Analysis Of The Film Noir/Gangster Genre

The setting of film noir is usually quite cheap. This is used effectively to actually show the dark tacky parts of society where film-noir usually takes place. There is not a lot of light in these films and they are often set on location. A seedy underworld is often present in film-noir movies, where all the bad or undesirable parts of society are exposed. Things like drugs, alcohol, murder and corruption.

Lewis uses lighting to dramatize the opening scene of the film and characterize the protagonist of the story. The most noticeable utilization of film noir lighting is in the beginning

Film Noir was extremely trendy during the 1940’s. People were captivated by the way it expresses a mood of disillusionment and indistinctness between good and evil. Film Noir have key elements; crime, mystery, an anti-hero, femme fatale, and chiaroscuro lighting and camera angles. The Maltese Falcon is an example of film noir because of the usage of camera angles, lighting and ominous settings, as well as sinister characters as Samuel Spade, the anti-hero on a quest for meaning, who encounters the death of his partner but does not show any signs of remorse but instead for his greed for riches.

Notably, the film Goodfellas is a classic film that is recognized as one of the greatest films of all time in regards to the crime genre. Indeed, the film Goodfellas is about American citizens who partake in criminal activity in order to make money. Furthermore, another film was made, shortly after Goodfellas achieved great success in the box office. Additionally, another film titled “The Real Goodfella” is the uncensored documentary explaining the reality behind Goodfellas, and gives a practical insight of the real dangers that could not be shown in Goodfellas. Also there are two articles that explain the explicit truth behind the criminal activity that mobsters justify as work. These sources show that mobsters have a hard time. Mobsters classify as above working class because they constantly have to steal, murder, and deal drugs just to stay alive and have money.

The social group that is depicted in the opening scenes of ‘Goodfellas’ are white, middle-aged males. They’re portrayed as bad people. This means that even though they are the bad guys, we’re immediately fond of them. The ideological discussion of gangsters is disputed within the film. Gangsters are bad people, so ethnically we shouldn’t like or root for them, but we always do.

The Godfather and Goodfellas are both considered “mafia movies.” Both of these films portray some form of organized crime committed by Italians. They mutually romanticize the mob lifestyle and depict it with pure clarity. Although both of these movies portray the lives of the same kind of people, they are more than just a simple characterization. Violence plays a major role in each of these films. The Godfather and Goodfellas are obviously very similar. However, they also have several aspects that differ from one another.

When talking about a true American crime story, one can start and end the discussion with one of the most powerful and influential true stories ever told: GoodFellas. Based on the incredible true story, the film follows the rise and fall of Lucchese crime family associates Henry Hill and his friends throughout the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 1980s. Originally written as the non-fiction novel “Wise Guys” by Nicholas Pileggi, the story takes you deep into the world of arguably the most notorious crime posse America has ever known: the Italian Mafia. It is viewed by scores of critics and moviegoers alike as one of the greatest crime/drama movies ever filmed – so needless to say, with such a

Demonstrating the success of crime in a rewarding way in Classical Hollywood was not often practiced by Gangster film directors. The 1983 remake of “Scarface” offers more of the “ill-moral American Dream” convention that most modern black gangster films utilize. Drug trafficking, robbery, and explicit content such as sexual interaction is using to convey the surrealism of the character internal conflict. The male character is usually trying to find his way in a corrupt world, either he fall victim to the unfortunate lifestyle or obtain an legal career that brings success prosperity and a peace of mind. The capability of starting from the bottom working your way up through crime and helping those less fortunate and family storyline is reuse throughout films such as “New Jack City”, “Paid in Full”, and “Get Rich or Dye Trying”.

Martin Scorsese does an exquisite job of making this film real. When Henry is still young, his innocence is displayed so subtly, but with profound clarity. The same can be said for all the scenes in the movie. The characters often seem to live in a different world, with their frequent killings and the absence of emotion that they display. Then all of a sudden, you'll find yourself identifying with the character, and they will seem so classically human. The Gangster, as Robert Warshow puts it, is a “quintessential 'tragic hero', a character whose very nature and deeds ultimately condemn them to a short and fruitless existence, outside of the boundaries of normal society”. The Gangster's place within cinema is

To define a film by a certain genre, there are several elements and signatures that a film will display in order to signify its place amongst the genre. A film from the gangster genre is characterized by violence and lawlessness of american capitalism and The American Dream. The short lived classical era of the gangster genre in Hollywood is also greatly influenced by the production code which manifested the iconic moral narrative of the gangster genre. William A. Wellman’s 1931 film The Public Enemy can be considered a film of the gangster genre when one examines the conflict with the American dream, the rise and fall of the protagonist Tom Powers, as well as the visual storytelling employed to support the narrative.

“American Gangster” is based on the true story of Frank Lucas’ life. It is the story of how he cut out the middleman in the heroin business and the story of how Ritchie Roberts caught him. Throughout the film we see the parallel between a cop and a criminal as we inch forward to see their lives finally meet.

Realism was a theme that Scorsese tried to replicate after reading the book “Wiseguy” and to translate that feeling of authenticity onto the big screen. GoodFellas captures a genuine emotion compared to similar mob movies such as The Godfather. The Godfather’s characters are bound together by samurai-like codes and family ties that created a professional, business-like structure. GoodFellas was aligned on Henry Hill, a wise guy who hung out in clubs, stole from trucks, and hustled drugs as a way of life. Hill, Jimmy Conway (played by Robert DeNiro), and Tommy DeVito (played by the fantastic Joe Pesci) abide by no rules, regulations and would whack anyone who would step out of line.

The crime genre is about a crime that is being committed or was committed and may sometimes be an account of a criminal's life. Scarface displays many criminal that can blow one's mind and is in many ways an account of Montana's life as a drug lord. The film falls into the subgenre of crime, as a "gangster" film for the simple fact that it portrays a criminal organization with a level of organization and resources that

'The Godfather' is the most revolutionary gangster film of all time, it rewrote the gangster genre in such a stylized way that all latter gangster films have conformed to this genre but also evolved it as films have progressed. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola 'The Godfather' re-invented the gangster genre elevating it to a Hollywood status and making it commercially profitable. It looks into the life of the 'Corleone' family and represents America at that point in time. It portrays the violence and power, corruption and justice, honour and obligation apparent at that time. Previous to 'The Godfather's' release the 'American Dream' was born, to idealists America was the country of

According to film theorist Thomas Schatz, “a genre approach (to film) provides the most effective means for understanding, analyzing, and appreciating the Hollywood cinema (Schatz vii).” His approach to film is strongly supported by theorist Edward Branigan’s and the narrative representation of character interaction (Branigan), and André Bazin’s arguments that the objective reality pressed against audience interpretation.