Cinderella Man Film and Cultural Analysis.
Great Depression
As the society in the 1920s was going through a period of hardships and sorrow, sport provided them with a source which aided them in diverting their attention from their miseries.
The movie Cinderella Man focuses on the life of a boxer in this era where people turned towards sports as a respite from their hard times. The protagonist in the movie Cinderella man, James J. Braddock starts his life as a light heavy weight boxer. Boxing was an extremely popular sport and liked by people during those times, whether it was to forget their misery or for the entertainment value. It was huge--as popular as baseball, and maybe more so. Heavyweight champions were superstars, with a Michael Jordan-like fame. Fans by the tens of thousands thronged to see the big matches, with millions more avidly following via radio and the colorful stories of newspaper sportswriters. (Pollard). The use of boxing in the movie effectively takes the viewer back to the 1920s. The filming of the boxing sequences bring to life the tone of the film. The palette used throughout the movie ranges from bleak, dark city streets to brash, golden boxing rings lit with the pop of flash bulbs. (Julia). The gloomy environment of the streets stands in contrast to the brightly lit boxing rings.
Forced to give up boxing in the middle of his career, because of an arm injury, Braddock is forced into hard labor to support his family of three kids and wife. The situation in the country, pathetic in those days of depression in America is shown eloquently in the movie. But as luck would have it Braddock gets a break and he comes back into the boxing ring and has successive wins. It is his magnificent gesture of paying back money to the government for supporting him in difficult times that catapults him to fame. Howards development of the characters in the film and the depiction of the Great Depression are magnificent.
The pitiable condition of people is apparent in the movie. People had no food to eat. Braddock was out of the boxing ring due to his injury and hence was left without a means of income. As Howard remarks in an interview with The Morning Edition You know, they were
on the soup lines and he was working as a laborer and there was a moment when he thought he wasnt going to be able to keep the family together and he despaired and he was humiliated by it,
but he was able to fight his way out. (NPR). The despair becomes worse when the disparity between the rich and the poor people is visible. In the movie, a scene which shows a rich family going to a swanky restaurant depicts this disparity and brings forth the vulgarity of the rich in a period where the majority of the people in the nation were reeling below the poverty line. The following comments of Braddock point towards the despairing conditions in which people were leading their lives. Mr. CROWE (As Jim Braddock) Things aint easy at the moment, Joe, youre right. Theres a lot of people worse off than what we are. I guess good things aint easy. That dont give you the excuse to take whats not yours, does it Thats stealing, right We dont steal. No matter what happens, we dont steal. Not ever. You got me (Sound bite of Cinderella Man).
The Great Depression began in 1929 in America and lasted for almost a decade. A ripple like effect was felt all over the world. As this was said to be the worst depression after the dawn of the industrial age, a ripple like effect was felt all over the industrialized countries. It caused the stock market to spiral down out of control, and caused the major slump. Financial institutions and banks were forced into insolvency causing millions of people to lose money. The faith of the people in the government and their own future was lost. So the rich spent less. The decrease in the spending capacity meant decreased production, forcing thousands out of employment. The story of Cinderella Man is dated right in the middle of The Great Depression. The movie beautifully depicts the culture at that time. The dark age is emphasized by the dark and gloomy atmosphere in the movie. Filmed in Toronto Ron Howards has taken
great pains to redress many areas of Toronto to get a look like New York of that period in entirety. For example, the Bay Queen Street store was completely camouflaged to look like Madison Square. Watching a recreation of painful historical episodes isnt always fun. After all, the Depression was sodepressing. But at the same time. and grim faces. Its the next best thing to being there. On second thought, its better. (Pollard). The realism in the movie succeeds in recreating the society of New York during the period of The Great Depression.
Socio-political riots, obstructions, and crimes are depicted in the film. Civil unrest was significantly reported all over the country because of poverty, oppression, and unbalanced economy. Civil disorder as purported in Wikipedia.org is a byproduct of economic slowdown, severity of inflation, political crisis, unemployment, and even sporting events in other nations. Indeed, it was far worse than the recession that the Americans have been experiencing today. The movie captures the struggle and mentality of the people during these taxing times. The plot of Cinderella Man weighs winning and losing in superlative perspectives. To win the game means a lot for it defines how much food and shelter one could owe to his family especially that it was set in the Great Depression days.
