COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS Submitted by: Marcus Timothy L. Montaos Submitted to: Prof. Valerie Anne C. Miranda English 2 / IT1421 Comparative Analysis: Scarface (1983) and The Godfather (1972) I. Introduction Scarface is a crime-drama film that is famously known for being one of the most violent and profanes films during its time of release. Focusing on the rise of Tony Montana (Al Pacino) on the criminal ladder and becoming more psychotic as his career as the leader of his drug empire progresses, leading to his eventual downfall. Directed by Brian de Palma, written by Oliver Stone and with performance of the cast with the lead Al Pacino, Scarface became a cult classic among the masses. The Godfather is a mob film focuses on the Corleone Family, with its head Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) trying to find a suitable heir …show more content…
The film is a myriad of deconstruction of the mafia stereotype; it does not gratify gang life of any form. In fact, it tries to subvert several of them. First is the inclusion of Michael, the oddest of the family, a college educated war veteran with a normal girlfriend. He is the anti-thesis to another anti-thesis, which is Vito Corleone. Vito, the father of the family, is not the typical ruthless crime lord; instead, he is the role model of the family, honorable, smart, sociable and very kind. These are the qualities not always associated with criminals. This subversion denies the norm, and establishes them as normal people living underground lives. Life in the mafia is not grand, rich or very healthy. It is one of the most dangerous profession (?) that one can enter. It is full of cynicism, betrayal and outright lies. One can also make the argument that it’s a kind of duality between capitalism and Cosa Nostra; both are corrupt, greedy and only interested in self
Chapter One: ~Gerald PoV~ Everyday I wonder, what 's my life would be like if I wasn 't a mafia boss. Sometimes I laugh at the thought. I knew in my mind what type of person I would 've been if I wasn 't in the mafia.
The film Donnie Brasco tells the story of Joe Pistone, an undercover FBI agent who investigates a large crime family in New York City. Pistone goes undercover as Donnie Brasco, who is a new member of the Bonanno crime family. His new companion and mentor is Lefty Ruggiero, who has been a member of the family for years. Lefty teaches Brasco the ins and outs of being a member of a gang, and a bond between Lefty and Pistone form. As time goes by, Pistone becomes more involved with the Mafia and does not realize he is starting to become a real criminal instead of an agent.
“Never rat on your friends, and always keep your mouth shut” (Quotes from Goodfellas, n.d.). This quote from the 1990 critically acclaimed film Goodfellas encompasses some of the main foundations the American Mafia is built upon. And although this film was a major motion picture created in Hollywood, it was based on a true story and kept most of the key aspects of the Mafia’s culture. The role that family played in each individual sect across the country was unified in the sense that it was, by far, the most important to every member of the American Mafia. In the Mafia’s prime (approximately 1920-1985), it shared enough values with the dominant American culture, while maintaining a good amount of differences, to be considered a U.S. co-culture.
Al Capone Mobsters was a term that describes a group of gangsters in the 1920’s. Gambling, Prostitution, and Murder went hand in hand with the term of mobster. Every mafia group has a leader. Al Capone was a dangerous mobster who was a Mafia crime lord and had took part in illegal alcohol, illegal drugs, prostitution, and illegal gambling during the 1920s (History).
Goodfellas’ revision to the mob film genre and Goodfellas’ cultural significance and its relationship to society. Mob genre films also known as gangster films, have been on the big screen from the get go of American cinema. When I think of gangster genre, I think of Goodfellas directed by Martin Scorsese. Believed to be one of the greatest gangster films and even one of the greatest films ever made.
Though these two movies each one is a dramatization of mob life, the other is centered on two ex-convicts. This paper allows the reader to examine the similarities and contrast.
In this research brief, the main objective is to response to the group’s identification with organized crime. When did they form? What is the historical background of the crime group then and now? Criminal theory they associate with. How did they make money?
