Films During The Great Depression Essay

Film during the Great Depression took off after the stock market crash of 1929. The Great Depression, lasting from 1929 to 1939, caused a downward economic spiral that led to bankruptcies, mass unemployment, and complete misery. However, Hollywood struck gold by finding something that the entire public craved: movies. Known as Hollywood’s Golden Age, the production, creation, and viewership of films increased rapidly. Hollywood was able to take advantage of the dire situation of society; movies gave people an opportunity to remove themselves from their current lives when they needed it most. However, creating movies that sent a powerful message proved to be challenging. How did Hollywood produce films that positively influenced the mood and …show more content…
Films echoed the idea that all Americans could endure all the struggles of the economic depression through hard work, creating a sense of community, and the acceptance of one’s social status. The goal of the directors was clearly to convey messages to the working class, as the themes of the most popular films during the Great Depression revolved around the life of the average working class member. Movies to this day are constantly used as a tool to provoke a topic and address a problem in society, almost identically to what movies during the Great Depression aimed to do– and there is a reason for that. People were easily motivated to create a change on society, as movies allowed them to imagine what would life be like without the problems and struggles of their lives. The idea of uplifting society and creating social awareness was stemmed from the films of the Great Depression, and this movement has not stopped since then. Films during the 1930s created the idea of powerful messages in cinema that continues to play a major role in Hollywood to this