Advanced level English 

► Difficult words - click or hover over words in red to show a synonym or explanation .

Back in 1920, Hollywood had only one way to go, and that was up. In those early years, the motion picturecinema film, movie industry in California was still strugglingtrying hard against difficulty to establish its reputation. Film directors and producers faced harsh working conditions, unpredictableuncertain, changing weather, and many other problems. Studio bosses ran their businesses with strict authority; boundtied, constrained by exclusive contracts, actors and directors had little freedom to be creative. Yet, in spite of these obstacles, early filmmakers recognized the potentialpossibility for success of this young medium, and laid the foundations of what was soon to become the entertainmentamusement, show business capital of the world.

The first major revolution came with the arrival of the "talkies" in the late 1920s. Sound changed everything. Silent film stars became obsolete almost overnight, leaving new opportunities for theatrical actors. Audiences were amazed that they could actually hear actors speak and sing. As the world moved into the turbulent times of the Second World War, Hollywood consolidated its position. It was not just a business, but a cultural powerhouse. The studios produced high-impact newsreels, patriotic features, and big hits, offering both comfort and morale to millions during difficult times.

This momentumforward movement, drive carried straight into the legendary "Golden Age" of cinema. Directors like Cecil B. DeMille and William Wyler created magnificent epics that defined the grand scale of "A-movies". These huge productions featuredincluded, starred glamorous stars and massive setsfilming scenery, stages. For instance, the famous chariot race scene in Ben-Hur required the building of a whole Roman stadium, filled with thousands of extras.

Behind this glitteringshining, impressive facade, however, were the "B-movies", which were much cheaper and easier to make. B-movies allowed unknown actors to show their talents, provided steady incomeearnings, revenue for studios, and kept movie theaters constantly supplied with fresh material. When television arrived in millions of living rooms during the 1950s, cinema attendance began to drop for the first time. Hollywood responded by investing even more heavily in Technicolor, widescreen formats, and spectacular visual effects that television simply could not match.

Over the following years, the world of film continued to change. The themes and stories that once belonged strictly to classic B-movies, such as monster movies, action thrillers, and disaster films, gradually became the backbonemain support, foundation of Hollywood's business. In 1975, Steven Spielberg’s Jaws was the first in a wave of sensational disaster and creature movies, marking the birth of the modern summer blockbuster. Hollywood realized that easy-to-sell genre films, backed by heavy marketing campaigns, could generate huge profits.

The success of films like Jaws or Alien triggered a move towards mega-budget film-making. But mega-budgets also meant mega-risks. So to offsetbalance out, compensate for the astronomical costs of these high-concepteasy to market idea films, major studios began prioritizing safer betsoptions, choices. Sequels, franchises, and well-known brands, such as Star Wars, Batman or Indiana Jones, could make a lot of money. At the same time, big media companies bought up their rivals, and the number of Hollywood "majors" fell from eight to just five. Today, a handful of giant entertainment empires, including Disney, Sony, and Comcast, control almost everything that Hollywood produces.

Even so, the movie industry today faces hard realities that suggest a lasting decline in traditional cinema-going. In 2025, US box-office revenue was still below its 2018 level, and in Europe cinema admissions fell by 5.5%. While major studios can still make plenty of money, the Academy Awards (Oscars) ceremony remains a global event, and occasional blockbusters continue to draw enormous audiences worldwide, the overall trendgeneral direction, tendency is down.

This decline is both cultural and industrial. Hollywood no longer holds a monopoly on public attention. It now competes constantly against streaming platforms like Netflix, social media apps, and interactive video games. Moreover, streaming services have changed viewing habitsways people watch films for ever, as people now expect high-quality entertainment delivered directly to their living room screens, and on demand. In response, traditional studios have become increasingly risk-averse, relyingdepending, counting on heavily on existing formulas and struggling to turn familiar stories into major cultural events.

The era of Hollywood’s unchallenged dominance over world culture has clearly come to an end. In the coming decades, Hollywood's survival is likely to lie in quality rather than quantity. A smaller Hollywood will need to make distinctive, creative films that sell well across both cinema screens and home streaming platforms.

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STUDENTS' WORKSHEET - printable

Exercise 1: True / False or Not Given

Read the statements below. Select True if the statement agrees with the information, False if the statement contradicts the information, or Not given if there is no information on this in the text.

1. Early Hollywood film directors enjoyed complete freedom over their artistic choices.  TrueFalseNot Given
2. The introduction of sound in films quickly put most silent movie stars out of work. TrueFalseNot Given
3. Many theatrical actors who transitioned to "talkies" in the late 1920s earned significantly higher salaries than silent film stars.  TrueFalseNot Given
4. B-movies were exclusively created to serve as high-prestige features for elite audiences.  TrueFalseNot Given
5. Television sets in the 1950s were too expensive for most working-class families to afford.  TrueFalseNot Given
6. By 2025, US box-office revenue had fully recovered and exceeded 2018 levels.  TrueFalseNot Given
7. Modern Hollywood studios are generally more willing to take creative risks than studios were during the Golden Age.  TrueFalseNot Given
8. In 2025, European cinema admissions decreased more rapidly than US box-office revenues.  TrueFalseNot Given

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice comprehension)

Choose the correct option (A, B, C, or D) for each question based on the text.

