Nasheil Del Rosario

Professor Sarah Lehleitner

FLM 1070

April 26th, 2020

Signature Assignment: Final Project

In my final project, I chose to do a collage showing the reality of the hardships during the

Great Depression that contrasted with the glamor that Hollywood movies still produced during

that time. Although the Great Depression still had its toll on the dominating production studios at

the time, many Americans sought refuge in the cinema to escape from the hardship of their

circumstances (Bowen, 2009). The module on class representation was the one that appealed to

me while creating the collage. Movies such as the Wizard of Oz (1939), which is the foundation

of the image, and other films of the era such as 42nd Street (1933), brought optimism in a time of

despair for many moviegoers. Releases like Gone With the Wind (1939) were also successful as

viewers during that period could watch the film and be transported into a world revolving around

the wealthy. While cinema provided a hope for many during a dark time, the accurate

representation of lower-class and impoverished individuals on screen still lagged behind even

years following the Depression. Despite the importance this temporary reprieve has brought to

those struggling, there’s also significance in dignified reflections that can represent a large

demographic of audiences that we’re able to witness now.

 References

Benshoff, H. M., & Griffin, S. (2021). America on film: Representing race, class, gender, and

sexuality at the movies (3rd ed.). Wiley-Blackwell.

Bowen, J. (2009, February 22). What Movies Mean To Us In Hard Times. CBS News.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-movies-mean-to-us-in-hard-times/

Hoyt, E. (2022, March 19). How the Great Depression Reshaped Hollywood Studios’ Ties With

Workers. The Hollywood Reporter.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/great-depression-reshaped-h

ollywood-studios-ties-with-workers-1235112840/