cinema

THE SOCIAL AND POLITICAL FILMS OF THE 1930S : CINEMA OF DESPAIR TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

The Breaking of American Dream

Chaos and Violence

Social issues and Corruption

Gangster Movies

The Juvenile Delinquency Issue

The Unemployment Crisis

The Greedy Businessman

The Age of Fear

Sex and Immorality

Beasts and Primeval Men

The Call from Wilderness : Remote Kinship

The Stereotype Social Characters

The Minorities and Anti-Semitism

Conclusion

Reference

Introduction

Between the beginning of Great Depression in 1930s , confusion gripped much of the

country it impacted Hollywood as well . In 193os Hollywood not only was there the transition to sound , but the studios also have to arrange to the rapidly changing social environment . It was during this period that social problem films emerged as genera reflecting the fears and worries of the American public . The first among these were prototypes characters of gangster , fallen women , convict , shysters in the settings of slums , brothels and poverty-ridden neibourhood . These movies created a relationship between individual and society by taking a cynical attitude towards social institutions where hero must be tough and amoral to endure the corruption of society . These movies glorified criminals and advocated the violence as the righteous way to set the corrupt social system in creating the popular culture of pain and despair (Purdy , 1981

The formula of these movies was based on certain elements readily recognizable to a public that knew in general terms what to expect every week at the picture show . It was also predicated on the fact that mass entertainment involved wish fulfillment , the presentation of things , as public would like them to be . The primary ingredient in the formula movie was the star that acted as an ideal for audience identification who embodied a constant personality from film to film . This Formula had no impact on the quality of the films as film . It certainly determined the kind of films that could be made , but as the body of Hollywood movies attests , the requirements of the great commercial machine did not necessarily frustrate artistic expression but rather defined the nature of that expression (Robin , 1968

Over a period of several films , the public came to know a star very well , so much so that it became difficult for actors to deviate very far beyond their normal range . Everyone knew more or less what was in store for him or her , when they went to see a Clark Gable or a Bette Davis or a Jimmy Cagney picture . The studios protected the stars screen personae by tailoring films to enhance the qualities of each star . Because the stars were the projections of the public 's own fantasies , they embodied most of the elements of wish fulfillment . They did all the things the public wanted them to do and always came out on the top . For this reason , the star system was the most important factor in marketing movies . These character , storyline , and style built around the stars created the hype ranging from ads to magazines and press coverage...