Assignment 1: Textual Analysis
Chosen Genre: Gangster/Crime Films
I have chosen to analyse the gangster genre which can also be categorised under the headings such as crime, detective, and private eye films. The different headings used to organise these pictures highlight ‘the difficulty of allocating a single generic name to a set of types of film’ (Howard 153:2000). Within a genre there are many sub-genres and gangster/crime is no exception. To uncover the elements which help sculpt the gangster genre I will analyse two moving images from Martin Scorsese’s Casino (1995). I would believe Casino to be what we understand of a traditional gangster movie, usually depicting activates of a specific organisation the Mafia. I will give a brief history of the emergence of gangster films as I feel it to be relevant, despite the advancements and developments the genre has undertaken. The gangster film dates from the late 1920’s and is widely recognised as an American genre, mainly due to social and economic events relevant to the States at this time – The great depression and prohibition (Howard 153:2000) These events drew light upon real life gangsters and they become media celebrities, for example Al Capone and Ma Barker. The coverage of them in the media therefore created a need for their lives to be depicted on the big screen. Also the gangster films from this time period and those that have followed depicted real life gangsters, or are based on true events heightening both realism and verisimilitude.
The first sequence I have chosen lies near the beginning of the narrative. I think it illustrates iconography and narrative devices which enable the audience to identify the genre through repetition of elements they recognise from previous films of this type. Iconography, which is originally a 15th centaury art history term, refers to symbolic visuals which create meaning. It is the repetition of these elements which define genres.
The sequence begins with a wide angle shot depicting the Las Vegas strip, slowly panning to focus upon the protagonists business – the casino. The Las Vegas strip is symbolic in itself representing the glamour and glitz associated with middle class America. The city of Vegas is tagged as the entertainment capital of the world which signifies wealth and money, along with the obvious association with gambling, an activity prevalent to the genre. Money is a constant recurring feature of Gangster films, and often drives the narrative forward as it is nearly always the motive behind the gangster’s activities and work.
The portrayal of gangsters in Casino goes along with the conventional representations that the audience expect from the genre. They are smartly dressed, high class individuals who treat their criminal activities with a business minded approach. It is of course the money which allows them to live this lavish lifestyle, so they take the work which earns them their funding very seriously. Without their money they are effectively nothing. Their lifestyle is represented not only through characterisations, but through the setting, the places of work, the costume, cars, and the homes they inhabit. After the opening sequence we are shown the protagonist Sam Rothstein (Robert De Niro) entering his place of work – the casino. The bright lights, flash cars and pristine architecture become representative of his lifestyle. He is shown stepping out of a car and walking into the building with associates along a large bright red carpet which signifies the wealth, money and therefore power he posses.
The power of the protagonist is another recurring theme of the genre. They are shown to posses the same level of power as politicians, through there control over police and security. This makes a comment on ideological values held by western society that money can buy you anything. The way Rothstein acquires his wife in the narrative, by luring her in with jewellery and clothing heightens this idea along with an example from the sequence depicted through Joe Pesci’s voice over. He describes how they manage to scam money from the casino by bribing the security staff, to turn a blind eye to their blatant stealing. The camera follows a man taking large amounts of cash from a safe and straight out of the front door without hassle from security. The power of manipulation is demonstrated here, but it ultimately reinforces the importance of money within the genre.
As De Niro’s character enters the Casino, the audience is exposed to a wide angle tracking shot displaying the sumptuous interior, along with the customers, staff, and gangsters. The costume of the gangster is an important feature, and this particular shot allows the audience to distinguish the gangsters from everyone else through their previous knowledge of the genre. This recognition comes from mobster pictures such as The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola 1972), and earlier examples such as Howard Wells’ The Big Sleep (1942). In these pictures and many others of its type, gangsters are commonly shown wearing expensive co-ordinated suits, like businessman, giving them a level of sophistication, yet more importantly separating them from civilians. This gives the audience the impression that these are not normal people; civilians are represented in brightly dressed clothing, more elaborate fashions, with accessories and flamboyant haircuts. The gangsters are smart, yet subtle in their dress; their haircuts are short and neat but not elaborate, adding to this idea of segregation from normal society. They are highlighted as a niche within society, an exception to the rule if you will.
The fabricated appearance of the Casino becomes more symbolic when we are shown a following pan focusing upon an accountant making his trip into the counting room, and then straight out through the main room of the casino, into a car outside. The counting room is described by De Niro’s voice over as ‘the most sacred room in the casino’ yet the mise en scene draws up a stark contrast when placed against that of the main room where the customers are gambling their money away. The area is represented as a small office room, clean yet bland. The composition is made up of greys, whites and blacks. There are cardboard boxes stacked in the corner along with tall filing cabinets and workers dressed in plain white shirts counting an abundance of ‘cash’. This creates ideas of a capitalist consumer driven society, and also comments upon the how the casino’s fictitious appearances lures encourages people to spend their money. The contrast with the counting room is ironic. There is no attempt for flashy interior design, as no-one in the public can view it, everything is cheap tom maximise profit margins. As De Niro’s voice over continues he explains how all the entertainment features of Vegas have ‘all been arranged just for us to get your money’. This construction of falseness is prevalent in a consumer society, and co-insides with the gangster conventions, of money and more importantly greed. This is what De Niro describes as ‘the truth about Las Vegas’.
