A prestige picture is a film produced to bolster the film studio's perceived artistic integrity, rather than to turn a large profit;[1] the studio may even expect the film to lose money.[2]
History
Prestige pictures are largely the province of major Hollywood film studios — such as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Warner Bros. — that produce numerous films every year.
In the 1930s, such studios might release one prestige picture per year.[2] The films' screenwriters drew material from historical events, well-known literary classics, or popular novels or plays.[3]
Notable examples
In many cases, Hollywood film studios have enlisted British actors and directors for the production of prestige films.[4] One producer of prestige pictures within the United Kingdom's own film industry was Alexander Korda (1893–1956).[5]
^Balio, Tino (1995). "Production Trends". History of the American Cinema, Volume 5: Grand Design—Hollywood as a Modern Business Enterprise, 1930–1939. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 179. ISBN0-520-20334-8. OCLC32738211. Retrieved February 5, 2017.
^Giannetti, Louis D. (1981). Masters of the American Cinema. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall. p. 213. ISBN9780135601020. OCLC7197462.