Amazon.com: Cecil
B. DeMille was an inevitability in the evolution of Hollywood:
a man who helped create the town and the film business long before
1920, then presided for decades over talent and public tastes.
DeMille
made a hit movie in 1913 and merged his profitable production
company with Adolph Zukor's Famous Plays. That alliance created
Paramount Pictures, where DeMille
remained (with a brief hiatus in independent production) until
1956, largely building on his thesis that audiences loved sex
and vulgarity served up with a mitigating moral lesson or two.
His 1930s Westerns were of a different nature but reflected equally
simple American concerns. But there's no question that DeMille's
formula of showmanship, barely disguised lewdness, stereotypes,
and have-your-cake-and-eat-it exploitation/condemnation of a post-Victorian
world dominates his artistic reputation. Without DeMille,
today's highly charged event films from the likes of Spielberg
would be unthinkable.
Our recommendations for the best CD's from the best
artists.
Whether you're thinking of exploring an unfamiliar style or already
building a focused collection, our Essentials pages can streamline
your musical search. From alternative music to zydeco, bebop to
hip-hop, the Essentials will lead you to the hundreds of artists
and thousands of recordings that matter.
