I don't agree completely with the other reviewer.
I think this movie is a fine social documentary of the times. Although the movie was filmed in 1940, the scene is really the Depression 30s.
Movies of that era were either 1) escapist, "fluffy" movies, about escapades among the rich and/or young, 2) musicals, or 3) gangster flicks. Mostly. None of these genres really reflected the tenor of those times.
True docu-dramas of the era are rather rare; perhaps the people just didn't want to be reminded of how awful things were.
This movie depicts the trouble a young couple has in succeeding (or even surviving) in a capitalist, Depression society. Both boy and girl loses jobs, and the girl is pregnant; one senses homelessness and breadlines around the corner. The angst felt by such couples in those days is poignantly portrayed here.
True, some of the dialog is corny and dated, but one must remember that the thinking of the 1930s was vastly different than that of today's.
The performances are spot-on, too; every one of the characters is believable.
This movie is well worth watching for the social documentary that it is.
I think this movie is a fine social documentary of the times. Although the movie was filmed in 1940, the scene is really the Depression 30s.
Movies of that era were either 1) escapist, "fluffy" movies, about escapades among the rich and/or young, 2) musicals, or 3) gangster flicks. Mostly. None of these genres really reflected the tenor of those times.
True docu-dramas of the era are rather rare; perhaps the people just didn't want to be reminded of how awful things were.
This movie depicts the trouble a young couple has in succeeding (or even surviving) in a capitalist, Depression society. Both boy and girl loses jobs, and the girl is pregnant; one senses homelessness and breadlines around the corner. The angst felt by such couples in those days is poignantly portrayed here.
True, some of the dialog is corny and dated, but one must remember that the thinking of the 1930s was vastly different than that of today's.
The performances are spot-on, too; every one of the characters is believable.
This movie is well worth watching for the social documentary that it is.