Brother, Can You Spare A Dime? (1974) Rating: Starring: Laverne Andrews, Maxene Andrews, Patty Andrews, Fred Astaire, Warner Baxter Director: Philippe Mora Category: Special Interest Studio: Image Ent. Subtitles: [None] Length: 112 mins Want to buy?           The Great Depression… from Human Tragedy to Hollywood Glitter This Golden Globe–nominated documentary juxtaposes newsreel footage, film clips and period music in an eye-opening look at the Great Depression. During these lean years, filmmakers produced an amazingly rich bounty of classics such as I Am A Fugitive From A Chain Gang, King Kong, His Girl Friday, Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, Citizen Kane and more. These movies often provide the richest insights into those painful, turbulent times. Many of the movies created in the 1930s featured strong social commentary still relevant today, though others offered pure escapism and fed a fascination with a dazzling world that was out of reach to the everyday American. Never before, and never since, have movie stars been quite so glamorous. Bogart, Cooper and Dietrich are seen at the top of their careers. We glimpse Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh at the screen test for Gone With The Wind, George Raft dancing a languorous tango with Carole Lombard, and Busby Berkeley filling the screen with his lavish extravaganzas. By comparing and contrasting the fantasy of film and the reality of everyday life, Brother, Can You Spare A Dime? provides a fascinating perspective on the Great Depression and Hollywood’s golden age.