Film+in+the+1930's

Films during the 1930’s were greatly appreciated in the eyes of those suffering from the Great Depression. Through movies, people were able to gain a sense of hope for the future. “In the face of economic disaster, it kept alive a belief in the possibility of individual success, portrayed a government capable of protecting its citizens from external threats, and sustained a vision of America as a classless society.” (Digital History). Even though the economy was terrible, 60-80 million Americans went to theaters every week. “At the movies they could forget their troubles for a couple of hours,” (Digital History). Film provided both an escape from reality and realistic representations of what was going of during the Great Depression. Both provided hope and ease to the souls and minds of Americans.

Little Women --Holly Abbott Although it is nice for the mind to escape, especially in times of duress, sometimes having a sense of a "home base" so to speak, can be very comforting. During the Great Depression, the experience of realism in film and literature helped give Americans a sense of familiarity with the situation at hand, but still providing hope. In films like and "It's a Wonderful Life" and "Little Women" provide the elements of life that, in a time of strife, was important to remember, elements like self-reliance, and the importance of community and family, forgiveness, and appreciation towards little imperfections that help us to see that we're human, but we're all human together and we should relish those little imperfections and quirks. media type="custom" key="25221072" width="161" height="161" align="left"

The film "Little Women" is set in a time of war where the money is tight and things in general just aren't the best. The March family struggles with sickness, death, and just making ends meat. Jo, the second oldest daughter of the March girls, is the main figure in this film and as it progresses, the audience gets reminded of prevailing in hard times, and making a life and a world for one's self, even with the meager-est of means.

Jo can be compared to so many of the characters in Of Mice and Men. Like George, she has a dream, but it feels as if there is no way for her to reach it. She is in a time where women aren't viewed as highly as men, and therefore isn't given a way to easily achieve her dream, similar to Crooks. When she does achieve her dream, she then becomes like Lennie, who, in his own way, was granted his dream as well. Amy, she can be compared to Curley's wife, who just isn't accepted around the ranch. They both have dreams of being somewhere else, being someone else, and they both have very attention-getting attitudes.

The Wizard of Oz -- Shianne Firth   Human nature   gives us the chance to experience different events with different opinions. We find ourselves in situations that we don’t particularly want to be in. We just want to leave it, never to return again. For a brief moment, literature has the power to do that. When reading or  watching movies  , it’s sometimes easy to fantasize about what it would be like to be a certain character, or be in a certain time period or place. It’s our own little, sweet escape from reality. Escapism is present throughout books, plays, and movies. The audience is given an opportunity to take their mind off of what is bothering them, and they can get lost in a completely different and maybe even a  better world   than what they are experiencing. Literature in the 1930’s was very effective in a way to distract people from the great crisis occurring around the country. The  Great Depression   not only took a toll on the economy, but also on the emotions of the population. With escapism, they were able to lift their spirits in a small getaway even if they could not really escape.

 In Of Mice and Men, many of the characters had their own dream, something to think about when times became tough and they needed a break from  real life. Curly’s wife had a dream of becoming an actress and not being married to Curly. Lennie and George had a dream of owning some their own place, and included Candy in it. When Lennie was upset, George used the dream to distract Lennie, and help clear his mind.

 The Scarecrow, the Tinman, the Lion, and Dorothy each wished to have something that they didn’t have in “The Wizard of Oz.” Their dreams were simply a part of a greater dream of Dorothy’s. She wanted to run away but the only way she really could without upsetting her family was through a literal dream.

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In this scene, I compare Dorothy to George, Lennie to Toto, and Professor Marvel to Slim. Dorothy cared for Toto the way George cared for Lennie. They had to be stern at times but were still kind and loving. Dorothy had a plan to run away and Toto was along for the ride, however, when Professor Marvel became involved, he brought reality back into Dorothy’s eyes and was able to change her mind about leaving her family’s farm. This is similar to how George created the plan to own land and raise animals and Lennie was along for it. Then Slim brought a sense of reality back to George when he shot Lennie.