Gangster movies over time

By Jack Thurlow

Gangster films in the 1930’s

• Angels with Dirty Faces is a 1938 American gangster film directed by Michael Curtiz

• The film was released on November 24th 1938.• Directed by Michael Curtiz• It was distributed Warner Bros.• The film is about two childhood friends Rocky and

Jerry who complete a train robbery, however Rocky gets arrested. We then see the very different life paths of Rocky, who went to jail and grows up to be a gangster and Jerry becomes a priest.

The camera shot is a mid shot to show all the gang gathering around one figure. The shot shows that he is the most important person in the shot because he is in the centre and everybody is looking at him.Also he is wearing black this is conventional to Gangster movie because black connotes class, therefore we can infer that he is well respected.The film appeals to a large male audience because this shot is a group of all men seemingly having a conversation. Adult males can relate to this a lot because they could understand what it is like to be in that situation. They could also use this to escape from their normal everyday lives; uses and gratification theory is applied here.

Gangster films in the 1940’s

• White Heat is a 1949 film noir directed by Raoul Walsh.

• The film stars James Cagney, Virginia Mayo and Edmond O'Brien

• White Heat was distributed by Warner Bros• It was defined by many as being culturally,

historically, or aesthetically significant, the film was made in black and white.

The screenshot is of a man dressed quite smartly; top hat, leather jacket and, even though it is in black and white, we can tell that he is wearing black and white. This connotes class and high status which is conventional of men in gangster movies. Moreover he is carrying a gun of some kind which is also stereotypical in gangster films as weapons are one of the main features and is a primary reason why lots of people watch these types of films.A long shot is used here to show the body language used by the character and in the mise-en-scene we can see what appears to be a filing cabinet in the background which represents that he may be in an office which connotes class and prominence.

Gangster films in the 1950’s

• The Killing is a 1956 Gangster film directed by Stanley Kubrick.

• It was distributed by United Artist.• Release date May 20, 1956.• Johnny Clay and his gang of Crooks plan and

execute a daring racetrack robbery however events take a turn for the worse as the film progresses.

This screenshot of The Killing is very obvious that they are all gangsters having a meeting. They are all wearing suits which connotes class and high status. This is a black and white scene therefore we know that it was made a long time ago. The man in the centre of the shot is the most important person in the scene because the light is shining on him, also the people on the outside of the table look worried and are intently listening to him.

Gangster films in the 1960’s

• Classe Tous Risques, which was released in the US as The Big Risk, is a 1960 French Italian International co-production black-and-white gangster film directed by Claude Sautet.

• A criminal from Italy, Abel Davis, flees to France with his friend and his wife. Abel and Raymond commit a robbery to get money, killing two men, after this events taker an unfortunate turn.

• The film was released in 1960.

This screenshot from The Big Risk shows that the film was in black and white; the is a direct link to binary oppositions because the colours contrast each other. Black connotes wealth and death, this is fitting with the shot which is a man holding a gun to another mans head; guns are a stereotypical convention of a gangster genre because they symbolise violence and death which is one of the main themes in a gangster film. A mid close up and a two person shot has been used here; the two shot is good for establishing a relationship between characters. Clearly from this angle we can see that the man with the gun in his hand is the more dominant because he is higher than the other character in the shot and is also looking directly at him. Also the mid close up is used so that the audience doesn’t feel to uncomfortable with the scene, but at the same time can see the emotions that the characters are feeling

Gangster films in the 1970’s

• The Godfather is a 1972 American crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola.

• The film stars Marlon Brando and Al Pacino as the leaders of a fictional New York crime family

• It was distributed by Paramount Pictures.• Ageing Mob boss Don Corleone is on his way

out of the business and wants to give his illustrious empire to his reluctant son.

In this shot we can see what appears to be the main character because he is the focus of the shot because he is in the middle and someone else is leaning over and talking in his ear. Both men are wearing black suits which represents that both the men have a high status in their gang, furthermore he is also wearing a flower on his suit this also connotes class. In the background of the mise-en-scene we can see a gold chair over his shoulder, this connotes that he is rich because gold is a royal colour. The rule of thirds can be applied to this shot; the main character (the don) is sitting down and is the focus of the shot, the man to the left is bending down and whispering in his ear. The Don looks disengaged and not as caring as the other man connoting that he has more of the power and dominance in the film.

Gangster films in the 1980’s

• Once Upon A Time In America is a 1984 Italian.• It was directed by Sergio Leone and distributed

by Warner Bros • The film explores themes of childhood

friendships, love, lust, greed, betrayal, loss, broken relationships, and the rise of mobsters in American society. This is significant because during this time mobsters in America were not as predominant as they were in previous years.

This shot is in front of an urban background, this is important because this is the setting for most Gangster films. In this shot we can also see four men walking across the street and a child in front of them, all of the people, even the child, are wearing black. This connotes class and wealth which are main conventions of a Gangster film and ones that an audience would expect high-up Gangsters to wear. Furthermore this scene is in black and white which is symbolic because this goes back to old times when all Gangster films were in black and white, on top of this the film is about traditional mobsters which is important because mobsters were not very modern during the 80’s which connotes that this film is returning to old traditional Gangster films.

Gangster films in the 1990’s

Pulp Fiction was directed and written by Quentin Tarantino and was released on 14th October 1994. It was distributed by Miramax Films. The film is known for its non-linear storyline and ironic mix of humour and dialogue. The lives of many different characters collide and big personalities clash in this action packed gangster film.

In this shot both men are wearing a suit and tie which is important as it connotes class and high status, they are also standing straight up and may be standing over somebody; this connotes power. Furthermore the rest of the mise-en-scene is also mainly black and dark; this represents that something bad may be about to happen or a death of somebody may happen soon; this is conventional of a gangster genre and this is made even more evident by the fact that both men are pointing their guns outwards and probably towards somebody.

Gangster films in the 2000’s

• The Departed is a 2006 American crime thriller film directed by Martin Scorsese

• It was distributed by Warner Bros and released on September 26th 2006.

• It won several awards, including four Oscars• Leonardo de caprio and Matt Damon star as

two men each looking to discover who is the mole in a gang.

In this shot we see an older man in a suit conventional of a gangster film and he is also drinking wine which also connotes class. The older man is looking directly at the other person, however the younger man is looking down; this represents that the older man is the more dominant figure out of the two. Binary oppositions is also applied here because the younger man is wearing a dark hoody and the older man is wearing a cream suit. This could be good vs. bad and also a difference in class.