Hollywood’s light is dimming
Hollywood has always been more than a place. It has been a symbol of power, art and fame. The powerhouse for all that is glamorous in the world. Until 1961, when Yuri Gagarin could go to space, the path to the stars was the famous Hollywood sign, gleaming white and adorned in lights. To many people, the Hollywood path to fame was much brighter than the night sky.
But that gleaming white hasn’t always been pure. Over the years, Hollywood’s gleam has been dulled by scandals, discrimination and most recently, a global pandemic. That bright image of Hollywood now lies in the distant past. Hollywood, as the world’s biggest film powerhouse, is declining as we know it.
The biggest cause of the outage is of course the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic has affected industries all over the world, especially the arts and culture industries. One of the most notable examples of Covid-19 affecting Hollywood was the delayed cinema release of the James Bond film, ‘No Time to Die’. The film was supposed to be released in April last year, but due to the various lockdowns, the film didn’t premiere until yesterday. Many film productions were halted also due to lockdown. Streaming services have been the main source of entertainment throughout the pandemic but this isn’t an aid to Hollywood as streaming distracts from traditional film viewing. Even before the pandemic, this was a problem.
Covid-19 also affected a big part of Hollywood; award shows. During the pandemic, award shows were reaching record lows. The Oscars, considered to be the biggest night in Hollywood, was watched by less than 10 million people, an almost a 59% drop in viewership from last year, according to information firm Nielsen. In addition to the pandemic, the Oscars hasn’t had a host for three consecutive years. There was also this year’s controversy which moved the announcement of Best Actor as the last award when it is traditionally Best Picture that is the final award of the night. This gamble was due to the belief that the award would go to late actor Chadwick Boseman, but Anthony Hopkins was given the award instead. It seems that the public is losing faith and interest in awards and along with that, Hollywood itself.
However, easing restrictions and this year’s Emmys brings a little hope for Hollywood. Though Covid restrictions were still in place, this ceremony took place in person, and all the glamour on the red carpet revived Hollywood’s image.
However, it will take more than easing restrictions to brighten the Hollywood sign again. It’s no secret that Hollywood has a dark history. Even now scandals and reports of abuse continue to rock the industry. The amount of scandals behind the scenes, especially during the so-called ‘Golden’ Age of Hollywood truly shows that all that glitters is not gold. Hollywood has been soiled with everything from extramarital affairs, untimely suspicious deaths of actors and actresses and most notably, sexual abuse. There’s also the discrimination within the industry of women and minorities. The first Hollywood blockbuster hit sadly goes to the film ‘Birth of a Nation’, a film notorious for glorifying the KKK and all the racist attitudes that they held. Actresses considered ‘sex symbols’ were dissuaded from marrying and having children and if they did become pregnant, they were coerced into abortion. Actresses Bette Davis and Judy Garland where pressured by studios into having abortions. Judy Garland’s infamous diet enforced by the studio when she was filming ‘The Wizard of Oz’ also comes to mind. She was just sixteen. Her diet consisted of soup and coffee and pills to quench her appetite. This inevitably contributed to the eating disorder and drug addiction that lasted her entire life. There were also sexual harassment allegations that shook Hollywood. Alfred Hitchcock, one of the most famous directors from the Golden Age was accused of sexual harassment by actress Tippi Hedren. Allegations from back then came to light due to allegations now. In the present day, we have seen men like Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby and Kevin Spacey. It is fortunate that now we are moving to an era of accountability for these men and justice for their victims. Women in Hollywood have suffered greatly over the decades. While increasing accountability helps, a lot of it is too little, too late. Hollywood’s failure in protecting women and children within the industry and instead focusing on protecting these men is very damaging towards its future as an industry.
Hollywood is moving further and further away from its purpose; producing quality art. Film is an art form that requires care, creativity and imagination. Of course profit is essential to Hollywood as it is with many art and cultural businesses. But when profit blinds you, you could end up with nothing at all. Nothing worth watching, reviewing or discussing. Hollywood’s prioritising of profit over art is evident in the absurd amount of reboots that are being produced. With these reboots Hollywood is failing as a business by ignoring its audiences’ wants. Hollywood has lost its flair for originality. The industry’s obsession with remakes also show Hollywood’s lack of care towards diversity. Forcing women, people of colour and members of the LGBTQ+ community into roles that were never intended for them to fend off the supposed mob of the ‘woke’ crowd is very lazy and shows that Hollywood is all talk and no action for its actions to improve inclusivity in the the industry.
Hollywood’s lights have been shut off due to the pandemic and now they’re on again. But the lights are flickering and it’ll take a lot more than turning Hollywood off and putting it on again to fix Hollywood’s light. It has all the tools it needs; diversity, originality and decent morals. Will Hollywood fix its bulbs or will they fizzle out completely?
