1935 Movie- High Times, Hard Times

1.) High Times, Hard Times is a film set in Chicago in 1930. The basis of the story is founded upon the parallel of the life of two very different men. The first, played by actor James Cagney, is a well-known gangster of his time. Despite the trying circumstances of the era, he continues on living the highlife and ignoring the possible consequences. Along with being a local speakeasy owner, he is also known for his many romantic affairs with different women including a young lady played by actress Barbara Stanwyck. Then, on the other hand, the film follows the life of a humble family man, played by Jimmy Stewart, that has been devastated by the recent stock market crash. Quite unlike Cagney’s character, this man is driven by a strong sense of moral dignity and honesty. Along with his wife, played by Loretta Young, the pair continues to remain optimistic as they struggle through the hard times. Eventually, the two men’s contrasting lives cross paths and an unlikely friendship begins to take form. In all, the film teaches the timeless lesson of hope and the importance of making the best out of every situation.

Given the historical background of this time, and the recent rise in musicals and gangster films, we thought that providing the public with a historically relevant film combined with  aspects of the gangster lifestyle would serve as a breath of fresh air. In other words, through mixing the genres of a gangster film with a historically/socially relevant melodrama, the hope was to offer just enough familiarity while still exuding the sense of creativity and innovation that crowds long for. Also, given the fact that the director of this film is Frank Capra, the overall goal was that this film would appeal to audiences because of its optimistic viewpoint and traditional values of right versus wrong. 

2.) As far as genre, we decided that it would be a good idea to mix the genres of gangster with melodrama because we thought that the combination would succeed in making the film more appealing for many different audiences. Also, we concluded that given the time period, this would be a very strategic move seeing as the goal was to bring more people into theaters in order to maximize profit even during incredibly difficult financial times. Finally, we thought that these genres would be a good medium through which a socially relevant film could be created because many in the era could relate to it.

3.)  The studio that we chose for this film was Warner Brothers. One of the main reasons that this seemed like a good fit was because of the solid reputation that Warner Brothers had making gangster films. However, more than this, Warner Brothers Studios was also known to make many movies dealing with contemporary social issues. Seeing as this is truly our main goal in making this film, we knew that it was very important to find a studio that had experience in doing so. Also, Warner Brothers typically is known to make movies on a lower budget. Taking the financial hardships of the depression and decreased movie attendance into mind, this seemed like a logical plan. Thus, rather than creating a huge budget movie, we figured that we would play it safe and rely more on the stars in the movie to bring audiences in.

4.) As previously mentioned, the director that we chose for this film was Frank Capra. Given Capra’s history with making successful movies dealing with contemporary social issues and traditional moral values, we thought that he would be a perfect fit. The only potential issue was the fact that Capra usually works with Columbia Studios. Yet, we found that it would be reasonable to assume that given the opportunity to make a successful film that was socially relevant with Warner Brothers, Capra would temporary switch studios to expand his expertise.

Next, in terms of leading actors, we chose James Cagney and Jimmy Stewart. We thought that James Cagney would be the perfect “bag guy” in this movie because of his tough guy appeal and history in past gangster films. Also, he has always been an actor for Warner Brothers making the selection process extremely easy. Jimmy Stewart on the other hand, is commonly known to work with MGM. However, given the fact that MGM is very star driven, we figured that a temporary trade with Warner Brothers actor Humphrey Bogart would seal the deal. Additionally, Jimmy Stewart was a good choice for the family man because of his popularity with audiences, believability playing many different roles, and connections with Capra.

Our supporting actresses consisted of Barbara Stanwyck (as Cagney’s mistress) and Loretta Young (as Stewart’s wife). Stanwyck was an easy choice considering her contract with Warner Brothers and her reputation as a sex symbol. The decision to go with Loretta Young was a bit more difficult. While she was perfect in the sense that she is the quintessential innocent girl, just two years earlier in 1933 she changed her contract to working with Fox rather than First National Studios. However, considering that First National is the precursor to Warner Brothers, it seemed plausible that given her connections with director Frank Capra, she would work with Warner Brothers on this film. 

We chose to focus on cinematography because we thought that through manipulating the lighting and camera angles, we would be able to better represent the huge contrasts between the lives of these two men. The cinematographer that we chose to work with was Joseph Walker. Interestingly enough, Walker was known to work with Columbia (the same studio that Capra is usually associated with), so it seemed logical that Capra would have the influence to bring him over to Warner Bros for the film.

5.) Because of the Hays Code, our movie will not directly show any of the sex or violence commonly depicted in gangster films. Rather, most of the information that the audience will receive based on Cagney’s portrayal of the high life will come from hearsay and inference. Also, in terms of the technology, the film will be shot in black and white and with sound. There will also be some innovative camera shots and angles used throughout.  

6.) In all, I think that my group worked great together! I love the movie that we created so much that if it were possible, I would definitely go and see it for myself. I can honestly not think of anything I would change.