Some films just have an ability to capture an era really well. Though Gold Diggers of 1933 dulls down some of the real historical struggles of the era, like most films did at the time, it still digs deeper into the issues that many films of its nature were willing to. The girls, whose story we follow from the beginning, are at the mercy of the merciless Great Depression. And while we don’t see them emaciated and starving or homeless, their poverty isn’t played down. At one point they are even driven to steal the milk from the neighbor—a realistic jab at the breakdown of the moral fiber in a society whose economy is crippling the financial stability of its citizens. And the characters don’t hold back their frustration or sadness at having to share a dress to go to interviews or their devastation at the idea of losing a job or not being able to find one.
The entire premise of the movie is about a wealthy brother trying to protect the fortune and reputation of his younger brother. His intentions, though not wholly good, do stem, at least in part, from a desire to protect his brother from somebody that might just be after him for his money. This is only further evidence that the times were unstable. One of the strongest statements made in this film, however, is made in the final scene. It is both a commentary about the struggle of The Depression, but also the implied injustice of the powers that be who took men from their jobs, ruined them with war, and then left them to fend for themselves on the poverty stricken streets. Films from this era often glorified war and soldiers, but few made such bold statements about the effects of it or the consequences it has on the lives of those that fight in it like Gold Digger of 1933 did.
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