Films During The Great Depression Essay

Blissful Distractions The Great Depression was a time full of fear and uncertainty in the U.S. The unemployment rate was above 20% and hundreds of banks had failed resulting in a delicate and arduous economic situation. While many industries suffered greatly through this time, one industry seemed to do just fine: film. Film was a relatively new industry without many regulations which had become the most exciting and influential form of media that existed. During the Depression, this importance was identified by both private and government organizations, film technology advanced, and stories were tailored to the needs of a suffering population. As a result, film during The Great Depression was characterized by innovation, censorship, and escapism.

Film during The Great Depression was characterized by innovation. Possibly the most influential advance was sound. Although technically not invented in the Great Depression era, pre-recorded sound was first publicly introduced during that time.

The two combined to form the PCA, headed by Catholic layman, Joseph Breen. The PCA was the first censorship authority to truly enforce a set of rules, “The MPPDA agreed to show only films that carried the PCA seal of approval and the studios voluntarily gave the PCA the authority to review and delete morally objectionable material from both the final script and the final cut of the film” (filmmakeriq.com). These restrictions made producing films like Scarface a constant struggle against the PCA. Scarface is a violent, action-packed gangster film that centers around characters representing real life organized crime leaders. The film was required to include an opening subtitle which indicated that the film was not intended to glorify these criminals but to condemn