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6.3/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.3/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Prosperity remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you like movies that feel like a snapshot of a really bad day in history, then yes. You should watch it if you enjoy watching powerful older women yell at people who deserve it.
You will probably hate this if you want a smooth, artistic movie with pretty lighting. This movie is loud and sometimes it’s just plain sad.
It’s not quite as bubbly as something like It's a Buoy. It has a lot more teeth than that.
Marie Dressler is the main reason anyone still talks about this. She has this face that looks like a crumpled paper bag, but in a way that makes you love her.
When she’s on screen, you don’t look at anyone else. Not even when the scene is supposed to be about her son, John.
John is kind of a dummy. He takes over the bank and immediately starts making choices that make you want to reach through the screen and shake him.
He reminds me of the guy in The Reunion who just can't seem to get out of his own way. But John’s mistakes actually hurt people.
There is a moment when the bank run starts that actually gave me a bit of anxiety. The crowd is just... there. Crushing against the glass.
It doesn't feel like a movie set. It feels like a bunch of extras who were actually worried about their own bank accounts in real life back in 1932.
The way they use the sound of the crowd is really effective. It’s a constant, low roar that never really stops during the middle of the film.
It’s much more intense than the drama in Fashions in Love. This feels like life or death for these people.
"I built this bank with my own hands, and I won't see it torn down by a mob!"
Polly Moran plays Lizzie, and her and Marie have this chemistry that is basically just competitive shouting. It’s funny for the first ten minutes.
After a while, you kind of wish they would just sit down and have a cup of tea. The movie tries to be a comedy and a tragedy at the same time, and it doesn't always work.
One second they are making jokes about hats, and the next second a woman is crying because her life savings are gone. It's a bit of a tonal mess.
It reminds me of the uneven feeling you get in And the Children Pay. You aren't sure if you should be laughing or calling a therapist.
The second half of the movie is where it gets real. They sell everything. The house, the jewelry, the pride.
Moving in with Lizzie is the ultimate insult for Marie's character. You can see the defeat in her shoulders, and it’s actually heartbreaking.
The movie stop being a comedy entirely for a while. It gets dark. Like, 'we might starve' dark.
It’s not as hopeless as Belgium, the Broken Kingdom, but it’s close. You feel the weight of the Great Depression in every frame.
I really didn't like John. Norman Foster plays him well enough, I guess, but the character is just so weak.
He lets his mother take the fall for his own bad choices. It’s hard to root for him, even at the end when things start to look up.
I kept wishing the movie was just about Marie and Polly moving to a farm and starting over without the kids. That would have been a better movie.
It’s a bit like the frustration I felt watching The Heart of Jennifer. Just make better choices, people!
Prosperity is a weird time capsule. It’s not perfect, and the ending feels a bit rushed and fake.
But seeing Marie Dressler command a room is worth the price of admission alone. She was a force of nature.
It’s a movie that really, really wants you to believe that everything will be okay if you just work hard and stay honest. Even if the bank takes your house.
I don't know if I believe the movie's message, but I liked watching it try to convince me. Final verdict: Watch it for the history, stay for Marie’s face.
The way the camera lingers on the empty bank vault. It’s genuinely spooky.
Also, the weirdly fast pacing of the ending. It’s like they realized they only had five minutes of film left and had to fix everything immediately.
One more thing—Marie Dressler’s dog. It’s a small dog, and it looks just as confused by the plot as I was sometimes. 🐕
IMDb 6.4
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