Grapes
of Wrath (1940), the film based on the Steinbeck
novel of the same title starring Henry Fonda, is
not the only Depression-era movie worth taking a
second (or a first) look at from our current perspective
in what some are calling the New Depression.

Common themes found in literature and film of the
period are despair, poverty,

corruption, strife between
labor

and management, the need to work together and
the desire to escape, notes Miles Orvell, professor
of English and American Studies at Temple University.
Does any of this sound familiar?

If you’re looking to deepen your understanding
of how Americans weathered the global financial crisis
of the 1930s, Orvell recommends the following:

• The Black Legion (1937)
  
  “This powerful film starring Humphrey Bogart
  reflects Americans’ growing anxiety over fascism
  both at home and abroad by depicting an anti-immigrant
  fascistic clan, sponsored by powerful outside forces,
  taking over a small town here at home.”
  
  
• Busby Berkley musicals, such as The Gold Diggers of 1933
  
  “This musical about the struggles of young
  show business actors on Broadway features the unforgettable ‘Remember
  My Forgotten Man’ number.”
  
  
• Sullivan's Travels (1941)
  
  "A late Depression film by Preston Sturges,
  this movie portrays some of the harshest realities
  of the vagrant life and prison gangs (it's a dark
  version of a road movie) although it ends in a tribute
  to the power of comedy to take us at least temporarily
  out of our suffering. ”
  
  
• Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)
  
  "Frank Capra's political allegory shows us the
  powers of benevolence, when a "naive" idealist
  (Gary Cooper) inherits a fortune and discovers he
  can resist the forces of greed and evil and instead
  do some good for the unemployed and destitute who
  come flocking to him for aid. ”
  
  
• The Lost Horizon (1937)
  
  “This excellent example of depression-era escapism
  presents a utopian vision of life on the southeast
  Asian mountain monastery of Shangri La.”