AMERICAN DREAM UPSIDE DOWN

SPACES AND EXCHANGES

Good morning/afternoon, I have drawn the notion Spaces and Exchanges, so first I will offer a definition of two keywords:

Spaces: which can be the geographic or symbolic areas that our society occupies in this case, in reality and at the cinema

and

Exchanges which between or nations are multiple, they can be economic, political or cultural to name a few. I will consider the notion in relation to The American Dream which is often criticized as not being accessible by all, especially by immigrants who are often among the poorest of the population. From the 1930s Hollywood gangsters were often poor people who wanted their place in society or they were immigrant entrepreneurs who could not legally succeed, and who would exploit every means available to them to obtain their goals. The documents that I will refer to date back to the prohibition period in the US.

KEY QUESTION AND PLAN

And so my key question is : How was the reverse side of the American Dream exploited by Hollywood and Broadway?

In order to answer this question, I will first offer a (a) definition of the American Dream. Then I will look at (b) social and economic reality and then (c) how Broadway and Hollywood gangs and criminals lay claim to this dream and how they set out to achieve it and (d) to conclude, wI will esume the reasons why we can call it the reverse side of the Dream.

So I well start with a common (a) definition of the American Dream.

It is commonly agreed to be a set of ideals which allows for the freedom and upward social mobility of all men/women based on the idea that ‘all men a created equal’ a statement which find its roots in the American declaration of Independence. This means that all have access to success though opportunity and hard work. James Truslow Adams in 1931 said "life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement"

In order to live this dream, of owning property, or at least owning a home, access to education, and having the possibility of climbing the social ladder

People need the basics, food, a roof over their heads, work and financial stability. When one or more of these are missing, social stability becomes precarious. Indeed, many immigrants flocked to the US, because they had heard that it was a land of opportunity. Where all had the chance to be successful. However, after the Wall Street Crash in 1927, the Great Depression set in and hunger, strife, foreclosure (banks repossessing people’s homes) was the theme of the day. So here we can already see elements of (b) social and economic reality. Nevertheless, almost simultaneously, people desperate for diversion, continued going to the cinema. Many films were grounded in the gritty reality of the times, but appeared to be a modern Robin Hood, of outlaws doing what they had to to survive and to look out for those they cared for. Contempt for the law and organized crime became a popular genre in Hollywood. This breaching of law and morality led to the Hayes code which was to regulate the industry for several years. But the American Dream was at hand - the period opened the way for Irish American actor James Cagney who made a name for himself as a thug and a criminal. A paradoxical means of achieving the Dream. Immigrants, especially Italian immigrants were to play a particular role in Hollywood gang culture. These types of films can also be considered

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