The 1960s also saw the arrival of the first generation of filmmakers who had studied cinema at colleges, emerging just in time to rescue the industry from commercial stagnation. Suddenly the days of unseen filmmaking and the dominance of producers was at an end, replaced by a rise in power for directors as they popularized a more experimental style that took influence from across the Atlantic.
The demise of the Hays Code, a set of industry guidelines that prohibited what could and could not be featured in films, open the floodgates for a more liberal use of taboo subjects, and it wasn’t long before this new wave of American cinema was being dubbed New Hollywood. While many films helped bring about this change, ultimately there is none better than the one that started it all, Bonnie and Clyde.
formerly Mad Cornish Projectionist.