Gangster Film Analysis

1134 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Women major characters in julius caesar

Behind Every Good Man: Women’s Role in the Early Gangster Film The women of Regeneration (1915) and Little Caesar (1931) share a similar role: to lead their men away from the morally bankrupt life of gangsterism. The women exist to elevate the men into upstanding citizens – being a good citizen and being a good person in the early gangster film is intrinsically linked. Men face complex moral issues. Women are unwavering in their goodness, beacons for the men to follow. A crux of the gangster genre is the gangster’s low class status. The system offers the gangster no way to dig himself out of poverty so he must work outside the system to save himself. As Regeneration declares, “the prizes of existence go the man who has the most daring in defying Karpf’s analysis of Little Caesar does not look at Rico as a gay-coded character but his breakdown, which identifies Rico’s possessiveness of Joe as his fatal flaw, still speaks to that interpretation. To be gay in the 1930s would be seen as character flaw, one both pitiful and revolting. Like a gangster character must pay for his crimes, a gay character would have to pay penance for his supposed Owen and Joe show qualities that make them worthy of redemption. Owen stands up for the underdog and Joe is modest compared to Rico. Whereas Rico is insatiable in his power-hunger, Joe wants to get out as soon as possible. Joe and Owen display healthy masculinity, whereas Rico is blatantly morally reprehensible. However, the fact that Rico cannot be redeemed is not just in his character flaws. The way he speaks is unpolished and distinctly Italian. When meeting with the upper-class syndicate overlord, Big Boy, Rico fixates on a portrait of Napoleon. Big Boy tells him that the portrait costs $15,000 and Rico proclaims “Boy, them gold frames sure cost a lot of dough!” (LeRoy 54:30). Rico’s word choice is crude and he lacks the understanding of upper-class culture to realize how much money the painting itself is worth. Owen and Joe are able to mingle in mainstream society and Rico cannot. Similarly, Owen’s fellow gang members look and act vulgar. Regeneration and Little Caesar show men engaging in healthy gender roles – if only to hold them up as the ideal compared to the unmistakably lower class and ethnic

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Jumped In By Jorja Leap

    879 Words  | 2 Pages

    The book emphasizes the idea of how difficult it is to leave the gang lifestyle. There are frequent cases of relapse by individuals in the book, who were once out to again return to gangs. This case is brought by what gangs represent to this in the book and what leaving entails them to give up. The definition of gangs presented to the class was, three or more members, share name, color, or affiliation, or must exist in a geopolitical context. To members associated with gangs, this definition can include your family members, neighborhood, everyone that they associate with. Take for example Ronnie from Jumped in by Jorja Leap it states,” Ronny’s role models are gangbangers. His family is a hood. His mentors are older homies in county jail.”(102). Ronnie and other gang members like him do not

    Read More

  • Little Caesar Essay Thesis

    721 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout the story Rico was successful but at the end he loses, whereas Joe and Olga live happily and earn an honest living doing what they love. One of the morals of the story is that crime pays -- but not for very long.

    Read More

  • Gangster Disciples Research Paper

    794 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Gangster Disciples is a violent gang which began in the Chicago, Illinois area. In the 1970's, the leaders of two different Chicago-based gangs, the Black Disciples and the Supreme Gangsters, aligned their respective groups andcreated the Gangster Disciples. Once united, the Gangster Disciples recruited heavily in Chicago, within Illinois jails and prisons, and throughout the United States. The Gangster Disciples are active in criminal activity in approximately 24 states. The Gangster Disciples employ a highly structured organization. Members are organized into geographic groups; each called a "count" or a “deck." Members in good standing are considered to be ”on-count" or ”plugged in." A meeting of a particular count may be referred to

    Read More

  • The Role of Women in Screwball Comedy Films

    4993 Words  | 10 Pages

    Led by Laura Mulvey, feminist film critics have discussed the difficulty presented to female spectators by the controlling male gaze and narrative generally found in mainstream film, creating for female spectators a position that forces them into limited choices: "bisexual" identification with active male characters; identification with the passive, often victimized, female characters; or on occasion, identification with a "masculinized" active female character, who is generally punished for her unhealthy behavior. Before discussing recent improvements, it is important to note that a group of Classic Hollywood films regularly offered female spectators positive, female characters who were active in controlling narrative, gazing and desiring: the screwball comedy.

    Read More

  • Film Analysis of Boyz in the Hood

    2158 Words  | 5 Pages

    What if I told you that I know the outcome of your life and where you will end up before you even know it? Wouldn’t you be scared? See for a regular person who has a supporting family around them this question will almost feel almost like a death sentence. Nobody wants anyone to judge them before they even go through life on what they will end up being.

    Read More

  • Movie Analysis: The Gangs of New York

    1600 Words  | 4 Pages

    The movie Gangs of New York takes place in Lower Manhattan’s Five Points’ neighborhood. It begins in 1846. The main protagonist Amsterdam Fallon, Priest Fallon’s son, watches his father who is the leader of the Dead Rabbit gang prepare and die in battle. As his father is on his last breadths of life giving his son counsel, Billy “the Butcher” Cutting snaps the Priest Fallon’s head. Amsterdam runs away from Cuttings henchmen to hide his father’s knife before he is captured by the Natives gang. He is taken to Hellgate orphanage. In 1862 Amsterdam returns to Five Point’s neighborhood and finds his old friend Johnny Sirocco. Johnny works now for Billy “the Butcher” and introduces Amsterdam to Cutting. Amsterdam makes his way into Cutting’s inner circle of Natives. Amsterdam also meets Jenny Everdeane while hanging out with Johnny. She bumps into Johnny to pickpocket his watch. Amsterdam notices and lets Johnny know. Johnny claims he always lets her take things. As both Cutting and Jenny take a liking to Amsterdam Johnny becomes jealous. He notices young Vallon quickly making his way into Cutting’s gang’s high ranks and into Jenny’s heart. Out of jealousy, Johnny reveals Amsterdam’s true identity to Cutting. Cutting decides to make Vallon angry. He succeeds by playing a dangerous game that involves knives with Jenny at the annual celebration of Priests Vallon’s death. Amsterdam then attempts to assassinate Cutting but fails and is taught a lesson by Cutting. Amsterdam lives at the help of Jenny. To avenge his father he starts the outlawed Dead Rabbit gang up again. He proposes a challenge to Cutting after his friend “Monk” McGinn is killed by Cutting. The fight takes place at Five Points’ neighborhood on the day the ...

