International films and international markets: the globalisation of Hollywood entertainment, c.1921-1951

The international appeal of Hollywood films through the twentieth century has been a subject of interest to economic and film historians alike. This paper employs some of the methods of the economic historian to evaluate key arguments within the film history literature explaining the global success of American films. Through careful analysis of both existing and newly constructed data sets, the paper examines the extent to which Hollywood's foreign earnings were affected by: film production costs; the extent of global distribution networks; and also the international orientation of the films themselves. The paper finds that these factors influenced foreign earnings in quite distinct ways, and that their relative importance changed over time. The evidence presented here suggests a degree of interaction between the production and distribution arms of the major US film companies in their pursuit of foreign markets that would benefit from further archival-based investigation

Nostalgia and style in retro America: moods, modes and media recycling

This paper considers nostalgia as a cultural mode in contemporary America

Introduction : Publix, ou le succès par les salles

Pendant les années vingt, de grands circuits de salles de cinéma se sont constitués à travers les Etats-Unis, et sont rapidement devenus la base de la richesse et du pouvoir hollywoodiens. C’est la chaîne de cinémas Publix qui prit la tête de ce mouvement. Fondée par Sam Katz à l’automne 1925, elle était en 1930 la plus puissante du pays. Katz avait alors acquis plus de 1 000 salles, devenant ainsi le premier exploitant de films au monde. Au faîte de sa gloire pendant les mois grisants qui pr..