Citizen Kane Depression

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The economic, political and social crisis of the Great Depression impacted the film content of the 1930s as well as its regulation. Economically, films like Baby Face addressed an “individual’s capacity for success” as a young woman climbed the social ladder from lower class up to financially independent. In Gold Diggers of 1933, the political crisis of the depression era is portrayed in the final musical number about the Bonus March of 1932. The social crisis of the period can be seen in the critically acclaimed film, Citizen Kane, as it dealt with class division and societal realities. The regulation of film in the thirties gave birth to the screwball comedy and other types of film as a result of major film studios trying to avoid censorship …show more content…
The 1941 film, Citizen Kane, is a good example of social issues surrounding the Depression. According to Morris Dickstein in, “Dancing in the Dark”, Citizen Kane is the last film of the 1930s. It can also be said that it is the first film of a new era; in the way it handles the risks of ambition, dominance and success. It presented a new notion that wealth is not the ultimate path to contentment. When the conditions of the Depression created an envy and anger toward the rich, businessmen were no longer heroes of popular culture. In this film, Charles Foster Kane becomes the hero of the story but at the same time still leaves the audience skeptic of his morals and values. His character is seen as one of the first anti-heroes of film in this decade. The overall theme of the film focuses on the human costs of exercising power. It deals with the social reality that was a yearning for power and wealth in a time when people were willing to do anything to obtain it. Kane originally comes from a impoverish background and is swept away to grow up in the upper class. It is his emotional well-being that declines as he looses everything in his life that does not have a monetary value. Dickstein states that, “his downward trajectory echoes every hollow thirties ‘success’ story”. Movie audiences of the time dreamed of success, and of magical increase in wealth. They also identified with the premise of failure. While the economic difficulties were undeniably relatable, the image of failure seemed to resonate more. It expressed the realities of people whose lives revolved too much around materialistic items and how much money you are making. For those who struggled to make ends meet during the thirties, it reassured them that money does not always lead to happiness. When their world felt empty in economic peril, they became
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