Class in Cinema

Scene from The Great Gatsby

One of the joys of watching films is the escape from reality they provide, allowing its viewers to imagine themselves in another world. Filmmakers throughout the history of film have used this at their advantage to play on the imagination of viewers. As described in America on Film (Benshoff & Griffin, 2009, p.181), classical Hollywood melodramas “almost always center on wealthy people enjoying privileged lives. Those types of movies thus presented beautiful worlds free of economic strife that filmgoers could enter and dream about for the price of a ticket”. A few years ago, I watched The Great Gatsby for the first time. This film shows the life of high class Mr. Jay Gatsby, who throws lavish and luxurious for hundreds of his friends. I remember watching it in awe of this glamorous lifestyle and picturing myself attending parties like those!

Scene from 8 Mile

In movies from today as well as the past, there seems to be an ongoing idea wrapped about the glamour of the upper-class lifestyle. Whether the main character is rich or poor, there is an underlining theme of reaching the upper class status, and achieving the “American Dream”. For example, in the movie 8 mile, Eminem plays Jimmy Smith, a poor, uneducated man in Detroit, who many would consider to be “trailer trash”. Jimmy’s dream is to become a successful rapper, and despite endless critique and lack of support, achieves his dream of stardom. This idea of the American Dream portrays that if you work hard and never give up on your goal, you will achieve success and wealth. As “cheesy” and cliche as this storyline sounds, it has worked for decades in the film industry. There’s something about this “happy ending” that keeps us coming back for more as the viewer. If Jimmy Smith were to work hard to pursue his dream and fail miserably (which unfortunately happens in reality!), it would make for a depressing and un-motivating movie!

      This obsession with wealth, fame, and the upper-class status is not only evident in the movies, but in the entire Hollywood pop culture scene.  America on Film points out that instead of discussing important, pressing world issues (ie healthcare, economy, etc), Americans focus on the unimportant events of the “rich and famous”. For example, when standing in any grocery line, you will see endless tabloids and magazines flashing images of the most famous celebrities, advertising articles about who so-and-so is dating, or what so-and-so was wearing. On occasion, you might see a Time magazine, displaying topics of important world topics, but this cover easily gets lost in the sea of celebrity gossip magazines! Over the past century, it has slowly become a part of American culture to idolize the wealth and materialism of our movie stars.