US History Michallik: Cinderella Man

The Movie Cinderella Man, published in 2005, is not just a really good piece of Art that accomplishes every mission to entertain its watchers but also shows a great deal of accuracy when it comes to the main topic off the great depression. The Movie begins with a heavyweight Box fight in 1929, that our hero of the movie, Jim Braddock, can win. But in his next fight, he, as many other Americans in this year too, is out of luck. He breaks his hand and loses his licence. In the same year the stock market crash happens and he as well as everybody else loses all their money: The great depression had begun.

The Movie blends over from ‘29 to ‘33. He, in his role of representing “the american” has lost his house and is going everyday to the docks to look for a day job. This is specially for the first part of the depression true because until 1933 more than 15 million Americans were unemployed - one quarter of the workforce - and needed to lock for temporal jobs. In this struggle to get money to, at least, get food on the table many Americans failed and so is the fear, that Braddock and his wife have, to give their children away because they can’t provide for them, real and something that happened all over the place.

Later in the movie Jim meets a new friend Mike. Mike is presenting in his role the other side of Americans: while Jim tries to work for what he needs, Mike wants the Government to pay him back what was his. As a former stockbroker Mike is not a typical american but his views and his actions are those of big part of people. He thinks that the worker should unionize and put pressure on the Government to act. He drinking a lot even though he has almost no money. But he not bad person as he later says he would never hit his wife even in a drunken state it seemed that Jim needed to keep him away from even that. Also when he hears that his friend in the Ring again boxing he calls for silence in the pub and cheers for Jim.

During the First years of the Great Depression the president of the US was Hoover who thought that a recession like that would be normal and pass by some time soon. With this way of thinking he never actually took action work against it. The only thing he did where on voluntary bases and he established the emergency relief where people that had absolutely nothing could go and get a minimal amount of money to survive. In the Movie that is depicted great when Jim needs to get money to turn the electricity back on to be able to keep his children warm in the winter. He does not want to go there but it is his last choice and while waiting in line there are dozens of people there that have for parts even less than he does.

In the Movie the true story of Braddock is actually at the same time in some kind the story of the depression itself! The Fall in 1929 and the beginning of the comeback around ‘35. In 34 Jim gets a fight that no one else wants to fight and he can earn some money for his family what he as many millions americans would do everything for. He can win this fight and is actually due his broken hand and the more work that he had to do with his left hand even in a better shape than before ‘29. Which we can also say for the economy in a general look, that started grow and winning trust in banks back. All those economic changes were part of the new president Roosevelt that started his presidency with 15 major laws in the first months. With the growing economy Jim can decide fight for fight for himself and finally gets a shoot for the heavyweight championship. And this fight also teaches about many aspects of the Depression: The sports arena is full up to the last place! People finally have the money again to see events live and also to see their hero in real life Jim Braddock who, with his comeback, was an idol for many Americans. Furthermore because television is not too popular yet everybody has a radio at home what is greatly accurately. The Radio shows where all free and almost all the big sport events like boxing where put on radio. And so is Braddock's whole family, acting for america, listening to the fight.

I believe that the movie even though it is a fairy tale anyway is a good movie to see the world around 1930. The problem is that you need to look for it and need to make reference because otherwise as with many other things too you wouldn't notice. Also it is just getting the small picture across because politics are almost not discussed at all besides some radical views from Mike and other events like the natural disasters that worsen the depression are not in the life of Jim Braddock and therefor not mentioned.

All in all a really good movie that can be very useful for learning about the 1930’s.