Peachy the Magazine January / February 2014 | Page 56

Sundance Simultaneously with these box office disasters, Hollywood witnessed the staggering success of films such as Jaws and Star Wars. These blockbusters ushered in a new mentality in Hollywood, which focused primarily on unprecedented profit margins. Merchandise tie-ins such as toys and soundtracks added to the kitty and suddenly studios were making money hand-over-fist. The nation was also embracing a new conservative agenda with the election of Ronald Reagan, and Hollywood’s work-product reflected this cultural paradigm shift. Once Wall Street became privy to the extraordinary upside of the film industry, major corporations started purchasing Hollywood studios, and corporate control translated into an intense focus on the bottom line. Some New Wave directors fell in line and altered their filmmaking accordingly, but the principled among them did not because the true common denominator among these directors was their autonomous nature and their conviction that what they were making was art not fluff. They certainly were not focused on profit margins nor did they have any interest in making wide-release, entertainment-driven films. And now they were “out in the cold” in sunny L.A. Robert Redford also was feeling a chill as he considered the plight of American film while at his Sundance ranch in the snowy Utah mountains. He could not bear the fact that extremely talented young directors had no resources available to produce alternative films. Redford eventually collaborated with Sterling Van Wagenen to form the A Sense of Place: Robert Redford on the Sundance Story. Robert Redford and Michelle Satter talk about the history of the Sundance Film Festival. 54 PEACHY