Introduction
So for this project I decided to do Gangster films. My reasons for doing this is because they are amongst my favourite films and it also fairly easy to pick out important actors and directors in this genre. Now for my project.A Brief History of the Genre
The genre of Gangster/Mob films in a sub-genre of crime films. "Crime Films" include prison films/ legal dramas/ detective films and even some of the "classic" film noire movies. However, Gangster films can be traced back to the early 20th century. One of the first to mark the start of the gangster/crime genre was D. W. Griffith's The Musketeers of Pig Alley (1912) which was about organized crime. There were several small one-reel gangster films produced years before but none have survived. Raoul Walshes "The Regeneration(1915)" and Josef von Sternberg's gangland melodrama Underworld (1927) were among the more famous films produced before the "talkies" came along.
A copy of the first organized crime movie ever made
It is said that gangster films did not become truly entertaining until the introduction of the "Talkie". Events such as Prohibition and the Saint Valentines Massacre of 1929, and the existence of real life gangsters (such as Al Capone) helped to give this genre mass appeal.
The talkies era accounted for the rise of crime films, because these films couldn't come to life without sound (machine gun fire, screeching brakes, screams, chases through city streets and squealing car tires).Three great classic gangster films (among the first of the talkies) marked the genre's popular acceptance and started the wave of gangster films in the 1930s in the sound era. The lead role in each film (a gangster/criminal or bootleg racketeer of the Prohibition Era) was glorified, but each one ultimately met his doom in the final scenes of these films, due to censors' demands that they receive moral retribution for their crimes. These films were "Little Caesar(1930)" which was about the rise and fall of a Chicago Killer named Caesar Enrico.
The second was called " The Public Enemy (1931)" about a bootlegger named Tom Powers. And the last way "Scarface: the Shame of a Nation" Which was pretty much based off the life of Al Capone. These films helped to provide a solid foundation for the next generation of Gangster films to come.
As the decade of the 40s and the post-war period emerged, crime films became darker, more brutal, and violent, many crime/gangster films were actually film noirs. "This Gun for Hire", "White Heat" and "Gun Crazy" all melded elements from the Film Noir genre and the gangster genre. In the 50's the focus moved over to organized crim syndicates such as the Italian Mafia that portrayed society as corrupt or immoral. One example of this is "On the Waterfront" where Marlon Brando is caught up with corrupt union bosses and racketeering in a gritty grim look at New Yorks Waterfront.
Fast Forward 20 years to the 1970's where two of the most successful and most acclaimed were created " The Godfather parts I and II". Both were epic sagas of a violent, treacherous, and tightly-knit crime family superstructure from Sicily that had settled in New York and had become as powerful as government and big business. Both contained brutal death scenes scenes and Part II is known to be the fist sequel ever to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.
After " The Godfather Trilogy" was introduced many other classic gangster films followed. Such as " GoodFellas" which followed the rise and fall of Henry Hill and Casino which had a similar structure. Quentin Tarantino's "Reservoir Dogs" and " Pulp Fiction" are both modern gangster films with a twist. Both told out of order with unique characters who can turn a mundane scene into a captivating one with nothing but quirky or interesting dialogue such as the famous "Like a Virgin" scene at the beginning of "Reservoir Dogs" or when Vincent and Jules are talking about hamburgers in "Pulp Fiction".
It seems as though less and less traditional gangster films are being produced and now more "urban" gangster films are being made. These are more or less along the same lines but with the more modern Black and Latino gangs that are being formed today.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hvNi0VZwc8
As of late not many gangster films have been produced just because most notable gangsters have already had movies done about them. One movie that came out a few years ago was Public Enemy. However, it seemed kind of bland and also Johnny Depp is way too good looking to be John Dillenger
Come on look at that!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hvNi0VZwc8
As of late not many gangster films have been produced just because most notable gangsters have already had movies done about them. One movie that came out a few years ago was Public Enemy. However, it seemed kind of bland and also Johnny Depp is way too good looking to be John Dillenger
Come on look at that!
So that was a somewhat brief history of Gangster films throughout the Twentieth century
Important Actors, Directors or writers
In the early days of the gangster films important figures were: Edward G. Robinson, James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, and Fritz Lang
Later on, some of the important figures were: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Nicholas Pileggi and Quentin Tarentino.
Stylistic Elements
Gangster films are usually gritty and dark both in subject matter and in style. Most of the illegal activity of the Gangsters takes place at night so it gives it all an ominous, seedy feeling. As well as the night sky, everything about them is dark: their clothes, cars, their guns and even their morals are almost always a beautiful shade of black. The camera angles are usually pretty standard. If an ominous character is walking forward than they might use a low shot or a high shot if someone is in a vulnerable position like he is about to be killed. One shot that is used famously in some movies is "The Trunk Shot". This shot is an almost completely vertical point of view shot that is used to make you feel as though you are trapped in a trunk looking up.
Thematic Elements
The world portrayed in this genre is a rich and detailed one. The people who inhabit it are divided into three categories. The gangsters and their affiliates (their families, lawyers and so forth) who are mostly portrayed as the anti-heroes. Although they are usually terrible people who perform unspeakable crimes, they usually have a good explanation. There are also the law makers like judges and cops. These people are usually portrayed as either corrupt and payed off. However, the ones who actually do their jobs are usually portrayed as evil and cruel. And lastly you have the regular Joe's who choose to live a life of boredom and mediocrity.
The movies are usually set in a gritty urban environment. One you would expect to have rampant crime such as L.A or New York. It is full of a mixture of rival gangs, cops and other figures who are out to get you. The figures in this world are usually criminals, more often then not Italian. In terms of recurring thematic elements there are many. One element that we see constantly is the use of "Black and Grey" morality as mentioned above where they are able to justify horrible acts like murder or theft. Another theme that you see a lot, mostly with the early ones, is that time does not pay. Due to censorship in the early days the directors had to make sure the gangsters were caught or faced the consequences somehow. And in just about every gangster movie, and this is why they got famous, there are scenes of extreme violence. In the early days it was people getting shot at and then when they were hit a puff of smoke would erupt from their jackets. Then later on things got more extreme like in the Godfather when Sonny gets murdered at the tollbooth and so on. And in terms of motivation for the crimes you have to look at the era. If it's set in the 20's or 30's then you can expect it to be revolving around Alcohol and if it's later on than it's probably about drugs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJ2RofOEAEU
although long this video exemplifies many of the aspects found in this genre. Violence, moral ambiguity and Italians.
Therefore the genre of Gangster/Crime films are a very rich and wonderful part of cinema history and will live on for years to come.
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