Film Genre

How has the Gangster genre changed over time?

In this essay I will be analysing films of the American Gangster genre. The three films I will be deconstructing will the Roaring Twenties (1939), The Godfather (1972) and Goodfellas (1990). I will also be identifying what the term ‘genre’ means and why and how it is used by film studios and why it is important to the audience. I shall be identifying the iconographies of the gangster genre and the codes and conventions that these films contain. Finally, I’ll be describing the historical development of the American Gangster genre and it’s reflection of the American social and political issues at the time of the production and release of the three aforementioned movies.

The word ‘genre’ is a French term that simple means ‘type’ therefore a film genre is a ‘type of film’. Films are then grouped into genres and then can be and are grouped into sub-genres and hybrid-genres. Film genres are used by film studios so that they are able to target specific audiences which may appeal the type of film being marketed. Marketing a film to the right audience is essential to its commercial success and Hollywood will spend vast amounts of money to market movies. Often the amount of money spent to market a movie will be far greater than the cost to make the film. To give a contrast, what is considered to be a low budget movie, its costs would be ninety-percent below-the-line. A big budget movie, for example a summer blockbuster would be ninety-percent above-the-line. Dov S-S Simens, founder of the Hollywood Film Institute and a producer and distributor, who has spent much of his career in the film business, does agree that to an extent Hollywood is a film making industry. Although in his Film School, he teaches: “Hollywood is not a film making industry! It is a film marketing industry!” Genre is also used so that the audience can identify the movie to whether it will appeal to them through that specific genres codes, conventions and iconographies.  

Many films are often a cross between two genres. For example, the most common is arguably the Romantic-Comedy, or in its shortest term the Rom-Com. Films that cross over into other  genres, and marketed as such, are known as a ‘hybrid genre’. As well as genre and hybrid-genre another term is used for films that fall into a sub-category of the genre it has been identified as. An example of a sub-genre from horror movies would be a slasher-horror or vampire films are also a sub-genre.

Films have numerous iconographies that are specific to their genre. This helps the audience identify the genre and this makes the audience familiar and comfortable with what they are going to see and, in a sense, it acts as a sort of comfort blanket. In the American Gangster genre the iconographies consist of numerous elements including the attire of the cast. They all wear suits that are expensive and possibly tailor made. This gives a representation of their status and position within their social surroundings and within the environment in which they conduct their business. The cars that are used by the gangsters are another iconography. The cars that were expensive, elegant and fashionable in the time of the respective era are another representation of the status and importance of the gangster. At the time the Roaring Twenties portrayed many people at that time weren’t able to afford vehicles and it was only the rich, the powerful and high status individuals, which gangsters fall into, and taxi companies that owned cars.

It is with no surprise that with the use of cars that another iconography of the gangster genre is the street and inner city settings. In the Roaring Twenties the gangsters are bootlegging ‘bath-tub gin’, which is a term from the prohibition era of the1920s in the United States. The gangsters then used the cars, of a taxi company, which the gangsters owned to try to hide their misdemeanours, to distribute their contraband.

The Godfather also featured the use of the car in many of its scenes to carry, fetch and shepherd people to and from gangster murders, attacks and acts of retribution. Quite often, due to the nature of this film quick getaways are paramount and therefore tyre squeals are another iconography for the gangster genre.

Most of the assassinations in the gangster genre are carried out by the use of the gun. Usually the iconography of this would be the Tommy-gun, and as would be expected using a sub-machine gun would create a lot of noise, especially when more than one man often carried out the killings. The gunfire, as well as death and murder, are yet more examples of iconographies that are used in the gangster genre. This is more prominent in the movie Godfather, but this maybe due to the time the movie was made.

In all three movies as the gangster goes about his life and business numerous people are given financial reward to either help the gangsters or to turn a blind eye to their illegal activities. This again in itself is another representation of the gangster’s status and importance as they aspire to live gain an extravagant lifestyle. Again, the characters smoking are prominent features in the gangster genre.

