Does anyone have any knowledge of movies made during the 1960s? Just wondering, if so what were they like?

Question

and how important were they to our flim culture?

Answer 1

The 60's was the first complete decade in which Hollywood no longer had the built-in support of the Studio System (actors, directors, producers, screenwriters,composers etc. were all contractual employees of the studios, and the theaters showing the movies also belonged to the studios.) Under pressures such as anti-trust action which forced the studios to sell off their theaters, anti-communist investigations by the House Un-American Activities Committee leading to several writers and actors being blacklisted, and competition from the newly-invented television, the studios came out of the 50's in rough financial shape. Clearly they needed to provide something the television audience could not see in their living rooms, but lavish spectacles are expensive to produce, so Hollywood took a cue from the new adult-oriented live theater of the day (which was in the process of pulling Broadway out of a similar slump) and began pushing the limits of the Hayes Office (set up in the 30's to promote the "family values" of the day.
Films in the 60's began dealing with more mature themes and subject matter in films directed at an adult audience rather than the safe family fare that was being provided more conveniently by television. Also, some directors began working outside of Hollywood, where the Hayes Code did not exist A very influential film was Sergio Leone's "A Fistful Of Dollars", shot in Spain by an Italian crew with Italian and American actors - it was one of the first movies anybody in America ever saw in which the hero wasn't decent and charming, the villian wasn't evil and craven, the ending wasn't happy, and you could see one character shoot another character in the same shot (as opposed to the shooter being in one shot and the victim's reaction in a seperate shot as dictated by the Hayes Code), also, the first in which one character could kill another character (a) and make a profit from the act, and (b)without being prosecuted by the law in the end; sex could take place outside of marriage without ruinous consequences for everyone involved, etc.
As the sixties continued, interesting changes took place: the public, in turmoil because of the Civil Rights movement, opposition to the Viet Nam war, the rise of sexual and pharmaceutical freedom, etc. began turning away from the big-budget musicals that had been the studios' bread and butter, and shifted toward film which actually spoke to the attitudes and issues that were present in their own lives; films such as "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner" and "In The Heat Of The Night" spoke directly and frankly about racial relations in America, "The Graduate" was embraced by the day's disillusioned youth, "Who's Afraid Of Virginia Wolfe?" spoke to their disillusioned parents; films from traditional genres now began to comment on the genres themselves: "The Bridge On The River Kwai" was a war movie that spoke of the underlying futility of war; "Easy Rider" was a road picture that showed the road in all its ugly pointlessness.
Gee, I'm rambling . . .
Well, without the films of the 60's the films of today would look just like the films of the 50's, is I guess the short answer.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

There were many great movies made in the 1960s of just about every genre. Epic westerns, Musicals, even Epic Western Musicals...hehehe (See Paint Your Wagon). Spy thrillers (enter..007) Teeny bopper movies, low budget biker movies, and everything in-between. Their importance to our "film culture" is significant because of the society changes that happened in the '60s and their impact on the roles, and stories presented in movies. The first anti-heroes emerged, (such as in Clint Eastwood's spagetti westerns). A new philosophy to question "the establishment" and not take things at face value emerged. People finding out that that the US government wasn't necessarily their friend, this stemming from the government behavior when realizing there was profit to be made with the Vietnam War. This was also a liberal movement, that prompted the movie rating system to be established so that movie-goers could know what kind of content was in the movie before they took their kids to see it. This did not exist before the 60's.
You can find out what they were like on the Turner Classic Movie Channel if you care to (no affiliation). They play them sometimes.

Answer 4

Well, many of the films made during the sixties have been re-made anyway. Despite the better technology they are not necessarily better films. Like any period some were good and some were bad but many reflected the zeitgeist with a mixture of positivism and negativism. Others were just pure entertainment. If you are that interested you might want to check out Hitchcock, Kubrick, Jean Luc Goddard among others.

Answer 5

Just go rent a few. Try:
The Great Escape
Faster, Pussycat! Kill, Kill!
Georgie Girl
Seargent Pepper's Lonely Hearts Band
To Kill a Mockingbird
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
Breakfast at Tiffany's
The Birds

Check these sites:
http://www.stinalisa.com/Movies60s.html
http://movies.yahoo.com/mvc/top10?lid=400
http://www.taschen.com/pages/en/catalogue/books/film/all/facts/03364.htm

Answer 6

Just like now everyone thought that t.v. and the world was getting so ahead with everything.Well, film is much better things seem realler and in ten years someone will be saying the something I am all over again.

Answer 7

tended to be a lot of western and horror. special effects were pretty shoddy, but they didn't have to be up to today's standards. remember, there were a lot of drive in movies, AKA "Passion Pits".

Answer 8

It's questions like this that make me feel really ooooooold.