A thought-provoking example of inventive editing and archival footage use, Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? demonstrates how our national history is largely in the eye of the beholder. Defying any formal structure, Philippe Mora’s film tells the story of the Great Depression by juxtaposing archival footage from the 1930s with clips from the Hollywood films that defined that era. All the telltale signs are present: the stock market crash, the dustbowl, the homeless population, and dance marathons. But without a formal narrator, we must allow the footage itself to tell the story. It is an exhilarating journey. The archival and movie clips flip back and forth in rapid succession, blurring the line between truth and fiction, and perhaps intimating the public’s desire for escapism in those bleak times. We can’t help but be swept up in the intoxicating rhythm.  RM