    Read More

  • Miss Representation Summary

    1350 Words  | 3 Pages

    These movies allowed female characters to embody all the contradictions that could make them a woman. They were portrayed as the “femme fatale” and also “mother,” the “seductress” and at the same time the “saint,” (Newsom, 2011). Female characters were multi-faceted during this time and had much more complexity and interesting qualities than in the movies we watch today. Today, only 16% of protagonists in movies are female, and the portrayal of these women is one of sexualization and dependence rather than complexity (Newsom, 2011).

    Read More

  • Goodfellas Film Analysis

    691 Words  | 2 Pages

    The film “Goodfellas,” directed by Martin Scorsese, is loosely based on the true story of mobster Henry Hill’s career with the mafia. The main characters in this movie are Henry Hill, played by Ray Liota, who was part of the mafia, James Conway who was a stickup/hit man, played by Robert De Niro, and Tommy DeVito, played by Joe Pesci, who was another gangster. At the beginning of the film a young Hill is seen admiring the gangsters who spend time across the street at one of their establishments. Hill can be heard talking about how much he admired gangsters, and that all he ever wanted to be was a gangster. Throughout the movie the audience gets a sense of what life as a gangster in the criminal underworld might have been like.

    Read More

  • Film Noir Analysis

    1737 Words  | 4 Pages

    A female in film noir is typically portrayed in one of two ways; she’s either a dependable, trustworthy, devoted, and loving woman, or she’s a manipulative, predatory, double crossing, and unloving temptress. Noir labels the cold hearted and ruthless woman archetype as a Femme Fatale. A femme fatale is walking trouble, and she’s aware of it. This woman is gorgeous, refined, eloquent, and commands the attention of any room she’s in. When the femme fatale desires something, she pursues it. If there’s an obstacle in her way, she overcomes it. If she can’t handle it herself, all she needs to do it bat her eyelashes and the nearest man is all too willing to take care of it for her. In essence, the most dangerous thing about the femme fatale is her

    Read More

  • goodfellas

    977 Words  | 2 Pages

    “The gangster is the man of the city, with the city’s language and knowledge, with its queer and dishonest skills and its terrible daring, carrying his life in his hands like a placard, like a club. For everyone else, there is at least the theoretical possibili...

    Read More

  • Al Capone And The Prohibition Era

    1351 Words  | 3 Pages

    Another common theme of this wildly intoxicated era was that of the gangsters. In the twenty-first century when the word gangster is uttered, often times images of minorities in baggy clothes comes to mind. However, when discussing the Prohibition Era the lives of gangsters are seen as much more glamorous, and none were more glamorous than that of the ultimate American gangster, Al “Scarface” Capone. Capone’s name brings to mind images of pinstripe suits, underground bars, bootleggers, flappers, and gun fights. His image embodies that of the Prohibition Era and his influence throughout society carries through it. Alphonse Capone is the ultimate American gangster.

    Read More

  • The Public Enemy

    875 Words  | 2 Pages

    They wear fancy suits, drive luxurious cars, and parade around with different women each day. Although being a gangster has some advantages, everything comes with a price. Tom and Matt were such successful gangsters that they attracted enemies from other gangs. The audience watches as Tom and Matt walk down the street, and suddenly gunshots are heard, Matt has been shot and killed. The audience may have assumed all the violence and tragedy would end there but the death of Tom only sparked a bloody mob war. This film was one of the first films of its time to show a mob war which were very common during the 1920s. Competition was one of the biggest parts of being a gangster. Al Pacino who played a famous gangster in the movie The Godfather says in the film, “Everybody loves you until you become competition.” Gangsters were perceived as powerful men who were above the law and who could handle anything, but that is not always the case, especially for Tom. In the end of the film, Tom reign as a gangster comes to an end. He wanted to get revenge for his friend Matt, but it only resulted in his death as well. Some people aren’t as tough as they think they

    Read More

  • Al Capone Biography

    1367 Words  | 3 Pages

    gangster on the streets. As soon as Capone reached the legal age of fourteen, he

    Read More

  • Al Capone

    2660 Words  | 6 Pages

    now the story behind him. What made him to be the most feared gangster in the city of Chicago? How did this kid from a rough neighborhood and no money grow up to have $60,000,000? I’ve always been fascinated with organized crime but had never been taught anything in school about it. This report gave me the chance to explore something interesting and also educational. The more I researched Al Capone, the more I wanted to learn about him. He may look like an innocent Italian at a glance, but he has done a lot of crime in the city of Chicago.

    Read More

  • Film Analysis about Women in the Movie Pretty Woman

    1202 Words  | 3 Pages

    Pretty Woman, 1990s Hollywood movie, embodies many new as well as old values and ideologies. I was surprised when I saw that, the old themes and sexual stereotypes are not completely abandoned, but the old portrayals of gender stereotypes are transmuted.

    Read More

More about Gangster Film Analysis

Open Document