The Great Depression In The Film, Cinderella Man

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The Great Depression was a devastating period in United States History, the economy collapsed, and a staggering 25% of the population was unemployed. During this time, there were large wage disparity gaps that were very prevalent, there was no middle class, you were either wealthy or you were poor. It was hard for family life to continue, parents had to take up two and three jobs to make sure their kids were staying safe, and well. Most of these jobs were odd-jobs, and were temporary with no sense of security. It was a struggle to find work, and no job was too demeaning for you to do, because you may not find work again. James J. Braddock, who is the main character in Cinderella Man, knows the struggle of the Great Depression, and how he did not take any chance for granted. A similar film, Rocky, which shows Rocky Balboa as an underperforming boxer, who gets his one shot at fame and does not squander it. The purpose of these two films were to show social class disparity. Through hard work and a bit of fortune, anyone can make it in the United States, as portrayed in these films. The use of lighting, camera angles, and sounds allowed for the accurate portrayal of these events. To start, Cinderella Man portrays the hard life of James J. Braddock, who was a professional boxer and had much success early on, then struggled because he broke …show more content…

That through heart, determination, and favorable chances, you can make it in this world. These two films should be looked at in a different way as well as being heartfelt stories, they should be viewed as triumphs of the human spirit, that class does not define a person. That through hard work anything is possible, do not let chances slip away. Social class disparity is very apparent in both films, but also how they can be overcome, and how everyone has a chance at making it in this