Title: 1. What Is the Theme? Why Do We Need It? – Exploring Movie Construction and Production
Headings: 1. What Is the Theme? Why Do We Need It?
1. What Is the Theme? Why Do We Need It?
The 1920s
The 1930s
The 1940s
The 1950s
The 1960s
The 1970s
The 1980s
The 1990s
The 21st Century
Chapter Conclusion
Further Viewing
Assignment

Content: In the 1920s, what type of character would Suzie play to Jack’s dashing hero? A damsel in distress would be the perfect character. She could be the damsel who is kidnapped, and Jack runs to her rescue, fighting untold odds to obtain her release. The action would be far beyond any type of reality, but the audiences would not care because they would be highly entertained, and they would be escaping the reality of their society for a little while at the movie theatre. The 1920s was a period where the above characters could exist because of the rigid gender structure. The 1930s
In the 1930s, during the Great Depression, people went to the movies to escape the harsh realities of poverty. Movies were one of the few, and possibly the only business, that showed a profit during the Depression, because people had such a strong desire to escape their lives for a while. So the theme in the 1930s could be emotional optimism—no matter how unrealistic it was. Jack might be an unemployed artist, and Suzie a rich socialite who sees his paintings and likes them. After many humorous mishaps caused by Suzie, a relationship develops and builds until they finally live happily ever after.