the silent cinema.


Fig. 1: Charlie Chaplin	Fig. 2: Harold Lloyd

Fig. 1. Charlie Chaplin in the film The Circus (1928) with the walking cane and bowler hat, which became his hallmark. The stamp is from Bulgaria, with an Oct. 16, 1995 concordant cancellation for 100 years of Cinema.

Fig. 2. Harold Lloyd in the film Safety Last (1923), using the U.S. stamp Nr. 2825 with a San Francisco, April 27, 1994, First Day cancellation

As a different type appears Rudolph Valentino (1895-1926), U.S. stamp Nr. 2819, who was the first in the line of "screen lovers" (See: Figure 3). Lon Channey, U.S. stamp Nr. 2822, played in roles of villains, and Douglas Fairbanks (1883-1939), U.S. stamp Nr. 2088, played swashbuckling hero parts. W. C. Field (1879-1946), U.S. stamp Nr. 1803, started as a vaudeville actor and juggler. John Gilbert, U.S. stamp Nr. 2823, was the last of the great stars of the Silent Screen.

The End of the Silent Screen

The arrival of "talkies" put an abrupt end to a great many careers of actors and producers. The drama and burlesque that had dominated the Silent Screen were now replaced by action films or by comedies where talking was paramount. This brought the decline of Griffith and the ruin of John Gilbert, whose voice was high-pitched. Others did succeed in adapting to Talking Films. This is the case of Stan Laurel (1890-1965) and Oliver Hardy (1892-1957), U.S. stamp Nr. 2562, the famous comedy duo (See: Figure 4).

Fig. 3: Rudolph Valentino

Fig. 3. Rudolph Valentino, the Italian born actor, who through the films The Sheik (1921) and Blood and Sand (1922) became known as the "Latin Lover". The M.C. uses U.S. Stamp Nr. 2819, with a San Francisco, April 27, 1994, First Day cancellation.

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy

Fig. 4. The universally famous comedy duo of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. The M.C. uses U.S. stamp Nr. 2562 with a Hollywood April 29, 1991, FDOI cancel.

The thirties marked the heyday of the Hollywood studios, of which Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was the most powerful. The studios had under contract hundreds of actors, actresses, and directors. The enchantment of MGM rests on the cult of stars such as Laurel & Hardy, Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Clark Gable (See: Figure 5), and James Stewart. It was equally the heyday of the legend-stars of Hollywood, such as Marlene Dietrich (1904-1992), Jean Harlow(1911-1937), Gary Cooper (1901-1961), and Cary Grant (1904-1986). Every one of these great stars, with his or her own style and physical appearance, had the ability to interpret drama, sophisticated comedy, or adventure roles. Hollywood is thus justified in being known as the factory of dreams.

Warner Bros. specialized in musical comedies, social films, and gangsters films with Humphrey Bogart, while Paramount focused on great historical spectacles and exotic dramas by Sternberg with Marlene Dietrich (See: Figure 6).


Fig. 5: Clark Gable & Vinine Leigh	Fig. 6: Marlene Dietrich

Fig. 5. Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh In Gone With the Wind, the most popular Film in the history of Hollywood. It won stamp ten Oscars. The M.C. uses U.S. stamp Nr. 2446, with a Hollywood, Mar. 23, 1990, FDOI cancellation.

Fig. 6. Marlene Dietrich became best known for her role in the film The Blue Angel (1930), using the German with a Berlin, January 30, 1998, regular cancellation.

Universal made a name for itself with its horror film Frankenstein and Dracula released in 1931 (See: Figure 7). The forties gave birth to the thriller and to crime films, such as The Maltese Falcon (1941) and The Big Sleep (1946) with Humphrey Bogart in both films (See: Fig. 8).

In the fifties we witnessed the rebirth of the historical or biblical epics such as Quo Vadis (1951) and The Ten Commandments (1956). The drama was reborn with fiery type films such as East of Eden (1955) and Rebel Without a Cause (1955), both superbly interpreted by James Dean (1931-1955), (See: Figure 9).

These works were pioneering in their use of new technology such as wide-screen cinema and color. Then slowly the system of movie studios was threatened. Independent producers multiplied. The phenomenon of a director-producer became more frequent. The power relationship between the studio and the star was reversed.


Fig. 7: Boris Karloff	Fig. 8: Bogart and Bergman

Fig. 7. The actor Boris Karloff in his "monster" role of Frankenstein, using the recent U.S. stamp with an Oct. 1, 1997 concordant cancellation.

Fig. 8. Actors Bogart and Bergman In the "cult" film Casablanca (1942). It received three Oscars, including Best Picture. The M.C. uses a stamp from Nicaragua with a Feb. 22, 1995 special cancellation for 100 years of Cinema.

Fig. 9: James Dean

Fig. 9. James Dean in the film East of Eden (1955), where he played the role of a misunderstood and troubled teenager. The M.C. uses the recent U.S. stamp with a Marion, IN (birthplace) Jan. 16, 1997 regular cancellation.

Actors such as Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962) (See: Figure 10), Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, John Wayne, and Gary Cooper wanted more control over the realization of the films in which they were playing the leading role.

The sixties marked a period of crisis for Hollywood. The great studios faced considerable financial difficulties. A number of super-productions were shot in Spain and Italy for fiscal reasons.

The seventies and eighties, on the contrary, marked a period of rebirth with the revelation of new talents. Altman produced racy satires such as Nashville(1975). Coppola conceived ambitious projects such as The Godfather (1972-1974) and Apocalypse Now (1978). Other producers showed us that modern cinema has inexhaustible possibilities: George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Oliver Stone manipulated science fiction, adventure, and war horror in order to make a public that numbers in the millions shake and shudder. The models for these styles, the champions of these formulas, are Star Wars (1977) by George Lucas and Platoon (1986) by Oliver Stone (See: Figure 11).


Fig. 10: Mariline Monroe	Fig. 11: The film Platoon

Fig. 10. Marilyn Monroe in the film The Seven Year Itch (1955). Her unique appeal as a sex symbol established her as a worldwide sensation. The M.C. uses the recent U.S. stamp with a Columbus, OH, June 1, 1995, First Day cancellation.

Fig. 11. A scene from the film Platoon (1986) by Oliver Stone, who won an Oscar for the Best Producer. This film represents the most critical and realistic portrayal of the Vietnam War, based on Stone’s personal GI experiences. The M.C. uses a stamp from Nicaragua with a Feb. 22, 1995 special cancellation for 100 years of Cinema.

Editor: Jesse F. Knight .| Webmaster: Itzhak Shdemati
Last Updating: Feb-06-2000