Conclusion

Abstract

Every medium enjoys a golden age when its very newness inspires the creation of seminal works. With the cinema there is general recognition that the early sound period, and in particular the apex of the Hollywood studio system of the late 1930s, marked a period of achievement for the medium. During the early sound period, film was the unquestioned standard of choice of mass public entertainment. The development of mini-Hollywoods around the world also made this period pivotal in the formation of mass media cultures. As countries developed television broadcasting, the primary role of the cinema as the dominant form of public entertainment declined. The crisis that beset the American film industry in the 1950s occurred subsequently in other countries as cinema patrons realized they could stay at home to watch television rather than pay for a trip to the theater. This process of the decline of cinema as a mass entertainment event is presently occurring in developing countries where the dominance of the theatrical cinema is destined to decline as nations’ economies progress. Television is not the only threat to theatrically released films. As the cinema was challenged by other media like television, it is now being further challenged by other forms of media available via the personal computer or portable media devices. In fact the primary form of entertainment for the youth in the developed world is not necessarily the cinema or even television but the myriad of possibilities offered by games and personal electronic devices that have a technical capacity far beyond the wildest dreams of the cinéastes of the golden age of studio cinema in the 1930s.