Julius Caesar Gangster Film Analysis

Little Caesar, Mervyn LeRoy, Edward G. Robinson, Warner Bros., 1931
The Public Enemy, William Wellman, James Gagney, Warner Bros., 1931
Scarface: Shame of the Nation, Howard Hawks, Paul Muni, Universal, 1932

This purpose of this paper will be to explore and define the gangster genre in American film history from the years of 1930-1932. These gangster films center on the criminal actions of bank robbers, hoodlums, and the bootlegging of alcohol during the period of prohibition. The gangsters who are depicted in these films operate outside the law without regard to the safety of human life. Gangster films are about gangsters who seek out power and wealth. The true to life gangsters of the 20’s and 30’s were a big influence in American cinema
gangster mythology. The Hollywood gangster is usually driven until they reach the top of the world, which is where they ironically meet their doom. Throughout this research paper three films in particular will be discussed. Little Caesar, The Public Enemy, and Scarface: Shame of the Nation are three of the most widely watched and critically discussed of the early gangster films. All three films, Little Caesar, The Public Enemy, and Scarface: Shame of the Nation epitomize the gangster genre.
According to Thomas Leitch, gangster genre films are especially concerned with the social order its gang parodies. (Leitch 103) Leitch goes on to state that this concern begins with the gangster film’s obsession with rules. There are some rules, Leitch argues that are so fundamental that they are universal throughout gangster films such as, the authority of the leader, junior gangsters respecting the original or elder gangsters, forbidden contact with the police, and no matter how dishonest a gangster is to the law, gangsters must honor their debt to each other. (Leitch 103) To summarize what Leitch observed, the gang is the supreme social authority and expects unquestioned loyalty. This was apparent in the film Scarface, where Tony Camonte lived by his own code, “Do it first, do it yourself and keep on doing it” and refused to relinquish his authority.
Throughout the genre of gangster films there is a variety of ways each gang establishes their personal social organization. (Leitch 106) The Public Enemy depicts an Irish gang whose ties among gang members are forged through childhood friendships. According to Leitch, gangs like those in The Public Enemy functioned as labor unions, forming a protective shield around weaker members ho would otherwise be vulnerable. In Howard Hawk’s Scarface an emphasis is placed on the gradual withdrawal of the gang leader from the day-to-day operations. (Leitch 107)
In Thomas Leitch’s book, Crime Films, he explains that no matter what social model a gang adopts it will not protect them from Hollywood’s moral imperative that crime doesn’t pay. (Leitch 107) Due to this, gangster films of the 1930’s had to come up with explanations for why the gangsters were committing these crimes. This ranged from moral deviance, where Tony Camonte willingly embraced a life of crime to being a product of their environment, where the bad kids of The Public Enemy grow up to become bad adults. Leitch also explains the racial, sociological determinism in these three films, where the gangsters in The Public Enemy are stereotypically Irish and the gangsters in Scarface and Little Caesar are Italian.
The gangster film genre flourished in the 1930’s for three specific reasons, theorized by Leitch. (Leitch 110) The first reason for these films success was due to the addition of synchronized sounds with the genre’s dramatic sound effects, which substituted the traditional non-diegetic music. The second reason the genre flourished was the opportunity that the synchronized sounds allowed the gangsters to define themselves through aggressive quips. For example, Rico in Little Caesar insults a rival gangster saying, “He can dish it out, but he’s got so he can’t take it any more” and Tom Powers’ own epitaph, “I ain’t so tough.” However, the third and most important factor according to Leitch was the backdrop of prohibition and the great depression.
Along with The Public Enemy (1931) and Scarface (1932), Little Caesar (1931) helped to usher in the golden age of the Hollywood gangster picture.
This became Edward G. Robinson’s breakout film and propelled him to becoming one of the genre’s biggest stars. Little Caesar, directed by Mervyn LeRoy depicts the story of a thug seeking to make it big. Rico, also known as Little Caesar concocts an insatiable dream after reading a cover story on a high profile gangster. Due to this dream, Little Caesar no longer has an interest for small time heists and decides to move to Chicago. Author Jonathan Munby analyzes this move as a symbolic passage from innocence into corruption. (Munby
45)
Little Caesar, although short in stature was viciously ambitious and muscled his way up through Chicago’s organized crime syndicate. Throughout the film Rico drags along his reluctant right hand man, Joe, played by Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Joe, however, would much rather leave his life of crime behind and focus on his first passion, dancing. Joe made this clear to Rico early on in the film, but it intensifies as his love Olga, played by Glenda Farrell, constantly tries to get him to turn straight.
