During The Great Depression films were an upright distraction for people in the 1930’s. Some examples of films are, “Public Enemy,” released in 1931, “Gold Diggers,” in 1933, next was “Modern Times,” 1936, lastly was “Room Service,” released in 1938. These films all served as a distraction of The Great Depression for people, and also showed what it was like during the time in some different ways. For example, the treatment of women was portrayed in some of these films. My opinion on how women were portrayed in some is that they were treated poorly based on some things in the move “Gold Diggers.” For example, it was harder for women to find a job than it was for men. In the movie, three singers from a Broadway show, Carol, Polly and Trixie, cannot seem to find a job in the beginning. Also Roger sings the song “We’re In the Money” in pig Latin. The chorus of this song shows the girls sex appeal as a way to earn money. Also their costumes had coins on their bodies symbolizing money. They also show Trixie going for the rich lawyer “fanny” which could show women just go after guys for their money. All the “gold diggers” end up married to wealthy men in the end except fay. In “Modern Times” Charlie Chaplin wrote and directed the movie that is showing women can’t do a man’s job. It is also showing they couldn’t direct a film because no women directed any of these films, and Charlie did both, produced and directed. One of the leading roles was played by Paulette Goddard, who spends time as his wife, and that is the only women involved in the movie. All the roles go to men, which is sexist to have a movie with one woman. In the movie “Room Service” it has a different approach, Lucille ball is a partner and she has an actual job in the mov...
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...gold diggers. Also in the movie it shows there were different roles for each gender. Women in them movie tried to show that they weren’t just an object there for men, when a women comes out in a metal clothing, so there man could not touch them and handle them like an item. Lawrence was surprised to see Brad planning on marrying a flapper girl, due to the fact some of the money could be lost after. Another example is women didn’t express laughing and loudness, and Trixie did however, do things like that in the movie, which shows women were not allowed to and she did. In “Modern Times” there are no women working in the factory, showing that women could not do jobs like that, but they do in present day. These are all examples in all these movies, in my opinion, that show how women were treated and expected to be and act in the 1930’s, the time of the Great Depression.
May begins by exploring the origins of this "domestic containment" in the 30's and 40's. During the Depression, she argues, two different views of the family competed -- one with two breadwinners who shared tasks and the other with spouses whose roles were sharply differentiated. Yet, despite the many single women glamorized in popular culture of the 1930's, families ultimately came to choose the latter option. Why? For one, according to May, for all its affirmation of the emancipation of women, Hollywood fell short of pointing the way toward a restructured family that would incorporate independent women. (May p.42) Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday and Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind, for example, are both forced to choose between independence and a happy domestic life - the two cannot be squared. For another, New Deal programs aimed to raise the male employment level, which often meant doing nothing for female employment. And, finally, as historian Ruth Milkman has also noted, the g...
Discriminating gender roles throughout the movie leaves one to believe if they are supposed to act a certain way. This film gives women and men roles that don’t exist anymore, during the 60s women were known to care for the family and take care of the house, basically working at home. However, a male was supposed to fight for his family, doing all the hard work so his wife didn’t have too. In today’s world, everyone does what makes them happy. You can’t tell a woman to stay at home, that makes them feel useless. Furthermore, males still play the roles of hard workers, they are powerful compared to a woman. However, in today’s world a male knows it isn’t right to boss a woman around, where in the 60s, it happened, today women have rights to do what they want not what they are
In 1929, America experienced a stock market crash that led the country into what is historically known as the Great Depression. Many industries across America experienced alterations in order to fit the social and economic changes that America was undergoing as a nation. Specific industries included Hollywood and the film industry. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, the movies that Americans enjoyed viewing were considered immoral at the time. This was f...
Women wear pink, boy wear blue. Women play with dolls, boys play with trucks. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, and the film Chicago by Rob Marshall, focus mainly in the 1920s and how the characters reinforce the gender roles that women are helpless, feminine, and constantly seek the approval of men, whereas the female characters in the film Chicago are independent and self,confident; however, in both pieces, jealousy leads to negative consequences for women.
Often, the 1930s are classified as the age of economic depression. Although true, the decade has proved to be a time of reform and hope. In the midwest a series of windstorms occurred accompanied by a harsh drought causing the Dust Bowl, while in the more industrialized north, citizens struggled to find jobs. From song lyrics to baseball cards, artifacts from the decade rejuvenated the once crushed spirits of the American people. However, not all Americans regained a sense of hope, and instead some resorted to toxic ways to ease their minds. Moreover, as the Great Depression trudged on through the 1930s, American citizens searched for a way to escape their hardships, yet remained hopeful for a brighter future.
