Exploitation films

This week we talked about the men who helped to save Hollywood and revolutionize the film industry.  The Paramount decision from a supreme court decision to break up large trust lead the way for many to enter the world of film. Samuel Arkoff and James Nicholson were two everyday guys with dreams of getting into the film industry with their company American International Pictures. Their film company was something that the big five didn’t think of or even care about. For Sam and James, their little company went unnoticed and helped to play in their favor. They we two smart guys with the ability to find market trends missed by the bigger studios. American International Picture made films like horror, beach movies and then films for the African American Market. In the beginning, the companies main focus was in teens and to make movies that the teenage population could watch. During the fifties, no one targeted this market and it was a gold mine waiting to be tapped. When Sam and James taped this, they were making movies just as fast as they made money. Their films like “I was a Teenager Werewolf” was a killer on the market because no one had ever used the word teenager in the movie title before.

James H. Nicholson (left) and Sam Z. Arkoff run American International Pictures

Not only did these movies appeal to teenagers, but it gave them an escape. None of their parents wanted to see these and left it as a large teen event. When you think of being a young adult in the fifties, you imagine going to the drive ins and seeing a movie this way. This was a perfect place because teens could get away and see many of these American international Picture films.

Now you may be thinking that Arkoff and Nicholson are the master minds behind the films well you would be wrong. The real genius is Roger Corman, who was the key to all these films and then was a large part in many future films to come. He was a produce, a director and a mentor. Many people who worked for him went on to be big names in the film industry like Marin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, and James Cameron. These are just a few, but his role in the film world has been very important. He has helped to create many films and directors we know today. I though he was almost under credited because I had no idea who he was before this, but I knew many of the directors he taught.

After talking about American International Pictures, we learned about the nudist movement in film. This was a surprising film for me because I was not expecting to watch something like this in class. I know that in order to get nudity into films it had to start somewhere and with some movement, but I did not this it was this intense and full out. I imagined it would be maybe a few topless women in a film and then it grew. This just seems like they dove straight into the deep end and ran with it. I was a little shocked.