Wanting to create a humorless film about one 's suffering through the great depression, John L. Sullivan goes incognito as a “tramp" in order to truly experience the hardships of this time. Along with his journey, Sullivan is sentenced to six years of labor camp. While at the camp, he goes to a picture show of a cartoon, he realizes that people need an alternate reality where they can laugh, not relieve their daily lives. This is what ultimately leads Sullivan to create a comedic film, not a serious one. A shot of the church begins this very important scene, then starts the sermon. As the sermon is being spoken, the chain gain starts to walk in, feet chained, and are given the first couple of rows, also known as the best seats. Once seated,
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“Movies provided an escape from the hardships of the Great Depression, allowing a glimpse into high society life, so far from rural life”(Reinhardt and Ganzel). Even though the film shown at the picture show wasn’t a comedy nor was it a film about the luxurious lives of the high-class, it captured Sullivan’s attention and got him to laugh and enjoy the little things in life. Many films, primarily comedies, “Suggested the genre’s lighthearted attempt to grapple with the economic calamity of the 1930s. And the desire to release some of the pent-up tension of the war years” (Jewell 225). This eventually aided his decision to make a comedy, not a serious film. After experiencing the hardships, of those less fortunate than he, dealt with during the Depression, he realized that they don’t want to go to a film and relive what they’ve already suffered through. They would rather go to a film and experience a reality that they never have or just enter an entirely different world to escape their harsh realities. This allows them to slip away from their unfortunate reality and actually have something that makes them laugh and forget about their sorrows, even if it’s just for a
“Movies provided an escape from the hardships of the Great Depression, allowing a glimpse into high society life, so far from rural life”(Reinhardt and Ganzel). Even though the film shown at the picture show wasn’t a comedy nor was it a film about the luxurious lives of the high-class, it captured Sullivan’s attention and got him to laugh and enjoy the little things in life. Many films, primarily comedies, “Suggested the genre’s lighthearted attempt to grapple with the economic calamity of the 1930s. And the desire to release some of the pent-up tension of the war years” (Jewell 225). This eventually aided his decision to make a comedy, not a serious film. After experiencing the hardships, of those less fortunate than he, dealt with during the Depression, he realized that they don’t want to go to a film and relive what they’ve already suffered through. They would rather go to a film and experience a reality that they never have or just enter an entirely different world to escape their harsh realities. This allows them to slip away from their unfortunate reality and actually have something that makes them laugh and forget about their sorrows, even if it’s just for a