In Jonathan Munby’s book, Public Enemies Public Heroes, Little Caesar is interpreted as a parody to the popular Horatio Alger rags to riches stories.
(Munby 43) There is validity to this theory, because the success of this film can arguably be attributed to the depiction of raw ambition in a climate of depression and despair, due to unemployment. Little Caesar is a dichotomy in that it both appeals to and repulses the audience. The audience is made to feel sympathetic as Rico struggles to rise above the depression, but becomes disgusted due to his actions.
Little Caesar was adapted for film from the very successful 1929 novel of the same name, written by W.R. Burnett. According to the examiner.com Little Caesar is rooted in the silent film, which can be seen by the repeated use of title cards to advance the action and the exaggerated gestures and expressions by some of the actors. (Garlen) This analysis holds true as Little Caesar is regarded as the “first great gangster talkie.” (Munby 44) Little Caesar separated itself from previous films of the same genre, because in this film the gangster actually
speaks!
What ultimately makes Little Caesar the smash hit that it became was that for the first time the world was shown through the eyes of a gangster. W.R. Burnett stated it best during an interview, “You had crime stories, but always seen through the eyes of society. The criminal was just some son of a bitch who’d killed somebody and then you go get ‘em. I treated them as human beings.” (Munby 47) Little Caesar is a visually sedated film, but with frequent interruptions of gunshots, sirens, and the quick-witted one-liners of Robinson more than compensate. The classic rise and fall of a unique, motivated person, such as Rico, is captivating when thought of in its historical context. Rico takes on a tragic figure as his own choices lead to his dark destiny, all the while the audience sits and questions whether he is to be reviled or secretly applauded for his audacious ambition.
Like many 1930s crime movies, The Public Enemy begins with a disclaimer: “It is the intention of the authors of The Public Enemy to honestly depict an environment that exists today in a certain strata of American life, rather than to glorify the hoodlum or the criminal”. The Public Enemy, which was director William Wellman’s pioneering gangster film, depicted the life of prohibition era gangster Tom Powers, played by James Cagney. Early in the film, scenes from Tommy’s childhood, established a framework for the excuse of sociological determination to be used to explain why Tom was committing these acts. These scenes contained corrupting elements that would have impacted Tom negatively including the beer hall, pool parlor, and false friends like Putty Nose.
Ruthless, but fair bootlegger Paddy Ryan, played by Robert Emmett O’Connor, employs Tommy and his accomplice, Matt Doyle, played by Edward Woods when they are younger adults. As both men rise through the ranks fast, they indulge themselves with custom tailored suits, high-end cars and beautiful women. Throughout Tom’s escapades he keeps his mother, played by Beryl Mercer, oblivious to how he lived his life. As easy as it was to fool his mother it proved impossible to trick his older brother Mike, played by Donald Cook. Tom quickly degenerates from a stubborn, tough kid into a cruel, violent hoodlum who is capable of snapping at any moment. This is none more evident then in Tom’s infamous scene where he slams a grapefruit in the face of his current mistress, played by Mae Clarke. A significant theme, which permeates throughout the film, is the relationship between Tom and his older brother Mike. According to Munby, this brotherly battle is his take on the Biblical story of Cain and Able. (Munby 52) Tommy is labeled as bad throughout the film, however it is a little more complex than that. Tom, while being in the wrong whenever he commits a crime, was right to question what was expected of him from society. He realizes that being the man he is there is no reason to ever stick one’s neck out for God or country. This thought process is why Tommy thinks his brother is insane when he decides to enlist to fight in World War I. Tommy and Mike clashed in ideologies during several occasions. Tom sees his older brother work hard at a legitimate job day after day and feels pity for him because in Tom’s mind Mike is being exploited by the state. Tom also sees Mike’s enrollment at a night school as a waste of time, adding that he is only “learning to become poor.” Tommy found his answers in life by taking advantage of opportunities that were available to him, regardless of how honest a living it was. After the start of prohibition, Tommy joined forces with a local brewery owner and began to bootleg alcohol. Through this racket Tom was able to earn a substantial amount of money and surprisingly offers his mother some of his profits as a gift. However, Mike playing the role of the moral compass refuses to allow his mother to accept his brother’s tainted money. After being badly wounded in a battle with rivals, Tom is taken from the hospital, murdered and dumped at his family’s doorstep. The Public Enemy is a great film that depicts the gangster genre accurately. The Public Enemy portrays a ruthless criminal as a sympathetic figure as he stops at nothing to achieve the American dream, even when it’s at the expense of others. The plot of The Public Enemy, at times seems too simplistic with its cut and dry moral attitude, but doesn’t diminish the film significantly. James Cagney is dynamic and energetic which is apparent as he dominates the screen throughout the entire film. The film also contains a plethora of memorable scenes that adds to the films strong visual sense.