Each of the three gangster movies also follow codes and conventions which help identify the genre. We see that there is a rise and fall of the main characters. For instance in the Roaring Twenties Eddie is a war hero but by the time he comes back from war there is no place for him in society in his attempts to get a job, this has therefore created the first rise and fall for Eddie. In his efforts to earn money he is hired to by a siren who owns a club as a bootlegger and then he becomes a respected gangster where he makes his money, which sees him rise in society as his power and status increases. After this significant rise in his status the stock market crash causes another fall as he loses his money and with that he loses his status and power in society as he turns to booze that he once bootlegged.

In addition to this he has lost the woman he loves to a two-timing friends and crusading District Attorney and when he finds out that his ex-crime partner in tends to kill him, he steps in and kills the George. In essence his rise on this occasion is a moral one as he saves the institution of marriage by killing the bad guys and ensuring the life of the good guy. However, there is time for another fall as at the end of the movie he is shot down on the steps of the church being overlooked by a statue of Madonna and Child giving the audience the sense  that, although he is on one hand a bad person because he was a gangster on the other hand he had a sense of morality and therefore this represents him a good person. The death of Eddie is another code and convention in itself as the gangster, whether they are good or bad, must die at the end of the movie.

The Roaring Twenties was a film about prohibition that was in affect in the United States from 1920 to 1933. This was the legal act to ban the manufacturing, distribution and the sale of alcohol. During this period organised crime controlled the manufacturing and distribution of alcohol was rife due to the demand amongst American civilians. The gangster would set up secret venues for the people to go and drink the contraband in places known as “speakeasies”. In the movie the Roaring Twenties we see Eddie, who was unable to get a job, turn to crime and in doing so made money by manufacturing, distributing and selling alcohol.

This was until the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the Great Depression that followed, people needed jobs and the government needed to raise money, along with people’s attitudes changing, alcohol was once again legalised to create jobs and raise taxes. This spelt the end for bootlegging and in the case of Eddie in the Roaring Twenties caused his downfall where he loses his money, power and status – and ironically relies on the now legal product that he once illegally peddled.

The Roaring Twenties, a Warner Brothers film, is a gritty down-to-earth movie. As it is set in an inner city with immigrant communities there is an element of sympathy towards the main character. Because of this the movie can be looked upon as a retrospective film about America’s social and political behaviour at that time. It also gives a retrospective representation of a person who, at no fault of his own, was outside of society and the only way he could make a living was through crime and therefore is outside the law.

Whereas the Roaring Twenties was a more retrospective movie of gangsters, The Godfather represented the gangster lifestyle as a more glamorous way of life. The pompous wedding ceremony and the big houses are a couple of representations of its glorification. In the film we get to know the family, which are a Sicilian family – again connoting the immigrant background – and their business is crime, murder, corruption and drugs. With the glorification we are being told that crime does in fact pay.

As the gangsters in this movie are all family, most are born into the gangs they represent; have unity and protect themselves and each other. This represents to us that although they are gangsters they still have honour and integrity.

The Godfather use allegories to use the past to comment on the present. The violent nature of The Godfather can be referring to the violent and trouble times within American society through it numerous Civil Rights movements. Also, the protests against the Viet Nam war and the overall pessimism of American people during the 1960s and 70s.

The contrast of the rise and fall The Godfather in comparison to the Roaring Twenties is that of The Godfather himself in the sense he doesn’t not get killed but dies with dignity and honour of natural causes in the lemon groves in his garden whilst playing with his grandson. The rise and fall of Michael happens when he comes back from the Second World War and although he is part of the family they desire better things for him than being a gangster. After Don Vito Corleone survives an assassination attempt on his life, Michael wants to avenge this and this starts the fall of Michael. During a meeting with another head from a family and a corrupt police officer, he assassinates them both in a restaurant, he is absconds back to Scilly. Upon his return during the christening of his niece, when he becomes the godfather of the child, he becomes “The Godfather” as he directs the assassination of the heads of the other families. When asked by the Priest if he denounces Satan we see the montage of assassinations.  

