Hollywood films of the 1930s are frequently treated as if they all conformed to one cinematographic style. This book shows that this was not the case and describes the various stylistic changes in the use of the camera and lighting which took place during the decade. These changes did not, of course, occur in a vacuum and the ideological conditions in which the films were made is shown to be a crucial factor in explaining these changes.

Hollywood films of the 1930s are frequently treated as if they all conformed to one cinematographic style. This book shows that this was not the case and describes the various stylistic changes in the use of the camera and lighting which took place during the decade. These changes did not, of course, occur in a vacuum and the ideological conditions in which the films were made is shown to be a crucial factor in explaining these changes.