1st draft of coursework

“By day I am a business man, by night I am the most feared gangster in whole of Manchester”

“An investigation into the on-screen gangster. How have traditional representation changed to reflect the shifting nature of masculinity?”

This essay will discuss how the traditional representation of the gangster has changed to reflect the shifting nature of masculinity. We can agree that the gangster genre has come a long way from Mervyn Leroy’s “Little Caesar” (1931) to Martin Scorsese “The Departed”(2006), however such alterations would not have occurred if the drastic changes in society did not place. Such changes include equal rights for all individuals including ethnic minorities and a more recent change for homosexuality. A primary example that exemplifies these changes is “A Very British Gangster” which was produced in 2007 by Donal Macintyre. To outline the change in gangster films, I will compare my current text “A Very British Gangster” to Brian De Palma’s “Scarface” (1983).

The gangster genre has been present for almost a century, due to D.W. Griffith’s “The Musketeers Of Pig Alley” (1912), who was the first to make a mark on the gangster/crime genre. More renowned texts produced by Warner Bros, who were famous in the 1930’s for producing classic gangster films1, are William Wellman’s “The Public Enemy” and Howard Hawks “Scarface”.
The typical ethos behind any gangster’s actions is the ambition to get rich, after migrating from a poor country. A theorist who introduced this theory was Robert Warshow who stated “ 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”2.
In addition, migrants who are the gangsters, carry out criminal activity in order to achieve “The American Dream” which was a theory of Horatio Alger. He stated that often migrants commit crime in pursuit of wealth, status, and material possessions3, as many individuals around them have many of these things. The narrative usually involves a “binary opposition, a sense of law vs. lawless” 4 or contrast between two men, either related through friendship or kinship, with one of them getting an honest job while the other resorts to crime5, so good vs. evil.

Traditional gangster films were loosely based on real life characters for example Howard Hawks “Scarface” which had similar references to the life of Al Capone, a mass criminal of the 1920’s. Such films allowed the nation to identify with characters however at the expense of bringing shame to the nation6 .
Scarface, alongside other gangster films in the 1930’s gave rise to typical codes and conventions used in similar films. These conventions include smart suits, violent activity, murder, weapons and luxury items associated with the lifestyle such as cigars and liquor7 .

My historical text, Brain De Palma’s Scarface has been a great hit all around the world and appeals to many different audiences. This is mainly due to its realistic storyline, which was based on true events of the 1970’s like the substantial use of cocaine. Others are fond of its power and meaningful quotes, as well as the violent imagery used throughout the film.

Another issue in the USA prior to the 1980’s was the amount of migrants moving away from poor, unfortunate countries in hope to find a better standard of living. The film demonstrates this flee of refugees, as the main character Tony Montana has arrived in the USA from Columbia. He is stunned by the amount of rich people around him and desires for a life similar to theirs. To reach his ambition, to a lavish lifestyle that only middleclass white groups in society had, he resorted to mass drug dealing and criminal activity. We can say that both Horatio Alger’s and Robert Warshow’s theory has been proven, as they state “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”8 .
This aspect of realism, allowed a large number of audience to identify with the text, as they were able to recognize the struggles that the protagonist dealt with, settling in a new country. Consequently, they were intrigued and consumed the text alongside millions of viewers around the world.

Historically, the popularity of cocaine and drug use in the 1970’s was so free flowing and present in society, as law enforcement agencies did not have substantial amount of power, knowledge and expertise in certain fields. However globally, all governments knew something had to be done, in order to reduce or eliminate the drugs being imported into their country. As a result, legislation was tightened up which meant there was a more severe punishment for anyone caught trying to import any sort of illegal drug. Also, the amount of law enforcement agencies that aided the police clamping down on drug dealers was increased and the government introduced specialists that dealt specifically with the drug world.

After many successful gangster films like Scarface, the entire gangster genre was influenced by the basic codes and conventions used to portray their version of a gangster. This usually involved them wearing smart suits, carry out acts of violence, murder, weapons and luxury items associated with the lifestyle.9
Films or texts that exemplify such codes and conventions are “Goodfellas”, “The Sopranos” and “The Godfather”. Some films may not adder to these conventions; however they are loosely based around them, for example “The departed (2006)”. The film does not portray the traditional gangster; as he is not seen to be wearing a suit or does not carry violence out directly; instead the police have him working for them. In classical gangster films, this twist or alteration in role would not be present, however due to the change in representation of the gangster, contemporary films are now adapting. This is because, as society changes people’s view or image of a gangster is also altering, therefore directors need to be able to represent a contemporary gangster that the audience can identify with.
This is evident, in films such as Ridley Scott’s “American Gangster” (2007)10 as the representation of the white gangster has been challenged, as the protagonist is of a black origin. However, the statement that most gangster films often represent a gangster that has migrated from a poor country, in order to chase the “American Dream” can be applied here. On the other hand, when conventions are broken many issues can arise, for instance after the release of “American Gangster”, many Afro Americans felt the film was reinforcing the stereotype, that most drug dealing was coming from black males.11
In such situations, the concept of hegemony can be applied, as the dominant groups in society are portraying and passing down their ideologies, about what characters are involved in the majority of crime in the United States.
As a result, people in society may act upon these stereotypes and ideologies, which may lead to certain ethnic groups being treated differently, which may cause a sense of social exclusion.

