The Public Enemy (1931), directed by William A. Wellman, was received by the American public as one of the greatest gangster films of all time. The story revolves around the Powers family and how Tom Powers and Matt Doyle’s lives are torn apart because of the mob during the 1920s. Bootlegging, gang related violence, sexual relations, and sex appeal are just some of the things average Americans witnessed or played a role in during the 1920s. Tom Powers and his partner in crime Matt Doyle live carefree and fulfilled lives as children until they get caught up in the gangster lifestyle. In the beginning of the film, Tom and Matt are typical troublesome children. They steal a pair of skates from a store and run away unharmed by the police officer …show more content…
Sexual conduct before marriage, outside of marriage, along with passionate kissing, especially in public was considered forbidden and highly inappropriate. However, this film was one of the first films to highlight these actions rather than hide them. Throughout the film, Tom and Matt try to pick up women in restaurants, and even as young children they always flirted with girls on the streets. In some scenes, the audience can clearly notice Tom and Matt having conversations with women in their pajamas. This suggests that they most likely slept with these women the night before. Although appealing to women, Tom and Matt were chased by men as well. The Public Enemy was the first film to introduce ideas of homosexuality. Also, in order to appear more attractive to men, women started to act and dress more provocatively. Young women who embraced these new fashions and urban attitudes during the 1920s were called …show more content…
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
Let me tell you about the “Gabardine Gang”. My father was the leader of an organized crime gang in the city of Hartford Connecticut. Far enough away from New York, New Jersey and Boston crime circuits. Yet, we lived close enough to know what the big guys were doing.. These small gangsters are nothing like you would see on TV or in the movies. My father ran his operation that worked in gambling, burglary, prostitution and bribery. You will never see films or books on these types of gangsters. They are not the glamorous expensive suit wearing types. They don't live in mansions, have maids or servants. These are the ‘blue’ collar types, or as I call them the 'lower-level' gangster. While you may not hear much about these types of gangsters,
As the 1920’s came to a close and America was in the midst of the Great Depression, a new genre of film was becoming popular. With 1928’s Lights of New York the “gangster” film genre as we know it today was born. Little Caesar and The Public Enemy (1931) were also highly influential and set the scene for the modern gangster film. The culmination of the gangster genre came about a year later. Howard Hawks’ Scarface (1932), is one of the boldest and most political gangster films ever made. Many changes were made by industry censor boards due to the diabolical nature of the film. Most notably, all scenes that contained shots of blood were removed and a subtitle was tacked onto the film denoting it as Scarface: The Shame of the Nation. Considered
The movie “The Public Enemy (1931)” revolves around the lives of two young men who venture into crime despite having solid background and support of a solid family. In particular, the movie focuses on the family of Tom, his brother Mike and their ever loving mother. The description of the mother in the entire movie as a doting parent illustrates the type of love that defines a family. In all the scenes that the mother is involved, the movie portrays a family as a haven of love, care and concern as the woman gets to show her sons the life she wants for them.
Al Capone’s family came with a wave of other Italian immigrants that migrated to the United States in the 1800’s. Most immigrants in that time were living in poverty and in very urban areas. Capone’s family lived in the heart of Brooklyn, but his father was a successful barber which allowed them a slightly better lifestyle than most. Al Capone was the fourth of nine children and grew up with a very tight-knit Italian family who were trying to succeed in their new country”. Capone attended public school in the city and had a natural brightness by keeping a “B average” despite playing hooky on many occasions. The sixth grade showcased Capone’s short temper when he hit a female teacher who was lecturing him. This incident reveals the beginning of who Al Capone would come to be. After being suspended for his violence, he never officially furthered his education. He began his life of crime by joining the kid gangs that existed all over Brooklyn. These “gangs” were nothing more than children being hoodlums and participating in petty crimes, although they would be the ...
The Goonies is film about a group of west coast kids from Astoria California whom are trying to save their homes from being destroyed. Rich people from the town are buying out their neighborhood in order to build a new development. The central characters are two brothers named Mikey and Brandon. Mikey’s friends (Mouth, Chunk and Data) come over to hang out one last time before they all have to move. While at Mikey and Brandon’s house, they venture int...
