Customer Reviews

American Cinema of the 1930s: Themes and Variations (Screen Decades: American Culture/American Cinema)

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Hark's work is both scholarly and eminently readable. She offers critical analysis and a good summary of Hollywood's output during the Depression years. The focus is on many of the most popular films of the time. Some of which are still watched today as classics.

Often, she critiques movies that have serious themes, and not the escapist pablum that was desired by so many viewers as an alternative to the reality of the Depression. Some films looked back at the recent Great War, and asked questions about the sacrifices that were made. While a few others took an uneasy look at the war clouds gathering in Europe.

From our vantage, there is a striking lack of films about racism in the United States. The studios simply did not want to confront this issue. Though, perhaps ironically, some did look at the European colonial empires, where whites lorded over masses of non-white subjects. The US ostensibly lacked such an empire. So maybe the studios felt a freer hand in scrutinising colonialism.

Also, there is only a modicum of questioning of women's roles in society. Hence, the book is useful also for showing the topics that were not addressed in that decade.