The economic situation depicted in the movie stands in accordance to the definition of crisis which resulted from the emergence of the Great Depression. The period of Great Depression brought significant changes in the lives of the people, as numerous people were pushed on the verge of poverty and starvation. Within short span of time, people living a luxurious life found themselves in a situation where they have to struggle to fulfill their basic needs. Sure, regular work, money, and food were tough to come by, many had to subsist out on the streets, and countless families were forced to send their kids away to live with distant
relatives just to keep them from starving. (Schager). In that time, the worst economic turmoil was experienced by the crippled masses in the entire U.S. History. And Braddock was one among these crippled masses, whose life was deeply affected by the Great Depression.
Sexism
Another significant aspect of the society of the 1920s depicted in the movie is the prevalence of sexism in those times. The film presents the topic of sexism through the depiction of Braddocks wife, Mae as played by Rene Zellweger (Chicago, Cold Mountain). Even though Mae is courageous, she comes across as a submissive wife in course of her married life with Braddock. This behavior of Mae gives a higher leverage to Braddock as he is the dominant person in the relationship. Mae is soft-spoken, and though timid she tends to be very strong as the light of her family. She is always afraid that shell lose her husband whenever Jim would engage into a brawl in the ring. During those times, women were just regarded as home keepers and that it means that they were not allowed to interfere in any matters that were going on outside the house. Their opinions were hardly ever given importance. This shows that chauvinism was the norm of the society. It was part of the American culture also, that men were considered more dominant than women, henceforth, giving these women just the role of a housewife whose only duty was to look after the household duties and take care of the children. The character of Mae in the movie depicts the secondary status of woman in their relations with the men in their lives.
Zellweger stated in an interview, My character (as Mae Draddock) was difficult because she wasnt present on the page. It was more in-between the lines. I really had to understand
society at the time of the Depression and how it made an impact on this woman (Pearlman).
Likewise, biased attitude of the society regarding the social status and competence of the women were among the major issues affecting women in 1920s. The sexist ideologies enforced restrictions and limitations on a woman, making her to lead a subservient life. Sexism in science, as history has it, seems to be a sacrificial lamb for women to attain a respectable status quo. Derivative works of women in the fields of politics, sports, entertainment, business, science and technology, and their humanitarian causes are all conclusively contexts of an outlet to their voices. In the film, the metaphor was shown when Mae sought independency when she decided to move into her relatives abode, finding a remedy to their desperate condition. Mae desired to find a solution to their financial woes, as Braddock was unemployed for while after having an injury from his dangerous way of livelihood, as quoted by his wife. Later in the film, it must be noted that Braddock sacrificed his ego and pride in accordance to his desperation to get his family back.
Family Values
One more aspect of the society of 1920s which is portrayed in the movie is related to the significance of family values in the American culture. Through the depiction of Braddocks relationship with his family, the movie presents the influence of family values on the lives of the people. The screenplay of the movie beautifully portrays the relationship Braddock had to his family. Its more than a boxing film. (Expressen). Because of this, the once close-tied family values that Americans had was exposed in a most dramatic and unconventional way. It is a fact that family is the center of a mans life in the American culture and that one would do anything
for them, just as what Braddock did for his family in the movie. The setting was remarkably set
during the Great Depression days in the United States in the 1930s. To connote an intense and descriptive mood, the cinematographers created an often gloomy or rather melancholic atmosphere through the harshness of camera angles. Most of the recreated scenes are like a time turner, evolving in an authentic climate in that era. New York City, in particular homeless people were stricken into savagery, lining for an ample amount of food, as they were jobless. The best part of the movie is when Braddock is working hard for the sake of his wife and his three kids. He gives up his pride so that he can take care of his familys needs, In the movie Cinderella Man, Russell Crowe plays Jim Braddock, a boxer who through injury, bad breaks and the Great Depression finds himself .that Jim Braddock sells all he owns, surrenders his pride and begs enough money to keep his electricity on and his family together. (James 128). He works hard as a laborer near the docks during his temporary retirement due to his injury from a previous boxing match, the importance of family values hard work, trust, and willingness are among the strong points being plotted out in the movie.
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