“Say hello to my little friend” is one of the most notorious lines in film history. Before writing this paper, I was unaware that Brian DePalmer’s Scarface was a remake of Hawks’s original Scarface movie. Being a fan of the gangster film, I was interested to see what similarities and differences the two versions shared or differed, such as the main character, influenced eras, and outlook on gangsters. In the two version of Scarface, the main character in each film is an immigrant in America in search of the American Dream. DePalma’s Tony Camonte was from Italy, and in Hawks’s film, Tony Montana was from Cuba. Their immigrant status becomes important as the film emphasizes the idea that both characters came to America with the mindset of achieving the American Dream, which was to become rich and powerful. The amount of lust they had towards power was not only displayed by them climbing their way up to the top of the world through crimes they committed, but was also epitomized by the characters obsession of “The World is Yours” phrase. In the 1931 version, Scarface’s apartment has the view of a billboard with the phrase, which is focused on the end of the film when the lights go out. This symbolizes Scarface’s death and loss of power. In the 1983 version, the film illustrates his power even more by having the phrase inscribed on a giant gold statue, as they hold up the world in their hands. To demonstrate Scarface’s death and loss of power, he falls dead into the pool in front of the statue to reflect the same message from the original version. DePalma’s Scarface was made in 1932, while Hawk’s Scarface was made in 1983, both completely different periods. The 1932 Scarface was released when the Production Codes of 1927 and 1930 took... ... middle of paper ... ... there is a long shot of Scarface in his mansion to emphasize how powerful and wealthy he is, and throughout the trailer, non-digetic music is also used in this trailer to build suspense and tension. Watching both versions of Scarface was very interesting because it’s always cool to compare and contrast an original movie to a remake. A difference between the two films was the time period, Depalmer’s version focused more on the prohibition era using the classical gangster look while Hawk’s used a more up to date look using the materialistic look of the 80’s. A similarity between the two versions is the attitudes of Tony Camonte and Tony Montana, both wanted the world. In conclusion, I liked how both films included the phrase “The World is Yours” through symbolism, and how both films show how Tony Camonte and Tony Montana work their way up the ladder to reach the top.
Film Noir, as Paul Schrader integrates in his essay ‘Notes on Film Noir,’ reflects a marked phase in the history of films denoting a peculiar style observed during that period. More specifically, Film Noir is defined by intricate qualities like tone and mood, rather than generic compositions, settings and presentation. Just as ‘genre’ categorizes films on the basis of common occurrences of iconographic elements in a certain way, ‘style’ acts as the paradox that exemplifies the generality and singularity at the same time, in Film Noir, through the notion of morality. In other words, Film Noir is a genre that exquisitely entwines theme and style, and henceforth sheds light on individual difference in perception of a common phenomenon. Pertaining
The movie “Scarface” is the story of one these immigrants who came to the United States seeking money and power but ended up with much more than he ever excepted. Al Pacino plays the main
The film that interested me for this assignment was “Boyz n the Hood”. The movie was about a Los Angeles neighborhood expanding of drug and gang culture, with increasingly tragic results. It was about how one teen had family support to guide him on the right path in life regarding the social problems around him. The other two teens in the film wasn’t as fortunate and fell into the social problems of drugs, violence, and gangs; where one ended up dead.
In Casablanca, we emerge with a feeling of hope, and joy, that the forces of good can win, and that eventually we will triumph over our enemies, wherever or whatever they may be. While slochky and romantic, Casablanca is a touching movie, and probably one of the best ever made. 1984 on the other hand, is a deep psychological thriller.
New Jack City, noted as ‘the crime film of the 90’s’,serves as an important episode for African-American people in America. Set in New York city, the film depicts the story of a success-driven antagonist Nino Brown (Wesley Snipes) who builds an empire powered by organized crime, drug trafficking, and Black delinquent young adults trapped in the cycle of crime. Ronald Reagan’s economic policy coupled with the popularity of crack-cocaine in the inner city creates inconsistencies and untapped markets in the poor community which Nino Brown brilliantly capitalizes on and exploits. His empire is able to successfully cut out the middle men in the drug trafficking market and centralize their operation in a single low-income housing complex inhabited
The gangster genre within films in America has accomplished numerous positive criticisms and constant willing audiences due to containing outstanding spectacles and mind-blowing action. The Godfather, being second on the IMDb Top 250 Movies, has set a new popular concept to life within the Mafia from their point of view. Doing so, creating a positive association. Yet within Italy, the same topic contains a complete different view. Movies such as I Cento Passi demonstrate unenthusiastic view by those whom are outside yet negatively affected by those members. Unlike American films, the gangsters are not as often viewed at the protagonist and are the main causes for the problematic events. But how different is Italian Mafia and American Mafia in cinema?