The dominance of masculinity is a highly recurrent theme and Casino is no exception. All staff shown working for Rothstein are males along with the associates he meets after he steps out of the car. The male protagonist is usually shown as the one in power; he makes the decisions and pulls the strings within the organisation. It has been argued the genre ‘reinvents the public’s fascination with the swaggering male western outlaw’ (www.fathom.com/course). Male gaze of the camera embodies spectator identification making it enjoyable for the male audience, while the ruthless sexy characterisation ensures pleasure for the female audience.
The second scene I have chosen depicts a different darker side to the character of the gangster. It is a short montage containing much less emphasis on the style and sophistication of the characters and leans more towards their brutal, ruthless and desperate nature. This scene comes much later in the picture which in itself is a reason for this shift in representation. The gangster film is usually made up of the rise and fall of the protagonist and his gang. Because the genre is widely considered as American, most will always follow these codes as they do not want to glorify crime, or represent them as a successful product of the American dream on the wrong side of the law. So as the narrative progresses we will ultimately see more wreck less and violent behaviour which will ultimately lead to their demise. This is interesting when deconstructing a British gangster film for example where often the criminal is shown to have beaten the system, or avoided death or arrest. In Nick Loves The business (2005), the protagonist is seen to have ‘tried crime, women, and drugs…and won, and drove off into the sunset’ with a large container of cash in his car. This demonstrates that cultural differences have great effect upon the depiction of genre.
The montage is broken down into three smaller sections depicting acts of violence. These clips all made up of urban settings that shape the battleground, with the prominence of night and darkness made more apparent. This has audience effect in terms of tension, and also creates an expectation for violence. The ambiguity of a dark urban setting ‘reflects the…complexity of a society where corruption reigns’ (Howard 156:2000). This is relevant to the character of the gangster as it provides a cover for their operations, yet it also becomes representative of their enemy – the police. This short montage offers representations of both sides and highlights power struggles between the two.
The first section focuses on an assault of a man being inflicted by Nicky (played by Joe Pesci) and his gang. The level of brutality common throughout the genre is apparent due to the fact the gang are interrogating the man through extreme force yet they are unsure why. The victim is on his own increasing the cruelty and viciousness of the attack. The editing flicks rapidly to a scene of drug use and snaps back quickly heightening the shock factor created through the violence. De Niro’s voice over co-insides with the image of drug use, suggesting Nicky’s paranoia and hinting towards his eventual demise. A birdseye shot is used as gang retreat to their cars the editing slowly fades into the same shot with only the victim left alone face down on the ground showing their distinct lack of care for the life of another person, adding to the evil, darker characterisation of the gangster.
The second section features on the police arresting a gang member at gun point. The gun is a sign of masculinity making it an iconic symbol of the genre. As he attempts to raise his hands they mistake a sandwich for a gun and shoot him down. The dialogue is crammed with swearing even more so than usual during this sequence, allowing the audience to empathise with the heightened emotions of the characters and also demonstrating the gravity of the situation. The police are also represented as dishonest placing a gun next to the victim to save on paperwork which ties in with the ambiguity of a dark urban setting whilst emphasising the ongoing theme of a corrupt society. A birdseye shot is again composed mainly of dark black areas framing the carnage in the centre of the frame.
The third section shows the gangsters revenge for the above incident and clearly depicts the furiousness, vehemence, and shear disregard the law that embody the sinister nature of the gangster. Ballistic machine gun fire leaves a police residence in tatters. Camera movement and editing are rapid to flow with the sound used which amplify the audience’s reaction. We are given the gangsters perspective enabling us to see the house being destroyed, and possibly giving the audience a guilty satisfaction as we often feel more drawn towards the gangsters than the police throughout the genre. This is aligned with shots of the gang clutching an array of artillery adding to masculine ambience of the scene.
In conclusion I feel Scorsese has created a traditional gangster film containing many reoccurring iconography, made famous by classics such as Scarface (Hawks 1932). Casino follows the pattern of the ‘mob film’ representing an American tragedy. The realism and close association with true to life events heightens the verisimilitude and along with depth of characterisation creates all the more shock when explosive events occur.
Bibliography
Branston, G., Stafford R., 2003, the Media Students Book, London: Routledge
http://www.fathom.com/course/10701053/session3.html
The Godfather, 1972. film. Francis Ford Coppola. USA: Paramount Pictures
Scarface, 1932. film. Howard Hawks. USA: The Caddo Company
Hayward, S., 2000, Cinema Studies: The Key Concepts, London: Routledge
The Business, 2005. Nick Love. UK/Spain: Vertigo Films
Casino, 1995. Martin Scorsese. USA/France: Universal Pictures
The Big Sleep, 1946. Howard Wells. USA: Warner Bros
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