More handpicked essays just for you.
Effect of great depression on hollywood
Effect of great depression on hollywood
Effect of great depression on hollywood
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
During the Great Depression, people went to the movies to get their mind off things and to forget about things temporarily. Life was portrayed a few different ways during the Great Depression. Different genres of film gave different perspectives on what life was like. The three genres compared are comedy, gangster, and musical films. Room Service and Modern Times are two films in the comedy genre and they portrayed a worry-free lifestyle. The Public Enemy is a gangster film and it had a dangerous lifestyle. Last, but not least, is Gold Diggers of 1933 and it is a pretty happy film. These films all had one thing in common though; the characters all had problems with money, which greatly relates to the Great Depression.
Room Service was released in 1938 and it starred the Marx brothers and Lucille Ball. It is an RKO production comedy film and the director was William Seiter. Room Service was a comedy and throughout the movie, they were struggling with money but they were not stressed out about it. The movie showed that even though they didn’t have a whole lot, they still found a way ...
When they went to Hoovervile, they saw a tons of people all homeless living in cardboard huts this show how poor they
O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a movie that takes place in the late Great Depression era starring George Clooney. The hero, Ulysses Everett McGill, escapes from a prison farm in Mississippi with his two chain mates, Pete and Delmar, to reclaim treasure. First they come across a blind prophet, who pretty much tells them they’ll get their treasure, but it won’t be the one they’re after. They go to Pete’s cousin, who give them a place to stay, only to betray the for the bounty. Pete’s cousin’s son saves them and they steal the
The great depression was a very sad and hard time. This was a time where people had little money, no available jobs and just had a hard time with everything. Many people had nd any way to make money whether it was cutting kid’s hair in neighborhood, picking fruit, selling iron cords house to house or even painting a house for 5 dollars. Even though this was a very hard time some people still had hope that things would get better. This was a really bad time until Franklin Roosevelt who was for the government supporting the Americans and not the other way around became president.
The Great Depression is a an era when the US economy was at its lowest. It is after the Roaring 20s. The depression was caused mainly because of the crash of the stock market in 1929 and the government’s failed attempts to help the people. Many people’s belongings are bought with credit so they lost all their money and most of their things when the bank system failed. Others lost their jobs and many men left their families because they felt ashamed that they can’t support their family. The social fabric of the Great Depression changed greatly from the previous era. The changes in the social, the political, and the economic part of the US are part of the change in the social fabric.
McKeod , Kembrew. “Cash, Johnny(1932-).” St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture. Ed. Sara Penedergast an Tome Pendergast. Vol. 1. 449-450. Student Resources. 4 Feb 2014
I glance amusedly at the photo placed before me. The bright and smiling faces of my family stare back me, their expressions depicting complete happiness. My mind drifted back to the events of the day that the photo was taken. It was Memorial Day and so, in the spirit of tradition my large extended family had gathered at the grave of my great grandparents. The day was hot and I had begged my mother to let me join my friends at the pool. However, my mother had refused. Inconsolable, I spent most of the day moping about sulkily. The time came for a group picture and so my grandmother arranged us all just so and then turned to me saying, "You'd better smile Emma or you'll look back at this and never forgive yourself." Eager to please and knowing she would never let it go if I didn't, I plastered on a dazzling smile. One might say a picture is worth a thousand words. However, who is to say they are the accurate or right words? During the 1930s, photographers were hired by the FSA to photograph the events of the Great Depression. These photographers used their images, posed or accurate, to sway public opinion concerning the era. Their work displayed an attempt to fulfill the need to document what was taking place and the desire to influence what needed to be done.
The Great Depression is when the film industry boomed with new types of movies like gangster films and musicals. They were both born during the Great Depression. Most films show the hardships of the time period. Some of the films display this very well, for example Modern Times starring Charlie Chaplin. One of the more well-known gangster films was The Public Enemy..
