Research Paper On Cinderella Man

Jessie Burgess

Professor McMullin

Movie Review #1

10/24/14

A Cinderella Story

According to blogger Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts, Cinderella Man “grabs the heart, not only as a sports redemption story, but also as a tale of national inspiration.” Ron Howard’s Cinderella Man, is a biographical film that tells the fact-based tale of depression era boxing champion James J. Braddock. The film is titled after Braddock’s nickname, which he earned for his fairytale-like rise from a defeated man to the heavyweight boxing champion of the world. In the 1920s, Braddock was a talented professional boxer with notable strength and tenacity. Then, he suffered a series of defeats that caused his career to tailspin. In the midst of the Great Depression, Braddock broke his hand in the ring and was forced to retire from the sport. Like millions of other Americans, Braddock lost all of his possessions and savings with the crash of the stock market, and the movie documents his struggle to support his

family with no work and no money. Years later, Braddock’s former coach and manager, Joe Gould, offered Braddock a spur of the moment opportunity to fill in for a boxer in a fight against the number-two contender in the world, Corn Griffin. Braddock hesitantly accepted the opportunity and, shockingly, he won the match. He was given the opportunity to return to the ring. Braddock then celebrated a series of victories which led to the championship match against the aggressive champ, Max Baer. On June 13, 1935, Braddock defeated the indestructible Baer to become the heavyweight champion of the world.
Braddock’s rise, fall, and comeback have captured the hearts of many because it parallels the struggle and hope of an entire nation. Braddock’s comeback is a compelling story, but Cinderella Man is powerful because it is incredibly accurate. The film truthfully portrays the obstacles Americans had to overcome during an incredibly difficult era in our country’s history. According to History.com, “the Great Depression (1929-39) was the deepest and longest-lasting economic downturn in the history of the Western industrialized world.” Cinderella Man portrays the unemployment crisis that occurred during the depression era. By 1933, approximately 14 million Americans were unemployed. Braddock, with no education or developed skill besides boxing, had to walk miles in search of labor every day. The film features men lined up at fences in the morning begging to be given the opportunity to earn a day’s salary. Men during the Great Depression felt embarrassment that they were failing to provide for their families, and they were desperate to work. There is also a scene that displays families waiting in line for relief money. Cinderella Man accurately portrays the fact that Braddock eventually returned all of the welfare money he had collected. Additionally, he made frequent donations to various charities including Catholic Worker Houses. This reflects Braddock’s integrity, but also communicates the shame that he felt regarding his inability to independently support his family. The film also portrays the idea that the audience members attending the boxing matches were invested in entertainment. During the Great Depression, things like sporting events, radio, and other affordable forms of entertainment provided a distraction from the hardships of Americans’ daily lives.
Cinderella Man captures the feel of the Great Depression through costumes, scenery and language. At the beginning of the film, Mae Braddock, Braddock’s wife, is done-up in a typical 1920s fashion. However, once the Depression hits, her hair becomes disheveled and her outfits look plain. This displays the fact that as Americans struggled to make ends meet, they were more concerned with putting food on the table than they were with maintaining their physical appearances. According to blogger Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts, the film’s phenomenal acting is what makes the movie so accurate. Russell Crowe, who plays Braddock, artfully displays “the face of athletic intensity, the face of a man taking a terrible beating in the ring, the face of a desperate, loving father, and many more.” The film also truthfully depicts Mae’s concern for her husband’s safety, her support of his passion, and her worries about her family’s financial situation. In the film, Mae says to Braddock, “Every time you get hit, feels like I’m getting hit too.” It is factually accurate that Mae did not attend Braddock’s matches because she did not like to witness him getting hit in the ring. It is also true that Joe Gould made major financial sacrifices and career risks to support Braddock in his second-chance opportunity.
The major aspect of Cinderella Man that stands out as being historically inaccurate is the film’s depiction of Braddock’s opponent, Max Baer.

The movie dramatized Max Baer’s character to capture the audience and make Braddock appear more heroic. Baer was a ferocious hitter, but he never taunted Braddock, and he was “villianized” for the sake of the movie. In a 1930 match, Baer killed a man, Frankie Campbell, but he was not the remorseless killer the movie made him out to be. Truthfully, Baer was a kind man who was devastated by the death of Frankie Campbell. In fact, Baer’s son, Max Baer Jr. stated, “My father cried about what happened to Frankie Campbell. He had nightmares. He helped put Frankie’s children through college.” Every story needs a villain, and perhaps Braddock truly viewed Baer as a threat to his success. Still, the film portrayed Baer inaccurately. Another minor inaccuracy is that Braddock was given more than two days to prepare for his second-chance fight against Corn

Griffin.
Cinderella Man is an inspiring “Cinderella” story that is especially compelling due to its fact-based content. The film captures the struggles of Americans during the Great Depression, and pays tribute to people’s ability to persevere during trying times. Unfortunately, the dramatized portrayal of Max Baer sacrificed some of the film’s integrity. However, the film portrays James Braddock, Mae Braddock, and Joe Gould in positive and accurate lights.