Hollywood is an industry, but it has a range of products, and some are very fine. Surely you are not saying that just because a lot of money is at stake, they cannot put out a quality product? People will invest in niche marketing, which is why foreign films are imported and Woody Allen has a following. There is a fairly large market for comparatively low budget films (no special effects) that appeal to educated people. The Indie phenomenon of the 80s and 90s showed the major studios how that was an underserved segment of the movie going population,and the studios have been trying harder too.
Films are essentially a collaborative enterprise, but the director is generally in charge of bringing all of the elements together and making them work. The script is a blueprint, usually heeded, but alterable if there is something not working. Remember, most theater is commercial too, and relies on try outs and script revisions to hone the material. Even subsidized theater frequently has workshops to try out scripts cheaply, and suggest revisions.
I am sure that there is much to complain about. There is a lot of pandering, and the liberal bias in Hollywood can be detrimental to many movies. On the other hand, most literature, music, theater, and so on will be, at best, mediocre, at worst, trash. Excellence is uncommon. That is the way of the world......... |