The Godfather is most notably one of the most prolific films of its time. This "gangster" film displayed many transformations of permeating color to give the viewer observable cues in its mise en scene that drew one right into the movie. The dramatic acting set the tone of the film with a score that lifted the viewer right out of their seat in many scenes. The directing and cinematography made The Godfather ahead of its time. The nostalgic feel of family importance and the danger of revenge lets us into the life of the Mafia. Even though no other techniques would have given the viewer a feeling of inside the mob like the mise en scene of the power the godfather held, the characters are reinforced literally and figuratively because the story views the Mafia from the inside out, and the cinematography of the film gives it a dangerous and nostalgic feel.
Something else that surprised me was the competition between the gangs, who could give the most flowers and give the most lavish funerals to the men they killed from the opposite side of town. Al Capone was a very ruthless killer but he still had style, a certain classy air about him.
The Godfather is the “dark-side of the American dream story” (Turan, pp2). The film follows the practices of a fictional Italian mafia family, the Corleone’s. Though most Americans do not condone the practices of the Italian mafia, they cannot deny that Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather is a cinematic masterpiece. This film gave insight to a mysterious way of life that the average person does not have knowledge of. As the audience is educated about the mafia they also are introduced to many stereotypes.
Connelly, Marie. "The films of Martin Scorsese: A critical study." Diss. Case Western Reserve University, 1991. Web. 07 Apr 2014.
Al Capone Legacy Al “Scarface” Capone was a successful entrepreneur who saw an opportunity and pounced on it. Capone made his fortune through both legal and illegal business practices. WIth these strategies they live on and we see them today still and with them many laws and reforms had been created because of Capone. Capone had a very challenging and different childhood with eight siblings, he was born January 17th, 1899 in Brooklyn, New York. He had struggled in school, not because of the work as he was a fairly good student but he saw rules as something to break and not something to follow.
An obvious difference in these films is that the 1931 version played to a Depression audience and that the Coppola version played to a modern audience. (I am being extremely careful because, obviously, the 1931 audience was modern in 1931; however, we like to think of ourselves as being more modern than past generations. There are differences in the audiences which viewed the respective versions in their time, and I hope to prove this point as the paper unfolds.)
New York circa 1950 to 1960, when the film would take place, was full of gang violence and juvenile delinquents. Arthur Laurents, and Leonard Bernstein had been meeting up, trying to collaborate on a work which would end up falling through. Spying a Los Angeles Times headline on gang violence in 1955 be...
Money, murder, power, and loyalty, the epitome and basic essentials of any Mafia movie. Initially, when watching two of the most popular titles in this genre, Goodfellas and The Godfather, they may have similar themes, but in all truth, they are on completely opposite ends of the spectrum. While Goodfellas welcomes you to the family with a friendly smile and a voice-over, The Godfather makes you stand astray and watch in silence as an outsider.
Gran Torino is a suspense film directed by Clint Eastwood, which portrays the relationship between a 78-year-old Koran war veteran and his neighbors who are from Laos. The main character, Walt is a racist who still has memories from the horrors of war and has a dislike for anyone, including his own family. After his young neighbor Thao is coerced by his cousin’s gang into stealing Walt’s prized Gran Torino, a unusual relationship forms between the pair. Walt starts to respect Thao and his culture while fulfilling a fatherly role that Thao is lacking. Eventually, Walt has to confront the gang knowing that the confrontation will end in his death. Apart from the stereotypical, get off my lawn quote, this film depicts the relationship of family concerning the care for older adults, the struggle with despair and meaning later in life, and the morality of a good death. This paper will address each of these themes.