In film, many times the auteur often uses the medium to convey a moral or make a social commentary. In the case of Howard Hawkes’s original version of Scarface, there is more being portrayed through the characters then merely the story. Hawkes makes a statement about the façade of organized crime, and the farce of the American Dream.
Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas and Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather both depict life in organized crime, but where Goodfellas addresses criminals with little “morals” and their everyday life, The Godfather centers on the opulence of the mob bosses and the preservation of their power while holding the value of family and loyalty above everything. Francis Ford Coppola uses Soviet-inspired montage in the beginning and end of The Godfather as a means of commentary to draw focus on the fine line the Corleone family straddles when justifying their mob activities by claiming it is moral by associating it with family and loyalty. The characters in Goodfellas justify their sprees of violence with the thought that being a gangster gives them license to do whatever it is they please.
Even though Warner Brothers argues that they do not glorify the criminal, The Public Enemy appears to glamorize criminal behaviors such as bootlegging and high life style by depicting Tom, a gangster in a sympathetic and yet realistic manner, which violates the Motion Picture Production Code of 1930. The film, however, adheres the Code with all the murder scenes happening off-screen.
Martin Scorsese's "Goodfellas" defiantly met the hype of all the great reviews received. I remember watching it when I was a kid, not smart enough to recognize the great performances all the actors played but especially the main character Henry played by Ray Liotta. I don't remember much except for blood, yelling, drugs and watching my dad and uncle laugh hysterically. Now that I'm older when I watched the film this time around I finally understood why It was such a brilliant film. The story revolves around Henry it starts off during his childhood, he's from a working class family of 8 and grows up in little Italy New York. He comes from a family that didn't have much so maybe that's why he was so attracted to watching local gangsters live
The gangster genre within films in America has accomplished numerous positive criticisms and constant willing audiences due to containing outstanding spectacles and mind-blowing action. The Godfather, being second on the IMDb Top 250 Movies, has set a new popular concept to life within the Mafia from their point of view. Doing so, creating a positive association. Yet within Italy, the same topic contains a complete different view. Movies such as I Cento Passi demonstrate unenthusiastic view by those whom are outside yet negatively affected by those members. Unlike American films, the gangsters are not as often viewed at the protagonist and are the main causes for the problematic events. But how different is Italian Mafia and American Mafia in cinema?
Money, murder, power, and loyalty, the epitome and basic essentials of any Mafia movie. Initially, when watching two of the most popular titles in this genre, Goodfellas and The Godfather, they may have similar themes, but in all truth, they are on completely opposite ends of the spectrum. While Goodfellas welcomes you to the family with a friendly smile and a voice-over, The Godfather makes you stand astray and watch in silence as an outsider.
The film begins with a wedding, and this setting sets the stage for the basic theme of the movie, which is family. ?The Godfather?, isn?t necessarily about organized crime. Crime is merely the family business, and crime is the way in which the author of the novel in which this film is based on used to set up the interactions and conflicts between the members of the Corleone family. In fact, this film could probably work even without the Mafia themes. At heart it is just a movie about the structure of a family from generation to generation.
THE GODFATHER, made in 1974, details the Corleone crime family in Manhattan during the mid 1930s. The Don, Vito Corleone, played by Marlon Brando, leads his organization against a relentless narcotics push by a rival family, the Sollozzos. Vito Caleone does not want anything to do with drugs because he believes they will be the downfall of the Mafia. The story, covering a ten year time period, offers a rich tapestry of Mafia life from the inside, drawing the audience into witnessing the transfer of power within a close-knit family
For example the release of The Godfather, while considered by many to be one of the best movies of all time, also created a host of prejudice and negative stereotypes. Italian Americans gained a reputation for organized crime and were often associated by the public as mobsters. This paradox was greatly supported by the movie, The Godfather (Fordham). The success of this movie innately resulted in other films and shows that encouraged the negative stereotypes of Italian Americans in regards to the mafia and organized crime. Italian American fought these stereotypes back with media releases that romanticize Italian culture. For example, movies that involve large family dynamics that create, “deep-seated nostalgia for the ‘old neighborhood’” and enhance the appreciation for Italian culture and combat negative stereotypes
The Gangster Genre as a Creation of the Necessity to Promote Civic Responsibility and Social Contentment With Ones Society