1. According to the text, why did Hollywood invest heavily in widescreen formats and Technicolor during the 1950s?
   A) To celebrate the anniversary of the studio system.
   B) To counter the rising popularity of home television sets.
   C) To lower the production costs of traditional A-movies.
   D) To prepare for the release of Steven Spielberg’s first films.
2. What does the author imply by the phrase "mega-budgets also meant mega-risks"?
   A) Spending more money guarantees that a movie will win an Academy Award.
   B) Higher financial investments increased the pressure to rely on safer, proven formulas.
   C) Insurance companies refused to cover accidents on high-concept movie sets.
   D) Studios had to borrow money directly from foreign governments.
3. Which of the following best describes the current state of traditional cinema-going as described in the text?
   A) It is experiencing a lasting decline due to competition from streaming and changing habits.
   B) It is growing rapidly in both Europe and the United States.
   C) It has completely vanished and been replaced entirely by video games.
   D) It relies exclusively on low-budget B-movies for revenue.
4. The word obsolete in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to:
   A) highly respected
   B) financially wealthy
   C) no longer useful or needed
   D) internationally famous
5. Why does the author mention Steven Spielberg’s Jaws in paragraph 5?
   A) To argue that 1970s directors were superior to those in the Golden Age.
   B) To illustrate the birth of the modern summer blockbuster based on high-concept genre stories.
   C) To explain why B-movies were completely banned from movie theaters.
   D) To demonstrate how small budgets could still produce great special effects.
6. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence?
   "A smaller Hollywood will need to make distinctive, creative films that sell well across both cinema screens and home streaming platforms."
   A) Hollywood must double its output of theatrical films if it wants to compete with streaming services.
   B) Future success for a reduced film industry relies on producing unique, quality movies adaptable to multiple viewing formats.
   C) Streaming platforms will soon completely buy out all remaining Hollywood cinema screens.
   D) Hollywood can only survive if it stops releasing films on home streaming platforms altogether.

Exercise 3: Vocabulary Matching

Match the vocabulary words from the text (1–5) with their correct definitions (A–E).

Column A	Column B
1. Obsolete	A. Unwilling to take risks or make bold changes.
2. Facade	B. No longer produced or used; out of date.
3. Backbone	C. The foundational support or central part of a system or business.
4. Risk-averse	D. Exclusive control of the supply or trade in a commodity or service.
5. Monopoly	E. An outward appearance that hides a less pleasant reality.

Exercise 4: Missing words

Replace the words or phrases that are missing from this extract from the text.

 

For teachers

Grammar points

1. Uses of the infinitive.

Concentrate on the many and different uses of the infinitive in this text:

3. Compound nouns and adjectives.

This text is very rich in compound nouns and adjectives. Note that compound adjectives tend to be hyphenated when used attributively (before the noun), while compound nouns are sometimes hyphenated, sometimes written as a single word, and sometimes as two words. There is no strict rule for this, but there are guidelines. For more on this see hyphenation.

Adjectives:

high-impact, mega-budget, high-concept, well-known, box-office, cinema-going, high-quality, risk-averse

Nouns:

Hollywood, motion picture, filmmakers, newsreels, powerhouse, A-movies, B-movies, living rooms, backbone, blockbuster, mega-budgets, mega-risks, box office, blockbusters, viewing habits, living room.

3. Conjunctions and connectors

Beyond the basic connectors and and or, this text illustrates the use of a good viriety of sentence connectors or link words

1. Contrast and concession (opposing ideas)
   "Yet, in spite of these obstacles, early filmmakers recognized the potential of this young medium..."
    "It was not just a business, but (it was) a cultural powerhouse."
    "Behind this glittering facade, however, were the 'B-movies'..."
    "But mega-budgets also meant mega-risks."
    "Even so, the movie industry today faces hard realities..."
    "While major studios can still make plenty of money [...], the overall trend is down."

2. Cause, effect or purpose (reason / result)
    "So to offset the astronomical costs of these high-concept films, major studios began prioritizing safer bets."
    "...streaming services have changed viewing habits for ever, as people now expect high-quality entertainment..."
    "In response, traditional studios have become increasingly risk-averse..."

3. Time and sequence
    "As the world moved into the turbulent times of the Second World War, Hollywood consolidated its position."
    "When television arrived in millions of living rooms during the 1950s, cinema attendance began to drop..."

4. Exemplification and addition (extra info / examples)
    "For instance, the famous chariot race scene in Ben-Hur required the building of a whole Roman stadium..."
    "Moreover, streaming services have changed viewing habits for ever..."