Depression era movies and TV shows
The list contains the best, new and most relevant depression era movies ordered by relevance. The recommendation service has sorted out period piece, period drama, independent film, tense, realistic and melancholic films and TV shows about / with depression era, great depression, poverty, family relations, husband wife relationship, survival, coming of age, small town, depression and loneliness plots mostly in Drama, Crime and Comedy genres shot in USA, Canada, UK and other countries.
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TOP 10 movies tagged as depression era: Golden Fiddles (1991), Baby Face Nelson (1996), Long Road Home (1991), Book of Numbers (1973), The Bride! (2026), Strikebound (1984), The Plouffe Family (1981), Prairie Giant (2006), Black Cat Whiskey (2013), The House of 72 Tenants (1973).
Best films
New films
List of depression era movies
Genre: Drama
Country: Australia, Canada
Duration: 240 min.
TV show
Story:
Golden Fiddles is a 1994 Australian mini series based on the novel by Mary Grant Bruce. It was sot from 23 July to 16 September 1991 and was re-edited into a TV movie in 1994.
Style:
emotional, sentimental, uplifting, family saga, period drama
Plot:
rags to riches, depression era, family drama, poverty, family values, resilience, heartwarming, survival, struggle, working class, adaptation, mother daughter relationship ...
Time:
1930s
Place:
south australia, australia
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min.
Story:
Bonnie and Clyde were no match for Depression Era gangster George "Babyface" Nelson and his moll Helen Womack. Constantly on the lam from the law and from Chicago's biggest crime lord Al Capone, Babyface and his female accomplice ...
Style:
tense, suspenseful, brutal, dark, fast paced ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
gangster, depression era, violence, fugitive, on the run, biopic, outlaw, moll, underworld, al capone, anti hero, bloodbath ...
Time:
1930s
Place:
chicago, midwest
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 78 min.
Story:
A drama depicting the trials of a family of share croppers.
Style:
melancholic, historical drama, road movie, captivating, serious ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
great depression, depression era, perseverance, family drama, poverty, struggle for survival, resilience, sacrifice, homelessness, blue collar, father figure, injustice ...
Time:
1930s
Place:
california, usa
Is relevant?
Genre: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 81 min.
Story:
Two waiters in Depression-era Arkansas get involved in the numbers racket.
Style:
crime drama, period piece, independent film, historical drama, atmospheric ...
Plot:
blaxploitation, great depression, poverty, depression era, working class, illegal gambling, social commentary, african american, survival, realism, moral ambiguity, segregation ...
Time:
1930s
Place:
arkansas
Is relevant?
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Genre: Drama, Horror, Romance, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 126 min.
Story:
A lonely Frankenstein travels to 1930s Chicago to ask groundbreaking scientist Dr. Euphronious to create a companion for him. The two revive a murdered young woman and The Bride is born. But what ensues is beyond what either of them imagined.
Style:
romantic, noir, melancholic, retro, tense ...
Plot:
frankenstein, laboratory, reanimation, resurrection, mad scientist, depression era, forbidden romance, identity, urban, fiancee, haunting, civil unrest ...
Time:
1930s
Place:
chicago
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: Australia
Duration: 101 min.
Story:
Via the New York Times: "...reconstructs the true story of a coal miners' strike in the small town of Korumburra in the mid-30's... based on the real-life story of two remarkable characters, Wattie Doig, a miner who became a militant ...
Style:
historical drama, period piece, bleak, tense, independent film
Plot:
class struggle, labor strike, working class, solidarity, social change, political activism, depression era, strike, small town life, male protagonist, communism, immigrant ...
Time:
1930s
Place:
australia
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 227 min.
Story:
The lives of the average Quebecois Plouffe family during the final years of the depression and through World War II.
Style:
historical drama, period piece
Plot:
world war two, religion, working class, family drama, economic crisis, social realism, catholicism, poverty, depression era, sacrifice, illness, small town life ...