The story of ‘Mafia’, with all its violence, terror and internal turmoil has fascinated the Hollywood for a long while. It is no wonder then that Martin Scorsese's GoodFellas that is based on Nicholas Pileggi's bestseller Wiseguy is a cult classic. Unlike most other movies of this genre, GoodFellas does not focus on the romanticism of mafia, instead it shows the darkness inherent in that life. Through the story of Henry Hill, the protagonist of the movie played by Ray Liotta, GoodFellas explores the power and glory of being a mobster. When Henry is drawn into the orbit of Paul Cicero,the local kingpin, his life takes a complete turn.
The movies made car crashes, gunfire, and killing seem like wonderful things just because these gangsters had cool cars, girlfriends, and nice clothes (Lieurance 71). These gangsters were so glorified in the movies, but in real life, they were no joke. “During the first ten years of the 18th amendment, the murder rate climbed to 78% across the country and the arrests for drunken driving increased by 81%” (Hanson). One of the most popular and well-known gangsters in the 1920s was Al Capone (Lieurance 72). His most popular nickname was “Scarface” because when he was young he was attacked by a man named Frank Galluccio that cut his face three times with a razor (Lieurance 72).
They also became popular by their sheer secrecy and extremely violent crimes that became well known throughout the nation. The mafia was eventually weakened by the government and although the power of the mafia is no longer as great as it once was the mafia still operates in the United States to this day. The way the mafia was formed was that during the 1880’s there was a surge of Italian immigrants that went from 20,000 to 250,000 and in 1910 it even jumped to 500,000. Most people followed the laws but groups and gangs did start to form. In the late 1920’s however there was a war between two families of the mafia.
This was life for the citizens in Chicago, everyone was kept in constant fear for their lives if they ever crossed Capone. The Federal Government knew they had to control the violent city of Chicago by eliminating the Gaffron 2 criminal that was behind it all, Al Capone. This is when our heroes enter, The Untouchables. In the movie, The Untouchables were a team assembled by Federal Treasury Officer, Eliot Ness, to help combat the massacres by mobsters in Chicago. The Federal Ban of alcohol (prohibition) led to an illegal market for liquor and in turn, more crime.
Roman Colleton Mrs. Manatos English II 21 May 2023 How the Chicago Mafias Impacted the 1900s Culture and Society of America "Mafia is a process, not a thing. Mafia is a form of clan - cooperation to which it's individual members pledge lifelong loyalty.... Friendship, connections, family ties, trust, loyalty, obedience - this was the glue that held us together." ~ Joseph Bonanno, aka (Joe Bananas) , is a notorious mobster known for his hard-headed personality. The mafia is a prestigious organized crime group, that has close ties with political figures and “elites”.
In his book The Origin of Organized Crime in America, David Critchley states that his goal in writing this work is to dispel any popularized myths that the public had surrounding the Mafia. He thinks that, “ the history of the phenomenon of organized crime in American society contains many pitfalls, although none quite so precarious as the presence of a standard historiography” (pg. 239). Critchley believes that the media and historical accounts have created this image of the Mafia as this hierarchy of gangsters and murderers wreaking havoc in New York City and he believes that it is his duty to try and change that. He investigates the lives of many well known gangsters, and even some little known ones, additionally he examines documents from
The Mafia’s biggest and longest lasting impact on America can still be seen today. The mafia was and still is big in popular culture. Countless books, movies, television shows, and much more have been made about mafia life. In these movies they portray the gangsters as being cool people.
The Godfather (1972) is said to be one of the greatest films ever made. When this movie was released in 1972, it was nominated for Ten Academy Awards and it won three: Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay. The film was adapted from the book with the same name written by award winning author of mafia fiction, Mario Puzo. This film takes place in a span of ten years following the life of Don Corleone, the head of the Corleone Crime Family. It was a film that changed the history of cinema, introducing a very talented filmmaker and several acting legends in the telling of a story of a Sicilian Crime Family.