By Beverly Monica
A recently launched course at UCLA's School of Theater, Film and Television focuses on Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, one of Hollywood's oldest and most prolific movie studios, to explore the history of filmmaking. The course will also trace the roots and founding of United Artists, MGM's iconic studio that was founded 87 years ago.
Taught by veteran film historian and archivist Dr. Jan-Christopher Horak, this multi-faceted, multi-year program will be available as a touring course for universities around the country after its initial run at UCLA. The course will consider both the creative achievements and the contributions to American culture of MGM, the definitive Golden Age movie studio whose existence spans the entire history of American film.
According to Horak, "The history of MGM is paradigmatic for the history of Hollywood, from the halcyon days of the giant studios to the present system of distributor-financed independent production. Through MGM, students will begin to understand that historical trajectory."
The ranks of MGM film classics include all-time popular favorites starring Laurel and Hardy (1934-1943) and the Marx Brothers (1935-1947); the Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan series (1932-1948); Gone with the Wind (1939) and The Wizard of Oz (1939); a long string of classic musicals, including Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), the Oscar-winning epics Ben Hur (1926 & 1959) and 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968); and such trend-setting pop culture landmarks as Jailhouse Rock (1957) and Thelma and Louise (1991).
The ground for what would become Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was broken in 1915, when producer-director Thomas Ince, a prolific creator of silent Westerns, moved his studio from a beachfront location to Culver City. Film mogul Samuel Goldwyn took over the lot in 1918 and partnered with Louis B. Mayer in 1924. It was under Mayer and his brilliant head of production, Irving Thalberg, that MGM achieved greatness, adopting its world-famous Leo the Lion logo and accompanying Latin motto "Ars Gratia Artis" ("Art for Art's Sake"), and expanding its physical plant to the size of a small city, with 28 sound stages and hundreds of acres of standing sets. When approached last year by Robert Rosen, dean of the School of Theater, Film and Television, with the idea for a class focusing on the studio, MGM chairman and CEO Harry E. Sloan - himself a UCLA graduate and a member of its Executive Board - enthusiastically embraced the concept.
Observes Charles Cohen, executive vice president of MGM, "This is a great opportunity for students to explore some of the most pivotal moments in the history of American cinema. With MGM roaring again, releasing more than 20 films theatrically in 2007, it's the perfect time for UCLA to be launching this in-depth course which will look at our storied history." |