Time:
1940s, 1930s
Place:
quebec, canada
Is relevant?
Genre: Biography, Drama
Country: Canada
TV show
Story:
In 1930s Saskatchewan, a small town parish has a new young new pastor, Tommy Douglas. However, for all his regular duties, which include boxing lessons, Tommy sees the poverty and injustice around him which seem beyond his power to address with the ...
Style:
historical drama, period piece, inspirational, serious, intense ...
Plot:
biopic, social justice, small town, idealism, poverty, socialism, leadership, reform, depression era, character study, politician, legacy ...
Time:
1930s
Place:
canada
Is relevant?
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 116 min.
Story:
In a small rural town hit hard by the Depression, Katie Connors resides in a middle-class home with her bootlegging husband Melvin. When the opportunity arises to bump him off without getting her hands dirty, she takes a chance she may never get ...
Style:
crime drama, crime thriller, atmospheric, tension, dark ...
Plot:
bootlegging, organized crime, revenge, prohibition, female protagonist, murder, depression era, betrayal, survival, investigation, housewife, moral ambiguity ...
Time:
1930s
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 98 min.
Story:
Set during a period of depression, the film chronicles the daily lives of a single urban building split up into several separate units, and the actual people that dwell within.
Style:
comedy drama, period drama
Plot:
community, poverty, daily life, urban, survival, exploitation, social commentary, class struggle, slum, social realism, satire, corruption ...
Time:
year 1970
Place:
asia
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min.
Story:
In the 1930s, Charles Lang invents an engine that runs using water for fuel. But when he tries to get it patented, he is first offered a ridiculously low amount. When he refuses, he is suddenly several people are pressuring him to sell. The big oil ...
Style:
period piece, suspense, suspenseful, grim, political thriller ...
Plot:
invention, corporate conspiracy, moral dilemma, depression era, paranoia, ambition, law, whistleblower, biopic, isolation, cat and mouse, world's fair ...
Time:
1930s
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min.
Story:
Poor black sharecroppers band together to build a school for their children.
Style:
historical drama, inspirational, period piece, uplifting, melancholic ...
Plot:
racial injustice, african american family, social commentary, poverty, hardship, resilience, family bonds, education, sacrifice, depression era, humanism, coming of age ...
Time:
1930s, year 1976
Is relevant?
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Genre: Comedy, Crime
Country: Italy
Duration: 105 min.
Story:
New York 1959. I tre gangster Al, John e Jack hanno il compito di uccidere Frankie per conto del boss. Sbagliano bersaglio e il boss da a loro un'altra possibilità : tenere d'occhio una persona a lui cara. Ma la fortuna non è dalla loro ...
Style:
humorous, entertaining, semi serious, feel good, satirical ...
Plot:
memory loss, mafia, satire, dark humor, amnesia, escapades, memory lapse, bandit, criminal, humour, organized crime, betrayal ...
Time:
1950s, 50s
Is relevant?
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
Twin siblings seek answers about their mother's death and her connection to the supernatural while living on a remote homestead with their father in 1931 Oregon.
Style:
suspenseful, folk tale, thrilling, captivating, psychological ...
Plot:
family secret, isolation, folk horror, supernatural horror, haunting, macabre, family relations, brothers, undercover, father son relationship, secret, witchcraft ...
Time:
1930s, year 1931
Place:
oregon
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy, Musical
Country: Canada
Duration: 100 min.
Story:
In Depression-era Winnipeg, a legless beer baroness hosts a contest for the saddest music in the world, offering a grand prize of $25,000. Contestants flock in from around the globe. Representing America is Chester Kent, a theatre producer who ...
Style:
surreal, black comedy, breathtaking, black and white, visually stunning ...
Audience:
date night
Plot:
beer, surrealism, music, great depression, contest, musician, baroness, dysfunctional family, satire, amputee, prohibition, tragic hero ...
Time:
1930s, 20th century, year 2003, year 1933, 1920s
Place:
canada, winnipeg, sarajevo, new york, serbia ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Adventure, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min.