Gangster films use the good gangster/bad gangster relationship as another code and convention. As mentioned before Eddie in the Roaring Twenties has an understanding of morality. George is bad throughout the film. When both men are in a fox-hole fighting in World War One, George fires and kills on teenage German soldiers just prior to the Armistice being declared. This set the tone and the relationship of both characters throughout the film. This is evident when George shoots his former-sergeant from the war as revenge for the ill treatment that he felt he received from him.

In the Godfather, Don Vito Corleone has a huge sense of honour and because of this could be seen as a good gangster. However, his son, Sonny was of a petulant nature and was, up to the point of his killing, ready to act without thought and any repercussions this may have brought to him or the Corelone family.

 

Whereas the Roaring Twenties was a film about living outside the law, The Godfather is a movie about running the law. During this film we know that The Godfather has many people on his payroll that are in a position of authority which include police officers, judges, politicians and journalists. This represents corrupt side of America which during the time that this movie was made in 1972 could be a reference to the corruption at the head of United States politics involving President Richard Nixon and the Watergate scandal of 1970.

By the time we get to the 1990s and the film Goodfellas, many codes and conventions of the gangster genre have been broken. From the very first instance we start with a constant voice over delivered in a fast pace, which is basically telling us how great being a gangster is, again glorifying gangsters.

Goodfellas brings in female aspects that play significant roles within the movie. Karen becomes part of the world, in comparison to Micheal’s wife in the Godfather, who at the end of the film is lied to and shut out of a meeting. Although she does not agree with what happens she is attracted to the glamour and the money of what being a “gangsters WAG” brings. She becomes a knowing participant to the point that when the police raid their houses she often let them do what they needed to do. Her importance as a character, and the change of code and convention, is evident in the fact that she too has a voice over.

There is again another demonstration of a break in code and convention when Karen is sitting in the beauty parlour listening to all the other wives and girlfriends of the gangsters slagging off their own children. This represents that there is no family spirit and a lack of trust and support.

Another code and convention being severed in this movie is the lack of family togetherness and support in comparison to The Godfather. Even from a young age, Harry Hill lies to his parents about his school attendance so that he can work with the gangsters that live across the street. Again, this sets the tone of the movie and the lack of a bond between the characters. As the movie progresses Harry Hill, Tommy and Henry stop communicating with Paulie, their once trusted boss, and go behind his back to carry out America’s biggest raid. This is another break in code and convention.

 

At the start of the 1990s American culture was good for the people as the quality of life increased. People were spending more, new technology was being developed and with this new affluence the popularity of recreational drugs increased. The Goodfellas encompasses these social changes and developments and the use of popular music from that time on the movie’s soundtrack acts as a running social commentary.

Over the period in which these three movies were made the relaxation of censorship enabled the films to be told in a more explicit way. In the Roaring Twenties although we see a couple of people shot its vastly insignificant to what we witness in The Godfather. Also the fact change from black and white to colour makes the killings also more graphic and the famous scene from The Godfather of the horses head would not have been allowed under 1930s censorship laws. Again the relaxing of censorship allowed the Goodfellas to be a bit more explicit when it comes to displaying killings and beatings and also with the depiction of drug use and paraphernalia. 

 

In all the of the movies I viewed the characters of the gangster genre follow the code and convention that they all are immigrants, or descendants of immigrants , trying to pursue the ‘American dream’ believing they can have a good lifestyle. However they only way they can achieve the lavish lifestyle, the money, the cars and the houses are through criminal activity. This is achieved by gaining power and by taking it through the assassinations of their rival gangs and, in some instances of their own people, as well as those in positions of authority. However, once they have gained power they become paranoid with those around them and in the end all they can trust is their own immigrant background. 

 

During this analysis of the three movies I have identified the codes and conventions of a gangster movie and the iconographies that are used to identify its genre. All these films are a social and political commentary of the time that it was made and released. Gangster movies give the impression that you can achieve the “American dream” and to be a rich, successful and powerful as you can get. But as we see in the end they all end up with nothing, some lose their lives and it makes you answer the question: Does crime pay? It may certainly have some short term benefits but in the long run I think I’ll chance my luck on the lottery!