Independent films have always been an important part of the industry since the beginning, and few havea richer or more eventful historythan United Artists does. Founded byCharlie Chaplinand the leading filmmakers of his era, UA soon became something they never would have expected, but also evolved into a successful andinfluential indie studio.Several films we now view as classics owe their existence to United Artists, which went through numerous highs and lows before finally beingswallowed by the studio systemin the early ’80s. Today, the UA brand still exists, serving new studios in the same way it used to assist novel filmmakers.
United Artists Was the Original Indie Film Studio
Today, there is a fierce debate among film fans about whether independent creators are being crushed beneath the weight of the big systems. What they might not realize is that this fight is far from a new one, and it has remained a struggle in the industry since the start. As a man of humble origin, few people knew this more than Charlie Chaplin,who put his own rising star power in the 1920s to good use by creating United Artists, a place of refuge for those who looked to develop their own vision, one free from corporate constraints. Before long,other big names of the silent erarecognized this potential and signed on, includingDouglas FairbanksandMary Pickford, among others.
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How unexpected.
Founded in 1919, United Artists was not only a source of funding for Chaplin and his directorial works, but proved to be an important platform for Hollywood newcomers. This could not have come at a better time, since the emergence of talkiesinstantly changed the acting landscapebeyond recognition. Such was also true of the studio itself, as its founders started to come and go with greater frequency. Others likeHoward HughesandSamuel GoldwynofMetro-Goldwyn-Mayerfame would eventually take their place, but the studio began to struggle during the 1940s. When that decade ended,UA had abandoned any pretense of a production companyand became solely involved with distributing films that were already finished.
Over Sixty Years, United Artists Has Produced Numerous Classics
By the 1950s, United Artists had fully transformed into something its creators would hardly recognize, not that most of them lived to see it. While Fairbanks had died suddenly at the end of the ’30s and Pickford had since retired, Chaplin was blacklisted from Hollywood for his alleged Communist sympathies, and it would be decades beforehe was fully embraced againby his peers. Instead, United Artists was owned by a new generation, but it was here that it would earn most of its success. More than a small player,UA became a mainstay of a new era in filmmakingand even went public by the end of the decade.
In the 1950s, UA produced classics likeHigh NoonandSome Like It Hot, and this winning streak continued through much of the early sixties. If you loved the original versions ofWest Side StoryandThe Magnificent Sevenback in the day, you have United Artists to thank for them. Moreover,it survived the transition into New Hollywood, and reached the peak of its influence during the 1970s.Out of the ten Best Picture winners that decade, three were made by United Artists, which essentially was seen as theA24of its day. Moreover, it was similarly responsible for distributing theJames BondandPink Pantherfranchises during arguably the height of their popularity, meaning that UA had a clear cultural footprint. By the time the 1980s arrived, UA seemed like it had become unstoppable.
Today, United Artists Still Stands, But Is Forever Changed
Despite producingMidnight Cowboy,One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,Rocky, andAnnie Hall, the end came swiftly for United Artists as an officially independent studio. After executives left at the end of the ’70s, the company producedHeaven’s Gate, one of theworst Hollywood disastersof all time.Its failure in 1980 was so massive that the film bankrupted UA, which was later purchased by MGM the following year. As a brand, United Artists actually survived and even achieved one more Best Picture victory withRain Manin 1988, but the name was dropped just a couple of years later when a small French corporation took it over.
In the forty years since then, UA has been resurrected and shuttered many times under various names, and what is left of the studio has been involved with more awards darlings likeHotel RwandaandCapotein the 2000s. Today, United Artists remains alive as a division of MGM and the old company name was restored in 2018. With MGM itself recently purchased by Amazon,UA has been revived in fullas a new production and distribution slate for the company as it seeks to become a big player in the film market. Nevertheless,it’s an ironic fate for United Artists, but one common to smaller brands, that it has been absorbed into the very same studio system that it was designed to compete against.
