LSAT 106, Section 4, RC Passage 4, Hollywood

RC Passage 4 Explanation

Paragraph Summaries

1. This paragraph describes the historical Hollywood “star-system”.
2. The star system grew into a mass-media complex that feeds on Hollywood.
3. Movies are now sold entirely on publicity, and they are no longer any good.

Analysis

Often, certain lines will be particularly important. In this passage, lines 43-47 explain the problem with modern movies. These lines come up again and again in the questions.

Paragraphs one and two describe the evolution of the system. At first, the star system was useful both for Hollywood and the press (lines 14-19).

Hollywood studios still made good movies. (lines 12-14)

But the system grew and grew to become the mass media complex of paragraph two.

Paragraph three describes the consequences. Executives are in control, and movies have lost their art.

The argument is more subtle than you might expect. It’s not profits and mass appeal that have ruined movies. Studios have always chased those. (lines 39-43)

Instead, the source of profit is the problem. Profit now comes from publicity, rather than from making good movies (lines 43-47).

The passage ends on a pessimistic note. These trends will likely continue, and fewer good movies will be made.