We can say that my current, up to day text “A Very British Gangster”, shares similarities in codes and conventions with “Scarface” to an extent, however they also differ hugely.
Both films explore gangsters and their ambition to get rich and powerful through acts of violence and criminal activity. However, the protagonist Tony Montana is largely involved in the majority of drug supply in Miami. This is because, the lack of policing and expertise of the law enforcement agencies in the 1970’s, made this sort crime clear-cut.
Typically, gangster films involve the protagonist importing or distributing some sort of illegal substance, which carries a substantial amount of value.
However, this convention is broken in “A Very British Gangster” as the protagonist is carrying on his family tradition to money launder. We can say this type of crime is more common in present times, as the birth of web 2.0 and the internet has made fraud and money laundering more accessible.

Furthermore, the use of smart suits and props associated with the lavish and powerful lifestyle of a gangster, such as money and bodyguards, are present in both films. This is to uphold the image of the powerful and superior figure of the gangster. If these characters dressed casually like most citizens, the amount of respect and attention they receive in society would not be substantial.

In classical gangster films, the protagonist was portrayed to show no remorse or emotion.
This was purely because anyone who was seen to show signs of emotion or sentiment was considered to be feminine.
And anyone who was seen to be feminine was stereotyped to be gay or homosexual.
Historically, homosexuality was frowned upon and often people who admitted to it were socially excluded from society. If emotion was shown in the character, the whole image of the raw, ruthless gangster would have been ruined.

However, programs such as “The Sopranos” that focuses primarily on the family and emotional side of the gangster’s life break the convention of most gangster genre extracts. The program first aired on television in 1999 on HBO12 , which can be used as evidence to suggest why the program is based on the gangster’s emotional life, rather than his violent criminal lifestyle.
As more gangster films were produced, audiences were familiar with the lavish and dangerous lifestyle that was associated with all gangsters. Therefore, they wanted to see how these gangsters dealt with everyday issues that are common to the audience’s life. Consequently, they used this as a form of identification, which broke the traditional convention of most gangster films.

It is fair to say gangster films change to represent the zeitgeist; this is because the audience wants to see a gangster that represents the current time, so that the audience can identify with certain aspects such as urban settings and demographics that are familiar to them. Also, because new legislation was passed about homosexuality and gay marriages, many individuals feel more protected which therefore allowed them to be open about sexuality. This meant that directors were able incorporate some emotion in their gangster characters. This is because; people started stereotyping individuals who displayed a sense of femininity in their body language and the manner they spoke in referring to this as camp, rather than how much emotion the person showed.
Effectively, the gangster genre was adapted, as directors were able to take the raw and remorseless gangster but presented him with a sense of emotion, whether that being towards his family, friends or sexuality etc.

This is evident in “A Very British Gangster”, as the protagonist opening admits to being homosexual. However, the gangster bravado is not tarnished, as he is still seen to be involved in a substantial amount of violent activity and is still portraying the traditional gangster ethos. For example, in a number of scenes we see the protagonist looking after his neighbourhood, who rely on him more than the police force. This is a traditional element of a gangster’s role, as he protects and resolves many local disputes. Audiences and people in general are more accepting of the protagonist’s sexuality, as he plays a significant role in society and carries out the traditional function of a masculine gangster. Also due to the fact that homosexuality is becoming more popular in society, people have to become more accepting; In the UK alone, “one in sixteen or 3.6million of the population are gay or lesbian” 13 .

Due to the rise in the amount of homosexuals in society and the changing nature of the male, where he is seen to be showing more emotion, thus giving rise to the “new man”, there is a constant argument and issue being raised about the “masculinity crisis”. 14
Men are called upon to act the part of the victim, by getting in touch with their emotional side; 15 people think the traditional strong, masculine image is threatened. However, the typical roles that most males play in society are still present. We can this is a moral panic, 16 as it is an issue that has been blown out of proportion, to create publicity and sell.

To conclude, I believe the on screen representation of the gangster has been altered to reflect the shifting zeitgeist. Because males are able to demonstrate a sense of emotion, without being stereotyped as a homosexual, has allowed directors to include a sense of emotion in the gangster character. This was so that the audience can use this as a form of identification, as well as being able to include the typical gangster ethos to get rich and powerful, which attracted a larger audience.

Biblography

1 Bernink, Meike. The Cinema Book 2nd Edition. 2 Sub ed. London: British Film Institute, 2000. Print

2 http://www.fathom.com/course/10701053/session3.html

3 http://www.slideshare.net/Jthomas1/the-effect-of-gangster-culture-on-the-gangster-film-genre-presentation

4 Bernink, Meike. The Cinema Book 2nd Edition. 2 Sub ed. London: British Film Institute, 2000. Print

5 http://www.novelguide.com/a/discover/egd_01/egd_01_00212.html

6 http://www.slideshare.net/Jthomas1/the-effect-of-gangster-culture-on-the-gangster-film-genre-presentation

7 http://www.slideshare.net/mjarry/early-gangster-genre

8 http://www.fathom.com/course/10701053/session3.html

9 http://www.slideshare.net/mjarry/early-gangster-genre

10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0765429/

11 http://www.alternet.org/media/67362

12 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sopranos

13 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1505277/Six-per-cent-of-population-are-gay-or-lesbian-according-to-Whitehall-figures.html

14http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst;jsessionid=LpjWgJLDKGvWd5h9T44h0FtrQLJ0nxcNT1kWBm4wC5KMSvxsVK2S!1606806381!2038965103?docId=5000424956

15 http://www.genders.org/g35/g35_heartfield.html