Contextual Study of the American New Wave

The American New wave is an influential period of cinema in which a new generation of filmmakers in the United States influenced the types of films being produced. In a world of new technology such as the television, the film industry was dwindling but the European art films and Japanese cinema were making an impact in the disaffected youth of America. Studio desperation led to risk taking, they hired young filmmakers and allowed them to make their films with very little studio control. The social condition of the production along with the breakdown of the Production Code in 1966 and the new ratings system in 1968 set the scene for the American New Wave, films such as Easy Rider, The Graduate and Midnight Cowboy show this frame of mind, this way of life that has had a cultural impact that still resonates with the youth of America today.