Hollywood movies are rapidly becoming vehicles for the ulterior marketing and advertising motives of studios and their owners, rather than entertainment in their own right. Behind the Screens explores this trend toward "hypercommercialism" through phenomena such as product placement, tie-ins, merchandising and cross-promotions. It combines multiple examples taken directly from the movies with incisive interviews provided by film scholars, cultural critics, political economists, and an Oscar-nominated screenwriter. Behind the Screens presents an accessible argument designed for school and college-age audiences-- precisely the demographic most prized by both Hollywood studios and advertisers alike. It features examples drawn from movies such as Wayne's World, Forrest Gump, The Lion King, Summer of Sam, and Toy Story.
In the 1980s, Andrew McCarthy was part of a young generation of actors who were set to take over Hol...
A documentary about the rise and fall of the Cannon Film Group, the legendary independent film compa...
When looking at Pedro Almodóvar’s filmography, it becomes evident that women are everywhere; in fact...
The Smurfs were created in 1958 by the Belgian comic author Peyo (Pierre Culliford, 1928-1992) and t...
As the first "blonde bombshell," Mae West reigned supreme and changed the nation's view of women, se...
Known for his personification of the Western Hero, it was Montana-born Gary Cooper's horse-riding sk...
He went from street-wise tough to art-collector liberal-activist, from circus-acrobat hunk to Academ...
From 1957 —the year in which the Soviets put the Sputnik 1 satellite into orbit— to 1969 —when Ameri...
In a rare interview, Katharine Hepburn shares her memories and memorabilia.
The thriving epicenter of American entertainment, Hollywood is the land of glitz and glamour - a pla...
The larger-than-life story of Kim Dotcom, the 'most wanted man online', is extraordinary enough, but...
Five unique individuals in pursuit of a big life change. Through auditions set up in small towns acr...
This documentary was written with passion and love for cinema, and on the other hand, he blamed her....
Co-curated by Jenni Olson and the late Black gay activist Karl Knapper, this entertaining showcase o...
This documentary captures the sounds and images of a nearly forgotten era in film history when Afric...
The art of the "pitch" and its role in society, as told by many of the pitch industry's greatest sal...
A 60-minute salute to American International Pictures. Entertainment lawyer Samuel Z. Arkoff founded...
As a teenager in the '90s, Soleil Moon Frye carried a video camera everywhere she went. She document...
Documentary about the legendary American film director from his introduction to the film industry in...
Hollywood is a hot spot for celebrities, and tour guide Scott Michaels (E!'s "20 Most Horrifying Hol...