Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? (1975)

A Compelling Documentary

This documentary should not be down-graded due to its lack of narration. The lack of commentary is exactly what makes this such a unique piece of work and all the more memorable and fascinating.

I think the film is compelling enough to motivate those who may not fully understand the history of the Great Depression to learn more, which will only enhance their next viewing. April 27, 2006

A Visual Journey

My father introduced me to this doc. when I was fairly young, and I loved it at even a young age. It combines news and movie clips that flow together wonderfully with period music (alot of great Woody Guthrie) The end is lacking as it jumps raggedly into the next 20 years and then ends, but on a whole it is a great film! (I introduced it to many of my history teachers as an alternative to poorly acted educational films.) August 20, 2005

great footage, but lacks commentary

There is great documentary, movie, and news footage in this film, however, the lack of commentary is frustrating. I was expecting something that would give more of the history of the period, rather than just showing footage. The lack of narration left me questioning the history and context of the footage being shown. Narration, or even captions, would have been effective. The footage that is shown, however, is excellent and would probably be much appreciated by someone who is familiar with this time period. July 8, 2005

Brother, Can You Spare a Dime is a Great movie

My name is Amanda and I'm in a 10th grade world history class. We are currently studying the Great Depression and WWII and we have just finished watching Brother, Can You Spare a Dime. This movie helped me to understand not only the culture and life of this era but also helped me to understand the things that led up to the Depression and Stock market crash as well as Pearl Harbor and WWII. I'd recommend this movie to anyone who wants an entertaining way to learn a bit about history. March 23, 2004

Hindered by lack of commentary

Although this documentary brings together a lot of interesting footage, lack of a commentary means that a viewer without a close knowledge of the period in question will find themselves wondering, "Who were those people, and why was what they were doing of historical significance?" On the other hand, if you are very familiar with the politics and culture of the US in the 1930s, this may provide some useful illustrative imagery. I suspect that, these days, more people will fall into the first category. May 20, 2003

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