During the Great Depression, a time when radio came to prominent use, Hollywood began to establish itself. The industry made use of the Depression, capitalizing on the rising discontent and need to escape from reality to pave a way for what many consider "Hollywood's Golden Age."
The rising discontent with the government manifested in films that broke the boundaries of conventional entertainment during the era. Beginning with wronged heroes trying to make the most of the desperate situations they were in, filmmakers began tying their movies back to how the people were feeling. This allowed for a deeper connection between the characters on the screen and the audience, establishing the importance of entertainment during the time period. These wronged heroes began to evolve into the unconventional characters that refused to let the Depression drag them down. This was represented with the fascination of organized crime in film, allowing the audience to express their frustration with the government and society as a whole through the stories of organized criminals. The discontent with the laws of the time and the government's inefficiency in addressing issues only fueled the popularity of such movies, and many actors became famous for acting a gangsters
Surprisingly enough, this discontent was captured in comedy, with the Marx Brothers recent transition into Hollywood. A quartet who were considered the original anarchists, they made fun of the moral codes that America followed and the Depression. They fascinated the people, expressing the outrageous ideals most common associated with the USSR, the bogeyman of the time period, as well as the disconnect between those of different social standings. Their unconventional humor showed a different side to Hollywood and provided the people with another means of escape.
The Great Depression was also a time of musicals and elaborate sets that allowed people to submerse themselves in the lives of someone not themselves. The over the top sets and outlandish choreography became a highlight of the film industry at the time with choreographer Busby Berkeley at the helm. He brought a new perspective to filming, providing the audience with movies that were visually innovative and appealing.
While the Great Depression is viewed as a time where America was at its worst, it was a time where Hollywood reached it's peak and great change occurred in the entertainment industry. Without it, the Hollywood we know of today might have never gotten to the place it is today.
Sources :
https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/movies/how-the-great-depression-inspired-hollywoods-golden-age-26481978.html
https://www.bestmoviesbyfarr.com/articles/movies-from-the-great-depression/2015/06
I love your post because it shows a prime example of making a bad situation into a good thing. In this time period that was one of the things I think they discovered and it was being able to laugh at themselves and one another and not placing blaming solely on themselves. As we discussed in class we said that many people men typically who where seen as the providers self blamed because they had lost all of there money due to blank foreclosures and such. This new type off expression fascinated people and kept there minds out of a depression ass much as it possibly could. With a positive outlook is what kept America a float because they didn't just think of what was happening to them but instead about what they could do to fix it! Anyways good job on the article it was written quite well! :)
ReplyDeleteThe 1930s is such an interesting period in film history. With the end of the pre-code era at the beginning of the decade, which allowed for wild and socially unacceptable movies to be played at public theaters, and the release of classics like Gone with the Wind, Snow White, and The Wizard of Oz at the end of the decade, there was a great diversity in the types of content people were releasing to express themselves and show their message to the American people. Overall, one of the main types of movies that was famous during the first half of the decade was the feel-good dance movies starring Charlie Chaplin, Fred Estaire and Ginger Rogers, Clark Gable, Joan Crawford, and others. Overall, in most movies of the period, Americans sought escape from lives which they thought were difficult to deal with. http://www.filmsite.org/30sintro.html
ReplyDeleteSophia, I really liked the topic of your article. I thought it was interesting to draw the parallels between the film industry at this time and also the Depression. I aoorecuaed how you higlghted how people expressed their sentiments through the media: some supported the USSR and anarchy, while others turned to musical sets and elaborate dancing. I think that the Great Depression allowed the scope of movie themes to broaden. New social norms emerging allowed movies to cover topics never covered before- including "Tommy-gun toting gangsters, haggard prostitutes, and sleazy backroom politicians and lawyers appeared on the screen." Films allowed people to leave the grim reality of their everyday life, and the Depression even led to the creation of a new genre: screwball comedy. The Great Depression allowed Hollywood to evolve, and made it an integral part of American lives.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtid=2&psid=3453
Interesting take, Sophia! I thought it was surprising that film had a "fascination"with organized crime and gangsters, especially after the public hatred for Al Capone and the Valentine's Day Massacre in the decade preceding the Great Depression. I find it incredibly inspiring that the people suffering during this era found characters that they could aspire to be and truly connect with as well - perhaps this still continues today as various types of entertainment and media provide an escape from everyday life. I found a website online with a few examples of musicals made in this era, like the Wizard of Oz, which enabled people to experience a world more hopeful, happier, and quite literally more colorful than their own.
ReplyDeletehttp://xroads.virginia.edu/~ug02/film/musicaldepression.html