Article Surfing Archive

The meaning of the term 'American Dream' is not clarified exactly, it can have several interpretations. The ideology of the American Dream originally refers to the American society's (imaginative) perfection, the freedoms guaranteed by the U.S. Bill of Rights, the opportunity to live a better life in a nice, new world. It is usually associated with the life stories of successful persons, typically the ones of the lower strata of society who became rich, famous or simply very successful as a result of hard work.

Of course, this American Dream has disadvantages and subsurface mistakes ('assertive' consumer society and economy, environmental pollution, etc.), but thanks to the USA we have Levi's, American football, coke, Disney Land, Apple ipod, Ford Mustang, pc, bubble gum, Batman, Johnny Cash's music, Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series, and Hollywood' If we talk about the USA's film industry, we can easily connect it with the American Dream because of its worldwide success, and also the personal success stories of directors and actors of the American film industry.

America is the land of opportunities, there is no doubt about that. Many people try their luck there. But what is this so? What is the secret? The answers are: positive thinking, steadfastness of purpose, egoism ' factors that are deeply integrated into most American's mind.

In 1887, Harvey Wilcox bought a piece of land in Southern California. He was the first one who did good business here: later his property became the movie capital of the world. D. W. Griffith then filmed the first movie ever shot in Hollywood called In Old California, After hearing about this wonderful place, many movie-makers headed west. In 1911, the Nestor Company opened Hollywood's first film studio in an old tavern on the corner of Sunset and Gower. Before Griffith made his first film, he used to be a reporter at Louisville Courier-Journal, and then an actor. He earned $5 per day. Today he is a millionaire.

Many famous persons of American film industry came from the lower strata of society and/or from poor family. William Fox, famous producer, used to be an upholsterer. He was born in Tolcsva, Hungary. He went to America at the age of 9. One of the founders of Hollywood, Adolph Czukor, was also born in Hungary and emigrated to America in 1889, with $25 in his pocket, at the age of 16. In New York, he was an apprentice at a furrier.

The most interesting story is Steven Spielberg's entree to the Universal Pictures. At the age of 20, he simply walked through the gates dressed in black suit and carrying his father's briefcase. He found an empty bungalow, and set up an office. He went in every day and observed techniques, hung out with directors and tried to absorb the atmosphere. Nobody put him out. One day somebody asked him to help, and he became an unpaid assistant. Two years later he already directed a film at Universal.

Though these are only legends, they are based on reality. Hollywood has quite a lot success stories about smart persons and prodigies. They had a dream, and followed it. Maybe this is the quintessence of the American Dream.