Scarface The Shame Of A Nation Analysis

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

When we think of the mafia and gangs, one name comes to mind, Al Capone. Al Capone, also known as Scarface, was an infamous mafia leader who was active in Chicago during the Prohibition era. Having committed numerous criminal deeds and being the man behind countless murders, Capone was finally arrested for tax evasion . Now, you might ask, “How was he able to commit all these violent deeds without being imprisoned?” Well, we first have to go to the beginning of Capone’s life.

Francis Ford Coppola directed the gangster crime drama film, The Godfather (1972), inspired by the novel of the same name, written by Author Mario Puzo. The film plays out in the beginning how Don Corleone declined to join the narcotics business with notorious drug lord Sollozzo. With this in mind, one of the greatest gangster films created by a man who decided to lead, and not follows. Moreover, explaining the formalist approach for this film which covers an array of elements that include plot structure, camera techniques, editing, mise en scene, and sound. The following film critique will analyze “The Godfather,” beginning by utilizing the formalist approach theory, camera technique and sound gradually introducing additional theories

The critically acclaimed film, Goodfellas, is a gangster crime drama that features an incredible amount of talent. Household names such as: Robert De Niro (Jimmy Conway), Joe Pesci (Tommy DeVito), Paul Sorvino (Paul Cicero), and promising stars like Ray Liotta (Henry Hill) and Lorraine Bracco (Karen Hill), attracted numerous Oscar and Golden Globe nominations. That type of cast power, linked with the signature talent of Martin Scorsese as a director, made for cinematic gold. Unquestionably, the actors and actresses did an excellent job augmenting the verisimilitude of this film and compelling audiences to empathize with their characters. But the cinematography in this film plays just as large a role in having audiences feel what the characters are feeling at a specific moment. Through the use of freeze frames, we learn of significant moments that shape Henry into the man that he is. By means of first-person narration we are able to know exactly what is going through a particular character’s mind. Finally, wonderful editing made great use of point of view and multiple jump cuts, which added to the sensation that we are undergoing the same experiences as the characters on screen. I will go into further detail and specify scenes that convey these elements as the essay progresses. Altogether, Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas effectively depicts paramount scenes and allows the audience to empathize with the characters by virtue of stylistic editing and cinematography.

The gangster movie Scarface was released in 1983. It was directed by Brian De Palma and written by Oliver Stone. Al Pacino plays the main character of Tony Montana, best known as Scarface. Scarface was one of the best gangster movies of all times, I suggest everyone watch Scarface because it is full of action, drama suspense and violence but most of all greed. In the 1983 era Scarface was a big hit, I found this move breath taking, because of how Scarface murdered anyone who stood in his way, but most of all how his reputation lead him to become the biggest drug lord in Miami, and how his power helped him control all cocaine that went threw the states.

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

After reading the article, “The Culmination of Classic Hollywood: Casablanca” written by Robert Ray, it examines the film Casablanca and the way it demonstrates how Americans felt during World War II. The main issues that both the article and the film address are the issues of lifestyles, ambitions, and class divisiveness.

Another element of the gangster genre that is seen in Wellman’s film is the rise and fall trajectory of the central gangster protagonist. In order to avoid glamorizing the life of a gangster and his perverted American Dream, his crimes must be punished. This is a central element to any gangster film created under the auspices of the production code. To obey the rules and regulation of the PCA, any gangster in film will live “a short but glamorous life..that reaffirms the audience’s knowledge that in Hollywood, lawlessness cannot go unpunished” (Køhlert 857). The era under the PCA shaped the narrative of the gangster genre to include the death of essentially every gangster protagonist. In one of the most powerful scenes of the film, after Tom has taken revenge on the rival members, he stumbles, shot, clutching his chest into the raining streets and gutter (The Public Enemy). He is alone, isolated by the rain, and likely going to die. This is not a character the audience is supposed to sympathize with, and this is exactly to goal of the gangster genre. After the audience has seen Powers rise through the world of crime starting as a little boy

“Art imitates life”; thus stories on television screens are accurate representations and reflections of societal attitudes, belief systems, and culture at a given moment in time. In addition to imitating life on screen, film noir tackles rising tensions and controversial issues within society. Traditionally, film noir is "an anti-genre that […] produces a psychological, […] moral disorientation, [and] an inversion of capitalist and puritan values, as if it were pushing [the government] system toward revolutionary destruction”. This specific style of television unapologetically presents latent cultural and social issues that directly oppose pre-established values and central belief systems, leading to unprecedented progression of political

In the film industry there are all types of different genres ranging from happy comedic films, all the way to dark and depressing films that all serve an important purpose. Each film genre has a specific way of evoking certain emotions out of viewers. All throughout the years, different movie genres used different approaches to impact viewers about certain issues that was going on in their culture. Today, I will be analyzing and talking about the descriptive approach within the musical romance Grease and how it is used to create an interesting and loved film. In the descriptive approach of analyzing films, there are many questions that can be asked towards specific genres such as: What is frightening, or what possibilities do we fear?

Martin Charles Scorsese was born November 17, 1942. Suffering from asthma, he spent most of his time watching movies and by the time he was eight, he was already drawing his own storyboards that were directed/produced by himself. Although he considered going into priesthood, making movies was Scorsese’s true calling and he went on to make some of Hollywood’s most memorable films. Incorporating themes from his Italian American roots into his visceral, cinematic storytelling that has influenced generations of filmmakers. He is an American director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and film historian, whose career spans more than 53 years. Scorsese 's body of work addresses such themes as Sicilian-American identity, Roman Catholic concepts of guilt and redemption, machismo, modern crime, and gang conflict. Many of his films are also notable for their depiction of violence and liberal use of profanity. Part of the New Hollywood wave of filmmaking, he is widely regarded as one of the most significant and influential filmmakers in cinema history. For three decades Scorsese has been at the forefront of American cinema. Its most avid champion and often its most electrifying practioner. The most cinematic of directors, he has also been among the most formally restless and exploratory, evolving an obsessive-compulsive mise-en-scene based on dynamic, agile camerawork and radical editing rhythms.

    Film and literature are two media forms that are so closely related, that we often forget there is a distinction between them. We often just view the movie as an extension of the book because most movies are based on novels or short stories. Because we are accustomed to this sequence of production, first the novel, then the motion picture, we often find ourselves making value judgments about a movie, based upon our feelings on the novel. It is this overlapping of the creative processes that prevents us from seeing movies as distinct and separate art forms from the novels they are based on.

Drugs, violence, drugs, materialism, drugs, immorality and more drugs. The movie explores a lot of themes, crime, politics, psychology and the “American Dream”, all which is portrayed in a bloody and foul-mouthed manner. Scarface is a glorified portrayal and subversion of crime life at the same time. Tony Montana is an immigrant that has nowhere else to go, he then goes to a life of crime, got rich, and then goes down. It is a common misconception that the movie glorifies violence. The conceptions are wrong; the movie portrays violent scenes as a major turning point for characters, both tragic and bittersweet. Like the tagline of the movie. Tony loved “The American Dream, with a

Second, I want to cover the cause and effects registered in this movie. A very reoccurring cause and effect in this movie is whenever Scarface gets angry or mad he snorts more and more cocaine. I found this relatively funny because by the end of the movie he is snorting a ton of cocaine that leads up to his demise. Another effect that is shown throughout the movie is Scarface growing in success and reputation. The cause of this is the many successful business deals that he undertakes and engages in. Another effect is that he makes more and more enemies along the way. This is due to his reputation and power rising. Another cause and effect occurs when Scarface has an argument with his wife and yells at her about her not being able to produce any children for him. This later on causes him to fail a mission because he is not able to bring himself to kill children. A major cause and effect in the story occurs when Scarface sees that his best friend is with his sister. At this point Scarface kills his best friend, which causes his sister to go into major depression, and which pushes him to indulge in even more cocaine which leads to disaster.

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