Hollywood's Cultural Imperialism?

2556 Words11 Pages
Hollywood is probably the most prestigious movie-making industry in the western world; in global terms, probably the most in demand. For decades Hollywood has exported its films to countries all over the world. In 1913, 32 million feet of motion pictures were exported. In 1925, just 12 years later, the number had gone up to 235 million feet of motion pictures exported (Guback, 1985:466). Concerns started to arise on the great number of American motion pictures being screened in different countries. Hollywood motion pictures were American and many saw a problem in this, as it was believed that the motion pictures could carry morals, values or cultural features that could penetrate into foreign countries. One must ask if this is the real reason Hollywood exports its motion pictures. In order to examine the question at hand, one must asses whether or not Hollywood is acting as a “cultural imperialist” when exporting motion pictures. One must look at the impact of the amount of power Hollywood has. Another issue is that of the amount of “Americanism” that can be said to be caused by Hollywood motion pictures resulting in Hollywood crushing other cultural identities. However, Hollywood is an industry like any other. One must observe if profit has anything to do with exportation. The amount of demand Hollywood films receive is also a key issue. Also, one must measure the degree to which Hollywood is American. Furthermore, there is the question of if national cultures are really at stake due to just some Hollywood production. Through an assessment of the following issues, one can observe whether or not Hollywood's aim in exporting films is best described as “cultural imperialism.” Hollywood, as an industry, has a great deal of power to exploit. During both World War I and World War II, European cinema industries were destroyed. The result was that competition for
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