Social climate in Dead end and best years
Amidst the glamour and glitz of Classical Hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s, there lie an underlining of social problems and issues in America. ... As a result, social problem films were produced as a way to illustrate the truth and reality of American society. The 1937 film Dead End portrays the poverty of New York City in the aftermath of the Great Depression Era and attempts to justify the instability of American society in the 1930s. Similarly, the 1946 film The Best Years of Our Lives depicts the social instability of the post World War II era in America. The Best Years of Our Lives reflects the challenging and distressing adjustments to society World War II veterans must face after the war. ... Dead End and The Best Years of Our Lives are reflections of the social problems of their time and provides an ideology that life can indeed be improved in America. It is no surprise that the 1937 film Dead End received much recognition in the 1930s. This prestige picture plays on social realism which emphasizes that art should be a mirror to life and reflect the rights, wisdom, and virtues of the common people. Independently produced by Samuel Goldwyn and screenplay written by Lillian Helman, Dead End is a film that rejected the glamour of film. Instead, Dead End’s subject matter and visual appearance is similar to that of a documentary. Dead End reveals the truth of American society by its portrayal of the life in the slums of New York City. The detrimental problem of unemployment during the Depression era is reflected in numerous characters in Dead End. ... By revealing the adversities of two of the main characters, Drina and Dave, the film criticizes the social condition of the America and the lack of support and aid from the US government. ... The unfairness of American society at that time is exposed in the movie’s social consciousness. Injustice is shown when Baby Face Martin and Dave converse for the first time after many years. ... The reality of the tumultuous times in America society is illustrated convincingly in Dead End’s depiction of the crumbling social climate. ... Dead End illustrates young Tommy’s development into a probable life of crime and delinquency. ... Likewise in 1946, the Goldwyn produced film The Best Years of Our Lives discloses a social consciousness of its era. Whereas Dead End is a reflection of the Depression era, The Best Years of Our Lives is a film that reveals the difficulty of readjustment in society for war veterans after returning home from World War II.