Prestige picture explained
A prestige picture is a film produced to bolster the film studio's perceived artistic integrity, rather than to turn a large profit;[1] the studio may even expect the film to lose money.[2]
History
Prestige pictures are largely the province of major Hollywood film studios — such as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Warner Bros. — that produce numerous films every year.
In the 1930s, such studios might release one prestige picture per year. The films' screenwriters drew material from historical events, well-known literary classics, or popular novels or plays.[3]
Notable examples
In many cases, Hollywood film studios have enlisted British actors and directors for the production of prestige films.[4] One producer of prestige pictures within the United Kingdom's own film industry was Alexander Korda (1893–1956).[5]
See also
Further reading
Notes and References
- 16 August 1937 . Cinema: Prestige Picture . . 2017-02-05.
- Book: Harmetz, Aljean . 2013 . The Making of The Wizard of Oz . 19 . Chicago Review Press . The Studio, 1938 . https://books.google.com/books?id=nSFQAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA19 . Chicago . 978-1-61374-832-9 . 837180455 . 2017-02-05.
- Book: Balio, Tino . History of the American Cinema, Volume 5: Grand Design—Hollywood as a Modern Business Enterprise, 1930–1939 . University of California Press . Berkeley . 179 . Production Trends . https://books.google.com/books?id=_J9HTLOI08wC&pg=PA179 . 0-520-20334-8 . 32738211 . 1995 . 2017-02-05.
- Book: Giannetti, Louis D. . 1981 . Masters of the American Cinema . Prentice-Hall . Englewood Cliffs . 213 . 9780135601020 . 7197462.
- Book: Jackson, Russell . Holland . Peter . Shakespeare, Memory and Performance . 247 . Remembering Bergner's Rosalind . https://books.google.com/books?id=Xj9351zeLFIC&pg=PA247 . Cambridge University Press . 2006 . 978-0-521-86380-3. 70883148 . 2017-02-05.
