In the 1950s, there was a lot of criticism of pop culture (movies, TV, comics) for supposedly promoting immorality. So Hollywood made a lot of Biblical epics, to present a respectable image.
At the same time, though, sex and violence sell. So the Biblical epics allowed the movies to depict orgies, strip tease dances, and femmes fatales (e.g., Delilah, Salome) in an acceptable context.
The dichotomy may have been the result of Hollywood trying to have their cake and eat it too.
The "red scare" of the early 1950s may have discouraged Hollywood from making films that could be deemed to be critical of contemporary American society, such as film noir.
Sci-Fi and Biblical flicks were clearly not political, except for the pacifistic THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951) .
In the 1950s, there was a lot of criticism of pop culture (movies, TV, comics) for supposedly promoting immorality. So Hollywood made a lot of Biblical epics, to present a respectable image.
ReplyDeleteAt the same time, though, sex and violence sell. So the Biblical epics allowed the movies to depict orgies, strip tease dances, and femmes fatales (e.g., Delilah, Salome) in an acceptable context.
The dichotomy may have been the result of Hollywood trying to have their cake and eat it too.
ReplyDeleteExcellent observations TC.
The "red scare" of the early 1950s may have discouraged Hollywood from making films that could be deemed to be critical of contemporary American society, such as film noir.
Sci-Fi and Biblical flicks were clearly not political, except for the pacifistic THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951) .