However, unlike regular feature films, "B" films were distributed for a fixed flat fee rather than a commission basis, so the profits were low, and naturally, the major studios eventually began to lose enthusiasm for making "B" films. As a result, "B" films were mass-produced mainly by small production companies such as "minor" Monogram, Republic, PRC, Grand National, Mascot, and Tiffany, under harsh conditions with limited production costs and shooting periods. Most of the B-grade westerns were series, and were generally of the usual thriller, crime melodrama, western, low comedy, or horror/science fiction genre. They were ignored by critics and journalists as "quickies," or cheap films made quickly. However, B-grade westerns produced popular cowboy stars who became idols for young boys, such as Buck Jones, Gene Autry, and Roy Rogers. They also produced such stars as Chester Morris, who starred in crime films, Jack Mahoney, who starred in Tarzan films, and actresses such as Evelyn Keith, Nina Foch, and Marie Windsor. (Another example is John Wayne, who became a star in B-grade westerns.) In addition, they produced many famous actors, such as Edgar G. Ulmer (The Black Cat, 1934; The Mediterranean Tiger, 1949), Jacques Tourneur (Cat People, 1942; Out of Doubt, 1948), and André De Toth (The Black Cat, 1949). B-movie directors such as Toth (The Double Barrel, 1947; Wax Figure, 1953) and Rudolph Mate (The City's Fangs, 1949; The Last Day on Earth, 1951) created "untold masterpieces." The separation of production and distribution due to the antitrust law and the rise of television put an end to the "double feature," and B-movies also declined and disappeared in the mid-1950s (they may be considered to have been transformed into television series), but newer "low-budget films" continued to be produced by Allied Artists and American International Pictures (AIP), which were spinoffs of Monogram. *Some of the terminology that mentions "Ulmer, EG" is listed below. Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information |
… しかし“B”作品はふつうの長編映画と違って歩合制ではなく一定の均一料金で配給されたため利益が少なく,当然ながらやがてメジャー各社は“B”作品の製作に熱意を失い始め,その結果,“B”作品はもっぱら〈マイナー〉のモノグラム,リパブリック,PRC,グランド・ナショナル,マスコット,ティファニーなどの群小プロダクションで,製作費も撮影期間も限られた過酷な条件のもとに量産されることになった。シリーズものが多く,ありきたりのスリラー映画,犯罪メロドラマ,西部劇,低俗喜劇,怪奇・SF映画の類が主で,〈クイッキーquickie(やっつけ)〉と呼ばれる速成の安物映画としてジャーナリズムや批評家からは無視されたが,バック・ジョーンズ,ジーン・オートリー,ロイ・ロジャーズといった少年たちのアイドルになる人気カウボーイスターがB級西部劇から生まれ,犯罪もののチェスター・モリス,ターザン映画のジャック・マホニー,それにイブリン・キース,ニナ・フォック,マリー・ウィンザーといった女優も輩出(B級西部劇からスターになったジョン・ウェインのような例もある),さらにエドガー・ウルマーEdgar G.Ulmer(《黒猫》1934,《地中海の虎》1949),ジャック・ターナーJacques Tourneur(《キャット・ピープル》1942,《信疑の果て》1948),アンドレ・ド・トスAndré De Toth(《復讐の二連銃》1947,《肉の蠟人形》1953),ルドルフ・マテRudolph Mate(《都会の牙》1949,《地球最後の日》1951)といったB級監督によって〈語られざる傑作〉がつくられた。 独占禁止法による製作部門と配給部門の分離,テレビジョンの興隆によって〈2本立て〉が終わりを告げるとともにB級映画も衰退して50年代半ばには姿を消したが(テレビのシリーズものに姿を変えたともみなされよう),モノグラムから派生したアライド・アーチスツやアメリカン・インターナショナル・ピクチャーズ(AIP)でさらに新しい〈低額予算映画〉が製作されつづけた。… ※「Ulmer,E.G.」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。 出典|株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第2版について | 情報 |
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