cinderella man and the great depression
Zachary Zaret
Professor O’Neil
Hist 173
2 May 2015
Cinderella Man and the Great Depression
Cinderella Man is a biographical film of boxer James J. Braddock that clearly illustrates Americas struggle through the Great Depression. Cinderella Man accurately shows the prevailing attitude of the time. The movie also focuses on how boxing was a temporary shelter from the suffering for many.
This movie offers many accurate scenes relating to the depressing tone of the Great Depression. One specific example of true representation of the times was displayed in the scenes set in the docks where men line up at the fences begging to be chosen to work for one day’s salary. Another scene shows families in huge lines for relief money. The lines stretched out the door and down the street and the charities and relief centers would often run out of money before everyone was helped.
The actual story of the life of “Cinderella Man” is incredibly accurate. Although the story is drizzled with some tinsel town magic, only slight changes were made to the original story. Of the changes was the depiction of his championship opponent, Max Baer, who did not actually taunt and demoralize Braddock before for the match. Baer was dramatized to be villain for the sake of the story arc, so he was portrayed as a fur-wearing womanizer who had killed two men in the ring with no remorse. In reality, Baer only killed one man, Frankie Campbell, and consequently gave money to his family. The sad event had taken place just before the Baer v. Braddock match and he was still badly shaken by the event.
The film does an excellent job of conveying an accurate "feel" for the Great Depression through its technical aspects such as costumes, fashions, interviews, sounds, and scenery. The movie recreated New York's "Madison Square Garden," by redressing a city street store to accurately resemble 1930s New York City, complete with fake store fronts and period accurate stop lights. Another example of the
Professor O’Neil
Hist 173
2 May 2015
Cinderella Man and the Great Depression
Cinderella Man is a biographical film of boxer James J. Braddock that clearly illustrates Americas struggle through the Great Depression. Cinderella Man accurately shows the prevailing attitude of the time. The movie also focuses on how boxing was a temporary shelter from the suffering for many.
This movie offers many accurate scenes relating to the depressing tone of the Great Depression. One specific example of true representation of the times was displayed in the scenes set in the docks where men line up at the fences begging to be chosen to work for one day’s salary. Another scene shows families in huge lines for relief money. The lines stretched out the door and down the street and the charities and relief centers would often run out of money before everyone was helped.
The actual story of the life of “Cinderella Man” is incredibly accurate. Although the story is drizzled with some tinsel town magic, only slight changes were made to the original story. Of the changes was the depiction of his championship opponent, Max Baer, who did not actually taunt and demoralize Braddock before for the match. Baer was dramatized to be villain for the sake of the story arc, so he was portrayed as a fur-wearing womanizer who had killed two men in the ring with no remorse. In reality, Baer only killed one man, Frankie Campbell, and consequently gave money to his family. The sad event had taken place just before the Baer v. Braddock match and he was still badly shaken by the event.
The film does an excellent job of conveying an accurate "feel" for the Great Depression through its technical aspects such as costumes, fashions, interviews, sounds, and scenery. The movie recreated New York's "Madison Square Garden," by redressing a city street store to accurately resemble 1930s New York City, complete with fake store fronts and period accurate stop lights. Another example of the