Cinderella Man
I
firmly disagree with the statement “The movie, Cinderella Man, takes place
during the Great Depression, but it ultimately does a much better job of
telling us an emotional and inspirational “fairy tale” about one man than it
does exposing audiences to the facts about the Great Depression as it was
experienced by most Americans.” I disagree with this because although there was
a story line within the film and there were some inaccuracies, they did not
take away from the way in which the era was accurately depicted.
At the
beginning of the film, we see James J. Braddock, professional boxer. The year
is 1928 and he is doing very well for himself, he is shown living in a nice,
big house in a decent looking suburban neighborhood. Then, the movie flash-forwards
to the 1930’s in a very symbolic way by showing a lot of possessions of his
that are then removed, revealing that he now lives in a small, crowded,
disgusting apartment. Braddock eventually gets his boxing license revoked which
rids him of his primary source of income. However, with a broken hand and
determined heart he wakes up before daylight every morning just for a chance to
work a ridiculously low paying job on the docks, which he will only keep for
that day. We see Braddock struggle to make ends meet: not having enough food
for two servings, having electricity turned off, taking his children to
relatives and even begging the boxing commission for money at one point.
Eventually, he gets another chance to box and really seizes the opportunity. He
defeats his opponent in his comeback fight as an underdog. The boxing
commission then agrees to let him have his license back. He finally gets an
attempt to fight for the championship against the ruthless killer Max Baer.
Braddock wins in 15 rounds and the movie truly does have a happy ending. Yes,
the movie does tell a good story about a man who had it all, then lost it, then
gained it right back. It also does have a very sentimental vibe to it. The most
symbolic moment of the movie to me is when a reporter asks James why he came
back and he simply responds “Milk” because earlier in the movie the audience
saw that he hadn’t paid his milk bill and his wife, Mae, had to mix water with
old milk just so his children would have something to drink that morning.
Overall, I thought the movie was great and as an American it should make any
viewer feel good about their nationality, because this is the stuff we love to
see. However, it also accurately described the Depression.
The
Great Depression occurred due to a stock market crash that happened on October
29, 1929. The effects of the crash were felt everywhere. The average family
income fell from $2300 to $1500 a year. This was seen in the film from the very
beginning when the family had to move. At this point in time, one quarter of the
work force was unemployed, which we see on a big newspaper title in the film.
In one scene, you get to see Braddock going to a Federal Emergency Relief Aid,
which wouldn’t you know it, is actually a real thing. The FERA was created
under President Franklin Roosevelt’s “New Deal.” The goal of the FERA was to be
effective, provide work for employable people on relief rolls, and to have a
diverse variety of relief programs. The Relief Aid was literally meant to keep
people from getting so poor they starve to death. “Hoovervilles,” as seen when
Braddock goes to find his friend who had been missing did exist as well. They
were named after President Herbert Hoover, whom many felt was the cause of the
Great Depression. I also believe the way Mae was depicted was another good
example of the truth in the movie. Throughout the film, we see Mae watching
things happen, like a husband leaving his wife, or kids being sent to their
relatives, and a husband and wife almost fist fighting. In the reality of the
1930’s, this would have been a terrifying idea to a married woman. Sure, the
people may not have had much back then, but as long as there was a man at the
head of the household there was always going to be a way to have some sort of
income whether it be relief aid or whatever. Without a husband, Mae would have
to juggle being a mother and a worker. During the Depression, woman were almost
not allowed to ask for relief money because they were “taking money from more deserving
men.” Also, women tended to be more private in their struggles, not standing on
street corners or in breadlines. This movie did a very good job of connecting
the emotional and real world problems of the Great Depression. By using
accurate facts and events, it really becomes a historical film.
There
was only few inaccuracies within the film. The most obvious and flagrant being
that of Max Baer. In the film, Max Baer is a rich, good looking playboy boxer
who is boasts about murdering other boxers. In reality, this was not Max Baer.
Did Max Baer kill someone while boxing? Yes. Did he brag about it? No. In real
life, Baer was actually very shook up over the things he had done in the ring,
he even went as far as to provide financial support to one of the boxer’s
children. He also lost four of his next six fights after he killed the first
person. Also, the playboy status wasn’t who he truly was, Baer’s son, Max Jr,
admits that his dad was rarely seen with women until after he killed someone
and started drinking and partying. Another misconception in the film, is the
Star of David on Baer’s shorts. It was seen as small in the movie, but in real
life it was huge and easily visible. Baer was a very iconic Jewish athlete, and
many Jewish people were proud to call him one of their own. He became very
popular once he defeated Nazi Max Schmeling in a 1934 boxing match. So while
Braddock’s church was praying for him before his fight, I’m sure there were
some people praying for Max Baer. The other inaccuracies were very minor, such
as the date of his children’s birth, the depiction of Mae as a stereotypical
boxer’s wife, and that Braddock did not actually ask the boxing commission for
money, but rather asked a friend who eventually did it for him. However, these
inaccuracies do not take away from the facts and insight the film gives of the
Great Depression. These merely just add to the story line. Yes, they may have
hurt the Baer family’s feelings, but they stayed true to the times and showed
just how hard the Great Depression was.
In my
opinion, the movie Cinderella Man can be used like the movie Glory. That is, to
show students rather than make them read about something that happened in
history. The movie is very accurate in the description and pictures of the
Depression.
Epic
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