Story:
When twelve-year-old Donn Fendler gets tired of waiting for his father and brothers to join him on the summit of Maine's highest peak, he decides to find his own way back to camp. But Donn doesn't count on a fast-moving fog that obscures ...
Style:
realistic, emotional, tense, intense, period piece ...
Plot:
survival, lost, wilderness, isolation, man versus nature, storm, missing child, rescue mission, mountain, danger, loneliness, endurance ...
Time:
1930s
Place:
maine
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 112 min.
Story:
Rose, is taken in by the Hillyer family to serve as a 1930s housemaid so that she can avoid falling into a life of prostitution. Rose's appearence and personality is such that all men fall for her, and Rose knows it. She can't help herself ...
Style:
erotic, touching, sexy, serious, realistic ...
Audience:
date night, teens, girls' night
Plot:
self discovery, older man younger woman relationship, love and romance, female masturbation, adolescence, dysfunctional family, coming of age, redemption, family relations, parents and children, introspection, fall in love ...
Time:
1930s, year 1991, 20th century, year 1971, 70s ...
Place:
georgia, southern usa, usa, california
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 129 min.
Story:
Desperate characters stake their fortune on a Depression-era dance marathon.
Style:
depressing, disturbing, atmospheric, bleak, period piece ...
Plot:
depression, dancing, social commentary, survival, contest, competition, great depression, cynicism, mental breakdown, exhaustion, contests and competitions, heart attack ...
Time:
1930s, 20th century, year 1969, 1920s
Place:
california, usa, los angeles, chicago, dallas texas ...
Is relevant?
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3K
Genre: Drama
Country: UK, Germany, France, Italy
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
A morality tale of xenophobia, religious prejudice, mob violence, poverty, and their effect on two children in Liverpool during the Depression. When a shipyard closes, Liam and Teresa's dad loses his job. Liam, who's about 8, making his ...
Style:
touching, emotional, sincere, depressing, intense ...
Plot:
fascism, catholicism, youth, dysfunctional family, domestic violence, unemployment, starving child, sin, society, family problems, parents and children, family in crisis ...
Time:
1930s, 20th century
Place:
england, ireland, liverpool, middle east, europe ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Music, Musical
Country: USA, UK, Denmark, Australia, Canada, India
Duration: 130 min.
Story:
In Depression-era London, a now-grown Jane and Michael Banks, along with Michael's three children, are visited by the enigmatic Mary Poppins following a personal loss. Through her unique magical skills, and with the aid of her friend Jack, she ...
Style:
light, fairy tale, sincere, atmospheric, entertaining ...
Audience:
kids, family friendly, family outing, teens, adult
Plot:
magic, flying, nanny, female protagonist, imagination, levitation, fatherhood, drawing, family relations, love, housekeeper, discipline ...
Time:
1930s, future
Place:
big ben london, england, london
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: New Zealand
Duration: 93 min.
Story:
During the Great Depression, Kate (Greer Robson) is a 13-year-old girl living on New Zealand's South Island. When her mother dies and her father is offered a job in Wellington on North Island, Kate is sent to live with an aunt. The girl runs ...
Style:
independent film
Plot:
older man younger woman relationship, runaway, depression era, fugitive, hobo, escape, police officer, aunt niece relationship, coming of age, outlaw, loneliness, father daughter relationship ...
Time:
year 1987, 1930s
Place:
new zealand
Is relevant?
Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 123 min.
Story:
Bowie, a youthful convicted murderer, and bank robbers Chicamaw and T-Dub escape from a Mississippi chain gang in the 1930s. They hole up with a gas station attendant and continue robbing banks. Bowie, who is injured in an auto accident, takes ...
Style:
neo noir, road movie, realistic, serious, sincere ...
Plot:
on the run, lovers on the run, criminal, great depression, murder, bank, robbery, young couple, prison, crime spree, thief, female nudity ...
