艺术影院是在五十年代才真正有了观众。从前,欧洲影片只是偶然进口到美国,成为希罕之物,多半只限于一些诸如《蓝天使》、《可诅咒的人》、《战舰波将金号》一类被确认的经典之作。但是,由于美国在第二次世界大战中广泛接触到了国际文化从而产生了对欧洲大陆的爱好。战争刚结束,欧洲影片(包括好的和坏的)便以日益增长的速度源源不断地进口。它们是很成功的,因为它们的数量虽然相对说来比较小,但却向极其忠诚的观众 Art cinema did not really have an audience until the 1950s. In the past, European films were imported into the United States only occasionally, becoming rare items, mostly confined to certain classics like “Blue Angels,” “Cursed Man,” and “Battleship Gold”. However, because of the extensive exposure of the United States to the international culture during the Second World War, the United States has had an interest in the European continent. As the war was over, European films (both good and bad) were steadily imported at an ever-increasing rate. They are very successful because, although relatively small in their numbers, they are presented to an extremely loyal audience