Synthesis Myths and heroe

Synthesis on the theme : Myths and heroe

How has the image of gangsters evolued in history ?

Firstly, we're going to talk about the gangsters of yesterday. Secondly, we will talk about the gangsters of today. Thirdly, we speak about the progress of the gangster's image.

Firstly, we're going to talk about the gangster of yesterday. Al Capone was born in 1899 in New York City. He had a complicated-life because he was in prison while 11 years. He killed more than 100 peoples. He made his career in Chicago. He made a lot of money : 16 billions of dollars with alcohol, he played a lot at gambling and 16 billions of dollars with racketeering. He died on an island in Florida in 1947. He was the biggest gangster of all the states of America. The trailer of “Broadwalk Empire” was made in 1920 (beginning of the Prohibition). It was made in Atlantic City (New Jersey) on the East cost, just south of New York City. This trailer talks about alcohol traffic, murders, prostitution and arson. In this trailer, there is the character of Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, Johnny Torrio, Arnold Rothstein, Big Jim Colosimo, famous gangsters og this era. Prohibition didn't forbid people to drink liquor, but making it, selling it or buying it was illegal. At the beginning of the extract, a gangster and corrupt politicians celebrate Prohibition because they see it as an opportunity to make a lot of money. On the one hand, the ganster is a hero because he has nice cothers, a glamourous life and power. In the other hand, he stays cool as a cucumber when is minions murder people, so he is a villain.

Secondly, we will talk about the gangsters of today. The trailer of “Straight Outta Compton” is for the biopic of a gangsta rap band called N.W.A (Niggaz Wit an Attitude), which was very popular in the 1990s. The main characters invented the concept of gangsta rap, telling stories of the gangsters of their hood in their songs. They borrowed maany elements from gangster movies and especially from the second Scarface : the big gold chains, the assault rifles, the love for easy money and a show-off lifestyle. Like real gangsters, they are even shot in gang wars. Contrary to Tony Montana, however, they have artistic talent to succeded in life. The “Fox News” in a TV channel. They made a video for the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Washington March (=when the leaders of the Civils Rights Movement, including Martin Luther King, organised a huge protest against segregation). The expert is outraged at the image of the African-American community given by Jay-Z. She accuses him of being a misoginist. In fact his lyrics are full of sexual discrimination. He is a bad example. Moreover, she is very angry at another artist who released a rape tape with a girl dressed as Harriet Tubman (=an anti-slavery activist who helped thousands of slaves escape the southern states through the unferground railway). She is disgusted at such a lock of respect from artists of the African-American Community. To sum up, the video gives a very negative image of gangsta rap.

Thirdly, we speak about the progress of the gangster's image. In the first Scarface, the scene takes place in Chicago whereas in the remake, the scene takes place in Miami. So both the heroes are immigrants but unlike the first character, Tony Montana is not Italian but Cuban. They illustrate two different waves of migration. The first hero make millions selling liquor during the Prohibition while the second becomes rich sellinf drugs. The plot is the same and both heroes die in the end, because they are villains. The character played by Al Pacino is friendlier and funnier than the one played by Paul Muni : he makes jokes and looks a bit foolish, not only dangerous. The Hays Code is the official censorship code of Hollywood : if the movies didn't respect it, they couldn't come out. It took Howard Hawks three years to make a movie, the Hays Code could approve. It was difficult for him to make a gangster movie based on the life of Al Capone and to obey the code at the same time. So he had to cheat a little. For example, he couldn't show murders or blood, thus he filmed murders in shadows. Moreover, sex scenes were forbidden and he used the metaphor of a man lighting a woman's cigarette. Sometimes, he really respected the code and the result is strange (i.e when Tony taunts the police), but he had trouble with the general principles. Finally, the villain must not be likable, which is not always the case in the movie. To obey the code, Hawks was obliged to kill him at the end (=people do not want to imitate him).

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