Lively beginnings
In 1907, the Essanay studio (for "S and A", which are the initials of the two founders Georges Spoor and Broncho Anderson) was founded. The production of silent films increased rapidly and expanded to include western films starring great stars of the time (such as Gloria Swanson and Rod La Rocque). At that time, four out of five films were produced by the studio. In 1915, Charlie Chaplin signed for about fifteen films and short films and quickly became one of the main sources of income. But, one year later, he left the Essanay studio, which then lost its goose with the golden eggs. Essanay closed its doors ten years after its beginnings. Despite the decline in production, Chicago residents kept their passion for the seventh art and, in the 1920s and beyond, the city acquired the largest chain of cinemas in the country: Balaban and Katz, which has more than 50 cinemas including the mythical Chicago Theatre. The 1930s marked the birth of cartoons, represented mainly by Walt Disney, who was born in Chicago and began his career there. He quickly left to join his brother in Hollywood and created with him the Walt Disney Studio, which saw the birth of the famous Mickey Mouse in 1928. He very quickly integrated sound into his cartoons, then colour in the early 1930s in Silly Symphonies. However, Disney waited some time before extending this very expensive process to all its animations. Disney's first real success was Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (1937). Pinocchio (1940), Dumbo (1940) and others followed. In 1955, Walt Disney opened the first Disneyland amusement park in California. The Disney brand became a veritable empire, even after the death of its creator in 1966.
The Great Lakes region
The landscapes of the Great Lakes are a source of inspiration for many directors, who decide to use them as the backdrop for their films. One immediately thinks of the Cohen brothers' Fargo (1996), a film with a black humour that depicts Minnesota in all its vastness and plunges us into its hostile landscapes where winter seems infinite. The film wins numerous awards, including the Palme d'Or at Cannes for its direction, and is adapted in series in 2014 by the FX channel. The cities of the region are not to be outdone: Minneapolis is the setting for the semi-biographical film Purple Rain (1984), about the country's child, Prince. You can still visit some of the filming locations that have become emblematic, such as First Avenue, the club where the singer began his career. Detroit and its suburbs have inspired more than one director. In 1999, Sofia Coppola's Virgin Suicides came out, a drama about depression and teenage suicide set in Grosse Pointe, a bourgeois suburb of Detroit. 8 Mile, released in 2002 and directed by Curtis Hanson, is based on the adolescence of Eminem, who plays the almost autobiographical character of B-Rabbit, between Detroit and Warren's suburbs. In 2004, Milwaukee becomes the scene of a zombie attack in Dawn of the Dead, a horror film directed by Zack Snyder.
Blockbusters of all kinds
The early 2000s saw the arrival of big productions in Chicago. The city gave its name to the famous musical Chicago (2002), directed by Rob Marshall with Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Richard Gere. Set in the 1920s, this remake of a 1927 film of the same name tells the story of two women, Roxie Hart (Zellweger) and Velma Kelly (Zeta-Jones), both guilty of crimes of passion. The two murderers, aided by a prominent lawyer (Gere), will do anything to avoid the death penalty, while discovering that in Chicago, their bloody fame will be short-lived. The film was a worldwide success and won six Academy Awards (including Best Picture and Best Editing) at the 75th ceremony in 2003. Chicago also saw the birth of films such as High Fidelity (a famous romantic comedy with John Cusack and Catherine Zeta-Jones, 2000), Paths of Perdition (2002) and Public Enemies (2009). This thriller is based on the life of John Dillinger (played by Johnny Depp), a famous robber of the 1930s in Chicago. The film follows the FBI's hunt for Public Enemy No. 1 (especially Melvin Purvis, a federal agent played by Christian Bale) and his romance with Billie Frechette (Marion Cotillard). Chicago is also the setting for the city of Gotham in Batman Begins (2005) and Batman: The Dark Night (2008) directed by Christopher Nolan, with Christian Bale as the Dark Knight. The Batman (2022), starring Robert Pattinson, was no exception to the rule. Many scenes were shot in the Loop. But there are darker things than Gotham City: the Divergent saga (2014), written by a Chicago author, depicts a post-apocalyptic city. Tris, a young girl living in a society divided into five clans, reaches the age where she must take a test that will determine which faction she belongs to. The test is not conclusive, and since she does not belong to any clan, she is divergent..
On the small screen
Since the 1990s, many series have been filmed in the city and its surroundings: ER, Life at Any Price, or Tomorrow on the Line. In each episode, after a mysterious cat delivers the next day's paper at 6:30 am, the protagonist Gary Hobson walks around the city to avoid disasters... The opportunity to see the loop, the hot dogs, and taste the cold of Chicago! Closer to us, we will remember Prison Break, Empire or Shameless (2011), a very good American remake of the English series of the same name. Shameless follows the Gallagher family, stereotypes of the working class. Between their alcoholic father and their bipolar mother, the Gallagher children must survive in a brutal Chicago. This series with its offbeat humor nevertheless tackles current and serious subjects such as drug and alcohol addiction, homosexuality and gender issues. Also worth mentioning are Chicago Fire (a series describing the daily life of a fire station, 2012), Chicago PD (a series that follows the members of the criminal intelligence unit of the Chicago Police Department, 2014) as well as The Good Wife (2009-2016) where, following the scandal caused by the corruption and infidelity of her husband, Alicia Florrick, a Chicago prosecutor, is forced to find a new job in order to support her family. And let's not forget Ozark (2017), where Chicago takes a supporting role, but comes back strong in the final season. With these successful series, Chicago has built a business that brings in several million dollars per episode to the state of Illinois.
