GENRE HISTORY

1912’S

The first real gangster film to be released was called 'The Musketeers of Pig Alley' in 1912. This was the pioneer of all gangster films in the film industry without it we wouldn’t see the modern greats we currently have.

1930’S the 1930s is where gangster films became really popular, when New York and Chicago were the cities notoriously known for crime with high ratios of death. Films such as Little Caesar

(1930) and the original Scarface (1932) were made during this time, portraying the rise in organized crime in the time period.These films generated massive profits

as most people at the time were suffering from the great depression the films were a chance to get away from their lives and experience what it was like to be a wealthy and powerful something known little buy majority of the US at the time.

1950’S

During the 1950s the gangster film genre had died out, most people switched their attention to the ever evolving action genre which were more obscure and were more unrealistic giving the audience a bigger sense of escapism

12 Angry Men

1970’S

In 1972 The Godfather was the rise of the gangster film genre after the fall in the 50's it was also the first gangster film where crime and criminals were glamorized, this was probably why it was such a big film at the time.

1990’S

1990 Goodfellas was another massive gangster film. It is a real story based on the life of Henry Hill, who wanted to be a gangster from a young age, the audience liked this movie as it was based on real life so the audience could slightly relate to it. As most of the other gangster film it ended in tragedy. 

REFLECTION

Although at the beginning of the genre gangsters were shown as pure criminals the have evolved into almost Gods, above the law and admired and feared or respected by everyone around them.

This aspect can only be shown through actors performance, since expressions are a good way to deduce a characters fearfulness.

Also it seems that quite a few different gangster films have been based on true story or a real life scenarios which I could look to incorporate in my own story by researching a few different cases in the UK.