Ware, Susan. "Women and the Great Depression." The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.
In the 1930s, several economic, political, and environmental factors caused Americans to lose hope of a future beyond the extreme circumstances in which they had to survive. America prospered during the roaring ‘20s, but the stock market crash of October 1929 set off a devastating chain of events; banks and factories closed and one out of every four Americans found himself unemployed. The sudden economic collapse began the era of the Great Depression, in which millions were jobless by 1933 and countless others wandered the country in search of work, food and shelter. “The core of the problem was the immense disparity between the country’s productive capacity and the ability of the people to consume” (Nelson). The economic downturn coupled with the ecological disaster of the Dust Bowl in the Great Plains resulted in foreclosures on farms, inflated food prices for the consumer, and the ruination of the agricultural industry. Meanwhile, the film and entertainment industry provided an escape for many Americans from the long-term struggle of the Great Depression. Shirley Temple, the dimpled, curly-haired child star dubbed “America’s Sweetheart,” was one such film star who brought hope to those affected by the Great Depression and left an enduring impression on the United States of America.
A variety of films were created during the Great Depression era. For the most part, the films created between 1929 and 1940 featured a better life. Although the Great Depression took a huge toll on many other industries, the film industry still managed to make large profits compared to other businesses. All these films were produced during the same time period however, they all provide different details about life during this time period; specifically, they provide a different look on how women were treated in the 1930s. Such movies include Room Service, Modern Times, and The Public Enemy. Every film is different from the next, though many have several similarities. Modern Times and Public Enemy are similar to each other because of how they feature women, while Room Service is completely different. In Room Service, women were portrayed as equal to man; while in Modern Times, no women were featured as workers in the factory.
During the 1920’s women were fervently depicted as inferior to men and incapable of the success. In the novel The Great Gatsby female characters are subject to gender based stereotypes and blindly follow culturally accepted norms which dictate their place and position within society. The expectations placed upon the female characters to comply with the norms of society limit their potential to become successful in comparison to the male characters, who are successful in the 1920’s. Within The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald illustrates the female characters as socially and economically limited and dependant, due to the strong implementation of patriarchal roles of men in society. Women are confined
Before the Second World War began Hollywood’s purpose lied within entertainment for the American people. After the war started, the main focus shifted to wartime propaganda. Film was used to display the war in a way that did not show its true colors—including the censorship of soldier causalities and other negative connotations that are a simple fact of war. There was even a time in which some actors became better known to America than politians. Through films, Hollywood began to make a statement of their anti-Nazi beliefs. They began to make motion pictures for American recruitment into the Army as well as many that supported the war effort, and intended to make other Americans more aware of the war’s effect on the United States, and how people can get involved. Many European countries banned these Hollywood films, as they began to affect not only America but many other countries that were involved in the war as well.
The Great Depression is a time in the history of the United States that people have learned and gained knowledge from. Its harsh times and conflicts have been written about in books, seen in movies, talked about on radios, and told to families throughout the generations. Seeing how life was during the 1930s in the movie, The Cinderella Man, was a great eye opener to how the people of this time truly survived and kept their true humanity in times of havoc. The time of the 1930s should be an inspiration to the nation and cause many to do well and live life smart and prosperous.
These movies allowed female characters to embody all the contradictions that could make them a woman. They were portrayed as the “femme fatale” and also “mother,” the “seductress” and at the same time the “saint,” (Newsom, 2011). Female characters were multi-faceted during this time and had much more complexity and interesting qualities than in the movies we watch today. Today, only 16% of protagonists in movies are female, and the portrayal of these women is one of sexualization and dependence rather than complexity (Newsom, 2011).
...es, in the eyes of the modern moviegoers, this position is no longer reasonable due to the strides already made by women in quest for equality. It is a reflection of how the past American society treated its women and draws to the traditional inclination of the Americans to achieve financial independence as seen in this post war film.
...ereotypes and patriarchal norms (Annie baking, Helen being a rich step-mom, the wedding itself), it also undermines patriarchy at the same time. At one point or another throughout the film all of the female characters go against the common conception and portrayal of women being proper and passive. They can be raunchy, drink, use vulgar language, and show they aren’t that different from men.
Women in the novel are accurately portrayed as they were in the 1920’s. Lewis presents two different scenarios in the novel, but both of these cases can follow the same mannerisms. First, Lewis depicts the loving housewife. Myra, Babbitt’s wife, continually comforts Babbitt throughout the whole novel. Myra even accepts the blame when Babbitt decides to cheat on her. Women are depicted throughout the novel as inferior when...