Time:
1930s, year 1974, 20th century
Place:
mississippi, usa, southern usa
Is relevant?
286
Genre: Biography
Country: UK
Duration: 59 min.
Story:
Stanley Laurel's last visit to Oliver Hardy, as originally told in Neil Brand's radio play.
Style:
entertaining
Plot:
biopic, spaceship, misunderstanding, comedy duo, divorce, depression era, imagination, cross dressing, death of child, team, chemistry, rehearsal ...
Time:
1920s, year 1957
Place:
malibu california, santa monica california
Is relevant?
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Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min.
Story:
This movie is about the progression of John Resko's (Ben Gazzara) character as he is commuted from the death sentence for killing a man to life in prison. Not only is he transferred to a new facility, but his guard (Stuart Whitman), who ...
Style:
black and white, independent film, semi serious, realistic, psychotronic ...
Plot:
prison, death row, prisoner, convict, journalism, transformation, murder, prison life, biopic, pardon, redemption, confined ...
Time:
1940s, 60s, 1930s
Place:
new york, new york state
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min.
Story:
Homer Grindstaff is a big named banker in Glory and Doc Council is a prison official and they team up to plot to kill Appleyard and his ex-convict friends who were attempting to open up a general store in Stone Coal, West Virginia and then to take ...
Style:
period piece, realistic, serious, crime drama, period drama
Plot:
mountain, aging, partner, chases and races, going straight, danger, hopes, starting over, unlikely partners, store, small town life, small town ...
Time:
1930s, year 1971, year 1935
Place:
west virginia, virginia
Is relevant?
Genre: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min.
Story:
Orson Welles, as judge Rauch, holds a lengthy trial against Jess Tyler, a caretaker deserted by his wife ten years before, who's accused of improper relations with his daughter Kady. Complications follows when Wash, father of Kady's baby, ...
Style:
erotic, sexy, neo noir, independent film, disturbing ...
Plot:
father daughter incest, sex with daughter, incest, seduction, child prostitute, forbidden love, father daughter sex, lust, voyeur, nudity, sex with father, sex scene ...
Time:
1930s, year 1937, year 1982
Place:
arizona, nevada, usa
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, History, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 118 min.
Story:
Haunted by his mysterious past, a devoted high school football coach leads a scrawny team of orphans to the state championship during the Great Depression and inspires a broken nation along the way.
Style:
tense, disturbing, captivating, historical drama, anamorphic ...
Audience:
family outing
Plot:
american football, football, football team, great depression, orphan, orphanage, soccer match, american football player, athlete and trainer, coach, sport team, tragic past ...
Time:
1940s, 1930s
Place:
texas
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 129 min.
Story:
A story set in the Prohibition Era and centered around a group of individuals and their dealings in the world of organized crime.
Style:
period piece, neo noir, stylized, exciting, captivating ...
Audience:
teens, girls' night
Plot:
organized crime, mafia, prohibition, revenge, gangster, betrayal, chase, criminal, friendship, police, murder, mob boss ...
Time:
1920s, year 2016, 2010s, 1930s
Place:
florida, boston, massachusetts, america, miami ...
Is relevant?
23K
Genre: Biography, Drama
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 104 min.
Story:
New York in the 1920s. Max Perkins, literary editor at Scribner’s Sons is the first to sign such subsequent literary greats as Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. When a sprawling, chaotic 1,000-page manuscript by an unknown writer named ...
Style:
period piece, talky, touching, intellectual, informative ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
writers, novelist, genius, book editor, book, mentor, brutality, relationships, biopic, literary, jazz, creativity ...
Time:
1930s
Place:
usa, new york, new jersey
Is relevant?
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Story:
When her superstitious, Depression-era, Appalachian community is besieged by deadly "wild dog" attacks that are connected to a legend, local outcast and tomboy, Adelaide Bradley must face a terrifying secret in order to save her family.
Plot:
werewolf, legend, depression era, backwoods, wolf
Place:
north carolina
Is relevant?
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