Redux: Bootleg Nation?

Lynn Parramore looks back on the Great Depression to see the path ahead.

How do consumers save when they make less than ever before?

Sometimes, they take their business underground. Call it the Downturn Hustle. As folks tighten their belts on just about everything, certain bootleg activities are on the rise.

That’s nothing new. When Prohibition went into effect in 1920, bootleggers got busy providing alcohol to speakeasies and thirsty consumers. By 1929, the year of the Great Crash, a vast underground industry of black market booze had arisen, an illegal trade unlike any the US had ever seen. Gangsters got rich, grew violent and became celebrities as newspaper stories and movies covered their exploits…

Hollywood’s Great ‘Escape’ Plot

It’s conventional wisdom that during the Depression, people went to the movies, gathering together to escape the harsh realities by the communal fireplace. For a bit of spare change, folks could forget their troubles for a couple of hours.

Like most Hollywood tales, it involves a healthy dose of artistic license. Yes, movie theaters offered a welcome diversion, and 1930 was a hugely profitable year for the movie industry. But over the next four years, admissions were down by a third, some 8,000 theaters were shuttered…

Reels Getting Real in 2009

For now, at least, the recession hasn’t hurt your local Cineplex.

Compared to 2008, attendance is up 15 percent and the overall box office jumped 17 percent to nearly $2 billion.

But if the economy continues to worsen, will these numbers sustain themselves if movies are simply seen an excuse for checking out in air-conditioned bliss and don’t offer a reflection of our current woes?

Maybe “escape” is enough, but flicks steeped in economic realities can be a draw, too . Will any of this year’s movies confront or address the economic concerns of the day?

Yes, but not necessarily head-on. Here are a few of the upcoming releases that touch on the Recession—or at least the collective feelings of anxiety—through fantasy, comedy, singing, dancing and good old-fashioned demon fires from hell.

The New Feel-Good Movie

It’s Friday after another long week in the recession. Boost your mood with films about these poor suckers who are far worse off than you could possibly be. Consider:

The Fly – You could be half-insect.

The Hanoi Hilton – You could be a P.O.W.

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