The Great Depression Era Films, Ivan Besse Collection, 2 DVD set

The Great Depression Era Films, 2 DVD set

This 2 DVD set aims to capture a snapshot in time of this historic era.  The aim of these DVD's is to educate, as well as entertain people, about a difficult period in American History.  By watching these, you get a feel for what life was like back then.  The total run time for the films in this collection is about 3 and a half hours.  The core of this collection is the 10 part series by Ivan Besse about life in small town Britton, South Dakota.  This 2 and a half hour silent documentary takes you there and makes you feel like you are almost living there.  A great collection for the educator, the scholar, and historian alike.  Each DVD has a fully interactive menu.  A full list of films is as follows:

This film, made by the Public Heath Service, laments the sad state of the nation's teeth and exhorts all audience members to see their dentists immediately. It was made on the eve of World War II, probably as a response to the large amounts of 4-Fs that were being given due to bad teeth. This film is a lot of fun and very stable. Priceless moments include the narrator ordering everybody in the audience to run his or her tongue over his or her teeth (and we get to see a movie audience actually doing this), and a poor toothless sap getting spurned by a pretty woman ("He doesn't even make it to first base," laments the narrator). Lots more fun than going to the dentist.

Sound, B&W, 10:22

This film, made by the Household Finance Corporation in the early 30s, presents a middle class family that is struggling with debts. The answer for these people, amazingly enough, is supposed to be getting another loan. The bank turns them down, saying that they can't afford to deal with small borrowers. Just as they begin to sink into despair, they turn on the radio, which by an incredible coincidence is broadcasting a detailed infomercial about HFC. They go to HFC, and after they determine that they're good housekeepers and all-around nice people by giving them a home inspection, they promptly get the $300 loan they've been wanting, which was quite a chunk of change back in the early 30s. The wife asks what would happen if her husband died or they otherwise lost his income. The loan officer placates them by saying they wouldn't expect them to do the impossible and as long as they're paying what they can, it'll be ok (but he puts none of this in writing, so good luck if hubby really does kick the bucket). This film just screams early 30s in the way it was made, and its cheesily and charmingly earnest in its propositions, which probably seemed even more outrageous to Depression-era audiences, many of whom were wiped out because of borrowing, than to people today. The family depicted, though, doesn't seem to be very hard hit by the Depression, so maybe they were ripe for this kind of solution. I wouldn't laugh to hard at the film today, though, considering how debt-ridden most of us are.

Sound, B&W, 10:20

This classic example of "capitalist realism" depicts a day in the life of Chevrolet workers in the U.S., while attempting to convince them that their own fortunes were inextricably linked to the fortunes of General Motors.
 

3 parts, Sound, B&W, 24:55

Union workers in San Francisco stage a general strike, shutting down the city to support striking longshoremen.

2 parts, Sound, B&W, 2:41

Produced to convince Depression-weary Americans that new frontiers still lay ahead. Excellent compilation of stock shots of 1930s-era manufacturing, research laboratories and industry.

Sound, B&W, 9:56

This is a classic 10 part series about daily life in a South Dakota town during the Great Depression, shot by Ivan Besse.  This collection shows you what life was like in middle America during the depression.  Very rare, hard to find footage.

Parts 1 through 4

Silent, B&W, 1:10:18

This is a classic 10 part series about daily life in a South Dakota town during the Great Depression, shot by Ivan Besse.  This collection shows you what life was like in middle America during the depression.  Very rare, hard to find footage.

Parts 5 through 10

DVD Menu Sampler: