Marisol Garcia

Film & Society

Nothing captivates an audience more than violence, guns, and action. Gangster films

exactly captivated that fast-paced violence the audience wanted. It was a great escape from the

realities many had to face. Films like Little Caesar (1931), G-Men (1935), and Scarface (1983)

all had aspects of that gangster lifestyle. Each separate film had features that relate and contrast

to each other. As well as societal pressures that translate in the film. Nonetheless, they all relate

to the macho, rugged, and gangster presence the main characters showed.

The Great Depression molded what Americans enjoyed. For a cheap price they could go

and see movies. As well during this time gangster culture arose. Like Al-Capone and Chicago

based mobsters. Little Caesar was one of the first films to capture that essence of gangster

culture. The main characters Caesar and Joe, played by Edward G. Robinson and Douglas

Fairbanks Jr., different lifestyle choices captured Hollywood censorship. Joe wanted to stop the

gangster lifestyle for his dance career. On the other hand Caesar wanted to stay in gangs and be

the top dog. The fate they faced was a classic Hollywood arc plot. The man who stayed in a bad

lifestyle died, while the other is saved and living happily. Self-censorship was used so that it

would be family friendly. So kids wouldn’t look up to gangsters. “Classical Hollywood cinema

had taken great efforts to shield the family from the world of crime. Traditional genre films

routinely opposed the sacred space of the family to that of the world outside. Even gangster films

sought to contrast the bonds of family with those of the gang. Crime films centered dramatic

conflict around the struggle of each institution with the other over the possession of the identity

or soul of the gangster hero…”(Belton 236). That is just how society made sure to shield kids
from bad role models. There was no excessive use of blood as well. Nothing too graphic a child

couldn’t stomach. Family friendly and enjoyable to watch as a family. Another new aspect of

film in this era was sound. The awkward break from the silent film era and sound era prevailed

in this film. The use of music was very sparse in Little Caesar . The first instance of the film

using music was in the middle of the film when Joe was with his mother. They wanted to

emphasize the breakthrough of Joe not wanting to go back to the gangster lifestyle. The soft

music caught me off guard from normal dialogue. The strong emotions were emphasized for that

moment. After that there wasn’t any other use of sound. The new use of technology and new

societal pressures molded Little Caesar. From limited use of sound to not being able to capture

violence, Little Ceasar still showed how rough and masculine gangsters were. The genre was yet

still defined and persisted through organized crime with the character Caesar. The rough voices

and rugged acting made up for the lack of violence to show they are still ruthless mobsters.

Other films had the same struggles as Little Caesar. G-Men (1935) was made in the same

era as Little Caesar. The main character of G-Men, Davis, played by James Cagney, avoided

censorship by playing a gangster-like cop. A good person defeating evil.Very family friendly. A

role model many parents would love. The film adapted to the censorship laws. “Prior to 1968,

when the Production Code instituted in the 1930s was abandoned for a version of the present

film-rating system, certain subject matter was prohibited from the screen. Taboo subjects ranged

from the depiction of nudity, homosexuality, interracial sexual activity, incest, rape, and abortion

to excessive violence or brutality, profanity, the detailed depiction of criminal acts, and the use

of drugs” (Belton 230). G-Men cleverly avoided criminal acts with a cop defeating crime. Still in

the gangster relm, but not through the gangster’s point of view. Rather the cop’s rugged

machismo is just as ruthless as a criminal's. Another similarity to Little Ceasar was the Arc plot.
The main gangster, Collins, gets killed and the good people survive. Unlike Little Caesar, there

is a more use of music. There are more musical elements of entertainment in the film and sound

effects. There were more gunshot sounds. More of that jump and adrenaline feel of a high speed

chase. The directors and actors still gave a good taste of action and gangster-feels. Without

actually penalizing themselves with the Production code.

Modern day films about gangsters post-censorship era shows how that societal pressure

affected Hollywood’s real-feel of a gangster. Scarface (1983) was made way later compared to

Little Ceasar and G-Men. Scarface was not held back by the censorship era. The film was very

violent, graphic, sexual and showed obscene drug use. A very graphic detail I remembered from

the film is when Tony Montana, played by Al Pacino, did a full line of cocaine. That for sure

would not ever happen in 1930’s Hollywood. Even though mobsters in real life were all about

drug related crimes. Some similarities in Little Ceasar and Scarface is the arc plot. Both Montana

and Caesar got shot to death because they got caught. Another similarity is the slang and voices

used. They mimicked so well what you would imagine a gangster would sound like. As well as

the look. They were rugged and roughed up. As well as the tuxedo was very on point.

Nonetheless, both films captured well the lifestyle and risk of being a gangster. Despite the

different limitations both had, they both are very great films to me.

Bad guys will always be around. In real life or in films. How Hollywood portrayed

gangster films vary significantly in the 1930’s to 1980’s. Little Caesar, G-Men, and Scarface are

all gangster films that had differences and similarities. They all showed this genre in different

ways. Little Caesar showed how a mobster that turned their life for the better lived. The other

died from their own foolish mistake in staying in a life of crime. In G-Men, a cop chasing after

the bad gangster wins by killing him. In Scarface, the mobster dies from the rival gang. They all
showed the gangster lifestyle. Unlike Scarface’s brutal violence, blood, and drug use, Little

Ceasar and G-Men couldn’t show that from censorship. Yet they still showed the high-intense

risks of being in a gang or trying to defeat gangsters. Despite the limitations some of the films

had, it still showed the audience a taste of the fast-paced and dangerous lifestyle of a gangster.

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This was a great first paper. My grading criteria for perfect scores has always been, “If I cannot

come up with anything that I wish had been done differently, then I have to give a perfect score,”

and I could not come up with anything that I wish you had done differently. You did a great job

exploring your chosen film in relation to other genre exemplars, you incorporated the reading

material very well, and you explored the films in relation to their genre and to the culture which

produced them. This was exactly what I was looking for with this paper. Great job. I will be

looking forward to reading your next paper.