The Gold Diggers of 1933

How does the film relate to the chapter in Foner?
This film relates directly to Foner’s chapter because of all the references to the Great Depression and the consequences the characters face because of it. The whole premise of the movie starts with the show’s director not being able to afford the production, and the actresses who are out of the work that their livelihood depends on. It is clear to see that some of the hardest hit sectors of the economy were in places like the entertainment industry, which was a luxury many people were unable to afford. However the film also shows that not everyone was seriously hurt by the Depression, made evident by Brad’s millionaire family members.

What can we learn about American culture during the time period by interpreting the film as a primary historical source?
I think that more than anything, this movie showed that even though times were bad, people still liked to laugh and at least had a little bit of humor about the whole thing. I had never realized that the “We’re In The Money” song had come from a Depression Era movie, and I think this shows that while Americans may have been downtrodden, they could still appreciate the irony in a song like that in this movie. This was also a very funny love story, and I think as a primary source it gives us a look at the “lighter side of the Depression”. Most of the time when reading history books, we think of the Depression as some horrible dark period where everyone was starving and moping about constantly. While I’m not trying to downplay the serious suffering of many people in the population, it is important to realize that people still had hope and didn’t just bring their lives to a halt because of a bad economy.

What does the film reveal about attitudes toward gender, class, and race?
There wasn’t really much about race, but gender and class played a big role in this movie. Gender wise, we saw the women in this movie portrayed as much more independent characters than in the previous films. Although they were “gold diggers” trying to depend on men for their money, they were still making their own livings, small as they may have been. And also, the men in the movie seemed to accept and enjoy the idea of more dynamic female personalities. As far as class goes, this movie showed how the upper classes were still living the good life with $75 hats and other luxury items, when much of the country was struggling to keep alive. I think again, as a primary source, this gives us a first hand view of how the Depression did not hit everyone equally, and people with big money were still able to live the good life.

What was the most important scene in the film?
I’m really not sure that there was one single pivotal scene in this movie. I guess the climax of the plot is when everyone decides to marry everyone else before living happily ever after. But in the context of how the movie relates to the class, I think it was more the overall mood of the film regarding life in the Depression era that made the most significant points about the time period.

Overall Rating
This was my favorite movie we have watched so far, probably because I’m the kind of person who likes to have audio dialogue to keep me interested. But the choreography was great, and I’m glad I finally found out where “We’re In The Money” came from. However, the only thing I wish he would have done a little differently was cut the big dance scene at the end a little shorter, or at least broken it up by some plot points. But it was very good visually, so I have to give him credit for that. Overall though, I thought the film was very funny and entertaining, and I’m sure it was a hit when it came out.