The experiences of Americans during the Great Depression varied greatly. For most, the Great Depression was a time of hardships and trials. The way that people were tried were different though, some languished in a collapsed economy, while others had to struggle to make a living in the remote regions of the country.
America was not always in the right stand economically. While some assemble the change of how America did business in the 1900s, America’s economy stumbled down during the early 1930s. This downside to America was known as the Great Depression, one of the deepest and longest-lasting economic downturn in the U.S. history. Films such as “Seabiscuit” captures an immense view on how the American people looked for a stress relief action, moreover methods to take their minds off the harsh times these individuals were facing.
After four hard years of fighting, Canadians celebrated the end of the Great War. Many returned to the country early in 1919, only to be brought down by the lack of employment and other disappointments. However, slowly, good times returned back to Canada, as the country ushered into a new era known as the “Roaring Twenties”. Many Canadians participated in the good life as the wealthy, as well as average families had more money to spend. Economic prosperity and technological advances brought Canadians pleasure to their lives. Canadians tuned in to their radios, used the automobile, cheered for their home sports teams, followed new fashion trends, listened to the same music and did the same dances. In addition, the 1920s marked the growth of movies as Canadians packed theatres to watch their favourite stars. The 1920s were one of the most important and revolutionary times for the film industry.
The film the Public Enemy ends in the prohibition era and does not touch on the market collapse. However, in The Roaring Twenties Eddie loses everything in the market collapse in 1929 as many Americans did and the film also shows the end of prohibition putting bootleggers out of business. The audience sees Eddie crash down to Earth after being on top of the world causing many to identify with him as many experienced the same thing. In the film, Eddie confronts his former partner and kills him protecting his friend and the girl he loves redeeming himself for everything that he had done in his life. This scene is powerful to audiences watching in the year 1939 in the Post-New Deal world. The Roaring Twenties ends on a somewhat positive note compared to The Public Enemy as the main character doesn’t simply die at the end but instead rights his wrongs and puts others before himself. This ending coincides with the Post-New Deal United States. Eddie does the right thing at the end and goes through a character transformation as he puts others in front of himself. The ending showed hope that was lost from the first movie. During this time, American’s were much more hopeful for the future under the leadership of Franklin D. Roosevelt which allowed the film to portray a sad but hopeful and inspiring ending to the
Before the Second World War began Hollywood’s purpose lied within entertainment for the American people. After the war started, the main focus shifted to wartime propaganda. Film was used to display the war in a way that did not show its true colors—including the censorship of soldier causalities and other negative connotations that are a simple fact of war. There was even a time in which some actors became better known to America than politians. Through films, Hollywood began to make a statement of their anti-Nazi beliefs. They began to make motion pictures for American recruitment into the Army as well as many that supported the war effort, and intended to make other Americans more aware of the war’s effect on the United States, and how people can get involved. Many European countries banned these Hollywood films, as they began to affect not only America but many other countries that were involved in the war as well.
The Great Depression was a very difficult time in American history. The Great Depression was the longest and most severe depression that was experienced in the Western World. The movie Riding the Rails is a good example of times during this depression. The movie presents a story of ten men and women in their youth, who gave their accounts about leaving their homes in search of a better life. I think Riding the Rails gives a very clear and accurate view of how life was for young teenagers during these historical times.
The 1920s were known as carefree and relaxed. The decade after the war was one of improvement for many Americans. Industries were still standing in America; they were actually richer and more powerful than before World War I. So what was so different in the 1930’s? The Great Depression replaced those carefree years into ones of turmoil and despair.
The observer can see this through the explicit cinematography of the movie and depiction of the Great Depression made by the director. However, the director left out a key aspect of the events of the depression, the stock market crash. Perhaps, this catastrophic event was irrelevant to the plot and message of the movie, but it is important to the actual Great Depression of the United States. Furthermore, the nation of 2010 is well on its way to repeating history. There are frightening similarities between that dreadful time of the 1930’s and the present that should not be overlooked, or the United States might condemn itself back into that horrific state it has so long tried to avoid.