The End of the Decade

Abstract

As the decade neared its end, major changes were underway, not just in the United States but throughout the world. This had immediate consequences, both in the American economy and in the representations of American life which Hollywood provided. Suddenly the enemy was not internal but external and very clearly seen. This resulted in changes in cinematographic style as well as content. Dead End provided an introduction to some of these changes, being an advance indicator of them due to its particular production context. But by 1939 the changes were becoming evident to any careful observer.