Highlighting Florida’s essential, oftenoverlooked role in shaping American film and television
MotionPicture Paradiseis a sweeping story of filmmaking in Florida, featuring the activities ofstudios and filmmakers across the peninsula by looking at the many iconic filmsand television shows shot in the state. In the early years of the American filmindustry, Florida was a favorite location for pioneer movie makers, and DavidMorton chronicles the state’s importance to producers throughout the next 125years.
Often overshadowed by the well-knownentertainment industries of Hollywood and New York, Floridahas over time had several major film production centers. Morton follows therise and fall of filmmaking destinations across the state, includingJacksonville, St. Augustine, Tampa Bay, Orlando, and Miami, as well as pioneeringunderwater and location-based films shot at Florida’s unique natural springs. Heargues that conflicting policies set by Florida politicians have, at varioustimes, enticed or pushed away movie and television companies, a pattern that hashampered serious investment.
Usinga wealth of source materials, Morton offers a comprehensive history thatdemonstrates how films and television shows made in Florida have influenced thestate’s sense of identity, drawing attention to Florida’s underacknowledgedrole as the “third coast” in American film history. Motion Picture Paradise addsnew insights into the state’s dramatic social and economic transformationsduring the twentieth century.
This book is a sweeping story of filmmaking in Florida, chronicling the state’s importance to producers throughout 125 years by looking at the many iconic films and television shows made across the peninsula.
