A truly
inspirational story displaying the rise of one man from poverty to prosperity, Cinderella Man tells the biography of James
Braddock, a man who became impoverished when the Great Depression hit, as he
climbed his way to fame and wealth through his skill and sheer amount of luck
in the boxing ring. Many factors of this movie display the suffering and
adversity brought by the Depression, such as the incredible facial expressions
shown throughout the film. Whether it is Russell Crowe's (playing Jim Braddock)
distressed face telling the audience his emotions felt upon losing a boxing
match, or Paul Giamatti's (playing Joe Gould) bitter expression he gives when
telling Braddock to keep on fighting.
This movie allows
the audience to have an insight into the rough times felt during the Depression
as it displays a vivid image of the strenuous times brought upon America, with
examples such as Braddock's effort at working at the docks each day, as a line
of individuals stand behind a gate, waiting to hopefully be picked for work,
when only about 7 of the people would be selected. On each of these people's
faces, you see the expression of a father who must go home that day to tell his
children that they will not be able to eat tonight, and someone who is unsure
of how they will afford their next meal. Other examples include the scenes of
Braddock with his family, such as in one scene where he tells them how he will
not be able to afford the electric bill for the month, as they appear
desperate, hungry, and awfully weary, or in another scene where Braddock tells
one of his children that he will never send him away, as he appears worried and
unsure of what is to come in the future.
This movie
realistically portrays peoples' attitude towards one another as well as
themselves, in scenes such as Braddock begging his former boxing companions for
money to pay his bills so that he may get his kids back, or in another scene
where people are lined up to receive relief money, as Braddock is clearly
embarrassed at where he has fallen. There are many other factual aspects in the
film, such as the fact that Joe Gould, Braddock's manager, "did"
actually give up everything he had to bring Braddock back into the ring. Also,
upon Braddock breaking his right hand and losing the lightweight championship
title, his career plummeted. And while this movie portrays an incredibly
realistic story, and one comparable to the tough times brought on by the
Depression, there were a few slight changes to the true story of Jim Braddock.
As this movie is
slightly "hollywood-ized," the only real changes in the story were
those relating to Max Baer, Jim Braddock's championship opponent. Max Baer is
portrayed as the villain in this movie, appearing as a "fur-wearing
womanizer who had killed two men in the ring," when in reality, he had
only killed one man in the ring (Frankie Campbell), and had nightmares for the
rest of his life because of that. He had also sent a generous amount of money
to the family of Frankie Campbell and lost several matches following that
match, as he was afraid to pummel his opponents and cause injury as he had done
to Campbell. Also, the Star of David that was placed on his shorts that
appeared to be quite vivid in his actual fight against Braddock was drawn to be
hardly visible and nearly unnoticable on Baer's shorts in the film. However,
these slight inaccuracies do not take away from the film as it continues to
convey an accurate feel for the Great Depression through its costumes, scenery,
and facial expressions shown on each actor.
Braddock (right) in
his championship fight against Baer (left).
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