New Showbiz

You are here:
The Roaring Twenties

The Roaring Twenties

1939

Approved

Director

Raoul Walsh

Runtime

104 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

Synopsis

After World War I, Armistice Lloyd Hart goes back to practice law, former saloon keeper George Hally turns to bootlegging, and out-of-work Eddie Bartlett becomes a cab driver. Eddie builds a fleet of cabs through delivery of bootleg liquor and hires Lloyd as his lawyer. George becomes Eddie's partner and the rackets flourish until love and rivalry interfere.

Where to Watch

Diversity & Representation

Overall Score

2.7/10

Limited


Category Breakdown

LGBTQ+ Representation

Minimal

The film adheres to a strictly heteronormative structure. There is no presence of queer subtext or non-cisnormative identities within the character dynamics.

Gender Representation

Limited

The narrative focuses almost exclusively on a male-dominated criminal underworld. Women serve primarily as romantic interests or domestic anchors with minimal agency to drive the plot.

Racial & Ethnic Diversity

Minimal

The cast is predominantly white and Anglo-Saxon, reflecting the era's production standards. The film lacks significant minority characters with meaningful agency.

Religious & Cultural Diversity

Fair

The film provides a nuanced look at the failure of Prohibition. It highlights the friction between government mandates and the rise of an informal economy.

Disability Representation

Minimal

No visible or invisible disabilities are portrayed as central to the character arcs. Disability is not used as a narrative device in this story.

Strengths

  • Provides a nuanced depiction of the systemic failure of Prohibition.
  • Explores the complex friction between government mandates and social reality.

Areas for Improvement

  • Lacks meaningful representation of racial or ethnic diversity.
  • Female characters possess minimal agency and are relegated to the periphery.
  • Contains no representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-cisnormative characters.
  • Does not include characters with visible or invisible disabilities.

AI Analysis

The film is a quintessential product of the 1939 studio era, prioritizing masculine narratives and traditional social hierarchies. It functions as a study of historical social friction rather than a vehicle for diverse identity-based storytelling. While the film lacks progressive representation regarding gender, race, or LGBTQ+ identities, it offers a moderate level of cultural depth. It explores the systemic instability of the Prohibition era and the tension between state authority and individual enterprise. Ultimately, the work reflects the systemic exclusions of early 20th-century Hollywood, presenting a homogeneous social landscape that centers on male competition and physical dominance.

How are these scores produced? →

Similar Movies

Movie poster for Miller's Crossing

Miller's Crossing

1990

No user ratings available yet
Diversity score: 2.9 out of 10

Rate this Movie

No rating selected
Use arrow keys to select a rating from 1 to 5 stars
Optional text review, maximum 2000 characters
Tip: Wrap spoilers with ||double pipes|| to hide them
0/2000 characters
You must be signed in to submit a rating

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts on this movie!

Use the rating form above to leave a star rating and optional review.