timeline gangstar

Gangster films often represent an American dream, to be rich, successful, powerful and have respect from the majority of people. Gangster films are a sub genre of American crime films dealing with organized crime, often involving a Mafia. The movie The Black Hand (1906) is said to be the earliest  gangster film. This film consisted of two members from a gang threatening a butcher, but the  butcher was unable to meet their demands, this led to which led to these 2 people kidnapping of his daughter and other tense dangerous confrontations. The film only lasted a duration of 11 minutes.

The first gangster film was the Black Hand which was actually a Mob Gangster film. These films often include a lot of crime on the streets and they also include a strong political connection. Control played a very strong role in these films as the people which were 'leaders' were the people which often had a lot of money and this led to them being able to have a huge amount of control over people. They would often give 'lower' members in the gang a place to live and a chance to earn money but only if the very strict rules were followed. If the rules were not obeyed, they would suffer severe consequences, whether it would be themselves or their loved ones, the 'leader' would decide.

The biggest gangster film between 1920-40 was '
Scarface. Mob gangster films were very popular around this time as it was the time of the great depression and the great recession. People used to go to watch films like this as it was an escape from their everyday problems. the main character in this film was Paul Muni who one of the more distinguished actors of his time because of the roles he played in 'Hollywood' films. This mob gangster film was about an an "ambitious and near insanely violent gangster climbs the ladder of success in the mob, but his weaknesses prove to be his downfall." (quoted from iMDB). the producers were the Caddo company.


One of the biggest films in this year gap was Bonnie and Clyde (
1967), also one of the greatest, well-known gangster films of all time.Bonnie and Clyde was a different kind of gangster film as it didn't include the typical american gangster stereotype (as described in 'Mob gangster films' and 'The beginning' of my prezi). it consisted of an extremely violent couple and their gang, robbing banks. It is unusual to see a woman in a gangster film as these films are dominated by males and dominance, which women weren't associated with back then, so this film bought a different aspect to gangster films, and as you can tell by the awards they received, it worked. The 'Bonnie and Clyde' film had an estimated budget of 2,500,000 and they made a huge worldwide profit of 67,500,000. This film was produced by the Warner Bros/seven arts who have made a lot of films starting from 1937.

A popular gangster film in this time was 'Pulp Fiction' (1994) where the lives of two mob hit men, a boxer, a gangster's wife, and a pair of diner bandits come together in four different events to engage a act of violence and revenge. 'Pulp Fiction' won an astonishing 59 awards and 1 Oscar, as well as being nominated for 46 other awards. Although this film was very successful, it had experienced and amazing actors involved such as John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson and Bruce Willis. Quentin Tarentino directed this film as well as other gangster films such as 'Reservoir Dogs' which was also a success. 'Pulp Fiction' had an estimated 8 million budget and they made just under 100 million profit.



Judging by the gangster films I have chosen, my research shows a recurring theme of power, dominance, violence and loyalty to fellow gang members. A lot of these films are similar even if they are produced 50 years apart, this is to keep the genre distinctive so when people see gangster films, they will recognize it as a gangster film. My research indicates that gangster films are very thrilling and violent which enhances the action. I feel gangster films are ultimately aimed at males as they are traditionally associated with bravery and being strong and powerful.