Classical Film Genre
Historical gangster film with Robert Warshow theory
http://www.fathom.com/course/10701053/session3.html
“Warshow's formula for all gangster films typically involves a poor immigrant so desperate for the American dream--money, position, flashy clothes and cars--that he falls prey to a life of crime”.
This quote could be used to describe the emergence of gangster films and the motivation behind the gangster’s aspiration. This formula or theory can be applied to my historical text “Scarface”. However, due to changing circumstances this formula is less present in current gangster films.
Film review on “A Very British Gangster ”
“ Yet Noonan - shaven-headed, overweight and disarmingly cheerful - is not quite typical gangster material. For one thing, he is openly gay and confesses to having been raped as a teenager ”.
This quote can be applied to my essay to describe how “ A Very British Gangster” differs to the typical gangster films. It can used as evidence to suggest that not all gangster are afraid to show emotion and to help describe the Zeitgeist, about being able to gay and open.
http://www.filmcritic.com/misc/emporium.nsf/reviews/A-Very-British-Gangster
“When schools and businesses shut down (out of fear or respect) for a gangster's funeral, it's clear the Noonan’s are people to be reckoned with, for better or for worse”.
Again this quote can used to describe how different my primary text is compared to other gangster films. Even though, the gangster is homosexual people still have a substantial amount of respect for him.
There is no masculinity crisis
http://www.genders.org/g35/g35_heartfield.html
“Instead, men are called upon to act the part of the victim, by mourning their loss of power, and getting in touch with their emotional side”.
This quotation can be present in my essay, to describe why this panic about masculinity of men exists and what signals a man being less masculine.
Crime and Gangster films
http://www.filmsite.org/crimefilms.html
“Gangster films are morality tales: Horatio Alger or 'pursuit of the American Dream' success stories turned upside down in which criminals live in an inverted dream world of success and wealth. Often from poor immigrant families, gangster characters often fall prey to crime in the pursuit of wealth, status, and material possessions (clothes and cars), because all other "normal" avenues to the top are unavailable to them”.
This quote can be used in my critical investigation to explore how traditional gangster films are different and have altered over time to reflect the changing zeitgeist.
"American Gangster" Reinforces American Stereotype
http://www.alternet.org/media/67362
“American Gangster is a big, brash and brilliant cinema tour de force. But it also reinforces a glaring stereotype, in fact, one of America's most enduring stereotypes, and that's that the drug problem and by extension drug kingpins come with a black face”.
By using this quote I can explore the effects of gangster films moving away from the typical on screen gangster, to a more modern character representing a large number of people. This can make room for theories like the moral panic.
GANGSTER FILMS
http://www.novelguide.com/a/discover/egd_01/egd_01_00212.html
“The conventions of the genre usually require a contrast between two men, either related through friendship or kinship, with one of them getting an honest job while the other resorts to crime. The contrast is usually set in an urban environment at night”.
This quote can be used to evaluate the changing conventions of gangster films and how they represent changing nature of society.
“The criminal is always the one gaining status, and this rise on the social ladder makes him, in Schatz's definition, "the perverse alter-ego of the ambitious, profit-minded American male." The expensive clothes, flashy cars, and attractive women visually signal the criminal’s growing status he acquires”.
This quote can be present in my essay to determine why gangsters commit crime and where the gangster arises.
The effect of gangster culture on the gangster genre
“In the 1920s the prohibition act was in place, which made the era a haven for the crime known as bootlegging this industry was ruled by Al Capone, in 1932 Capone was sent to jail shortly after followed the release of Scarface: Shame of a nation, the films main characters was based loosely on Al Capone”.
By using this quote I can explore how real crime in America and crime lords were whom the storylines were based around.
Early gangster genre
http://www.slideshare.net/mjarry/early-gangster-genre
“The typical conventions of 1930s gangster genre are smart suits, acts of violence, murder, weapons and luxury items associated with the lifestyle such as cigars and fine liquor”.
By using the quote I will be able to compare how the conventions and representations of gangsters have changed over time and to what extent they have.
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