Depression Era Escapism Films

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses movies such as Frank Capra's 1936 "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town" and 1937 "Lost Horizon" that capture Hollywood's idealistic theme of escaping reality during the Great Depression. The paper shows how Hollywood opened up the opportunity of distraction from the tragic reality of life and began a new tradition in film where audiences could be taken into the mystical silver screen of Hollywood. The paper relates that although the tragedy of the Great Depression has since long passed, this tradition continues to help mold films even today.

From the Paper:

"After the market crashed in 1929, the entire nation was lunged into a bleak and tumultuous existence in the era known as The Great Depression. Millions of Americans lost their jobs, making the country's unemployment percentages reach record numbers. Banks lost millions of dollars of every day citizen's dollars; many more lost their homes and were forced to live a life on the street. The overall standard of living plummeted, bringing down the nation's morale right along with it. Even the seemingly invincible Hollywood Studios suffered from the conditions of the Depression suffering a deficit of around $410 million dollars in debt, (Digital History, 2008). How then, were the Studios to make money if the entire nation was in turmoil? Hollywood adapted to the needs of Americans during the Depression era. After an initial push of movies to go against the established order in the beginning of the Depression which actually decreased attendance, studios developed a trend of escapism in their most popular films."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Capra, Frank. Mr. Deeds Goes to Town. Frank Capra Productions. 1936.
• Capra, Frank. Lost Horizon. Colombia Pictures Corporation. 1937.
• Digital History. "Hollywood and the Great Depression." 2008. Retrieved September 11, 2008 at http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/historyonline/hollywood_great_depression.cfm

More papers on Depression Era Escapism Films:

• Analytical Essay # 145182 : "'The Grapes of Wrath' and the Depression Era"
• Research Paper # 67326 : "The Great Depression: 1929-1941"
• Essay # 26752 : "The Great Depression and American Art in the 1930s"

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