Classic Cinema and B-Movie

The text analyses the evolution of Hollywood cinema from the birth of serial production to the opposition between classic cinema and B-movies. With the industrialisation of the film system in the early twentieth century, Hollywood standardises genres and language to maximise global consumption. B-movies, produced at low cost, emerge as a quick response to changing market demands and socio-cultural contexts, finding alternative spaces such as drive-ins and later home video formats. In the 1950s and 1960s, the crisis of classical cinema coincides with the emergence of New American Cinema and New Hollywood, which offer innovative works, linked to social issues and made with limited means. The B-movie phenomenon renews itself over time, adapting to new technological media and changes in spectator habits, all the way to streaming. Analysis of the phenomenon requires a historical and productive approach, focusing on the impact on the viewer.