The film the crowd relates greatly to the chapter on the 1920's in Foner. The main features of the 1920's according to Foner are capital and labor, the losers of the twenties, and consumer culture and women. The strong emphasis on leisure culture and the sexualization of women that Foner marks as the new way Americans are changing their values to personal pleasure in visible even in the first few scenes of the film. When Johnny grows up to "become one of the 7 million men that believed new york depended on them." However it is evident that John and the 6,999,999 other men have lost their love for work and as Foner dictates in his chapter, only use work as an avenue to experience leisure. Consumer culture is a huge underlying element of this film, as Foner tells about in his chapter. So huge in fact that the basis of and advertisement, John and Mary get married. Another way this film relates to Foner is that it reveals the "losers" who were not allowed to participate in the luxuries of the twenties. Mary and John move into a small flat next to the noisy EL, with a fold away bed, poor plumbing, and things that fall apart. Although it seemed that Mary and John participated greatly in lavish things like coney island and new clothing, they struggled to make ends meet in the home. As Mary and John's marriage progressed, the toils of consumer culture wreak havoc on their marriage. The "dying" need to get into consumer ends up being costly to life during the twenties. Foner dictates this in his chapter and it if reflected throughout the film.
What can we learn about american culture during the time period by interpreting the film as a primary historical source?
For the first portion of the film, it was apparent that consumer culture was vastly on the rise and you did not fit into society until you participated. Money and the things that it could buy were a hot commodity. American culture was ruled by consumerism. It becomes apparent through this film that women were on the rise of using their sexuality to express their individuality and sense of freedom. They have short bobbed hair and even shorter dresses. They go to coney island and have men wrapped around their fingers. Although Prohibition is in full effect at this point, alcohol is still a major player of the 1920's. It's a way to "have fun and be free," as well as serving as a symbol of status.
What does this film reveal about attitudes towards gender, class, and race?
Race was not an issue presented in this film. Gender, on the other hand is a major subject of this film. The sexualization of women was something both men and women encountered on a daily basis. Men we affected not only by women's clothing in the 1920's, but their scandalous and new outgoing attitudes. Women smoked cigarettes and chewed gum just like men did. This was a new sense of freedom that ladies hadn't experienced until the rise of consumerism. Direct class division was never mentioned in the film The Crowd, however it was definitely necessary to have money and a job because your family life would not succeed.
What was the most important scene in the film?
I believe the most important scene in the film is the ending when Mary walks out on John, but John bought show tickets and a flower and Mary decides he's worth staying with. It may be that she decides to stay with him because he's changed his ways and finally got a job, however I find it ironic that there is such a focus on consumerism throughout the twenties, and when Mary is about to walk out on him, John is able to persuade her to stay with material things.
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