Scarface, along with the previously discussed films, was one of the three major films that defined the American gangster genre in the early 1930s. Of the three films, Scarface was the most violent and notorious. According to Munby’s book, Public Enemies Public Heroes, Scarface was directly based on the exploits of Chicago gangster Al Capone, including the St. Valentines Day Massacre. (Munby 56) In fact, many of the characters of the film are thinly disguised real associates of this brutal man. However Scarface is by no means a historical documentary, but rather a subjective view of the gangster’s world.
Similar to Little Caesar, Scarface’s narrative is centered on the rise and fall of a character. This character, Tony Camonte, played by Paul Muni, is a Machiavellian type who is allured by capitalist opportunity and success, which he is reminded of constantly due to the billboard that reads “The World Is Yours.” Tony begins life as a poor, but ambitious young man. After working for mid-level gangsters, Tony sets off on his own to make it big and make a name for himself. Tony is extremely envious of his boss Johnny Lovo, played by Osgood Perkins. He not only desires his money and power, but also his woman, Poppy, played by Karen Morley. Just as Rico in Little Caesar is jealous of Olga for being his partner’s lover, Tony becomes jealous and possessive of something that he also knows he cannot have, his sister. Tony makes the wrong choice in falling for his own sister and only causes him more and more grief. His jealousy, of his sister’s partner, turns into insanity and one day Tony kills him. These subtle hints of incest throughout the movie never come to any fruition, as the film would never be allowed to end with the coming together of brother and sister, rightfully so.

What differs Tony in Scarface from the previous mentioned films is that his class of gangster wanted more than the cars, suits, and money. Tony strived to be legitimate or legitimate enough to pass as a functioning, contributing member of society. In Tony’s mind the only way to make it would be to fully assimilate into the culture and master effective communication tools. For example, one scene Tony attempts to teach one of his partners how to answer the phone and take messages correctly and effectively. Tony desires a complete disconnect from his ethnic background because he sees this as a weakness and a hindrance to him accomplishing his dream.
When released Scarface was attacked for its glorification of violence. The film epitomized what the censor boards thought were wrong with Hollywood movies of the day. However, what Scarface really did was give the American people a dramatized look, with no sugar coating about the dangers in becoming a gangster. When watching Scarface one feels as they are allowed a glimpse of insight into a period of American history where the prohibition of alcohol elevated criminals to cult hero status. Even with the Scarface’s sensationalism of violence the film makes a clear denunciation of the gangster by being one of the first crime films that showed the fatal, brutal reality of a life of crime. While many at the time pictured these types of criminals as just someone who supplied a need for the masses, this film depicts these folk heroes as men driven by greed, lust and violence.

In the three seminal pre-code Hollywood gangster films, Mervyn LeRoy 's Little Caesar, William A. Wellman 's The Public Enemy and Howard Hawks 's Scarface, the main characters, as portrayed by Edward G. Robinson, James Cagney and Paul Muni, were undoubtedly ruthless and even despicable at times, but as Leitch put it, the gangsters were living out the audience’s dreams of economic power and revenge on the system. (Leitch 110) Until this point gangsters were marginalized as outcasts not having any relationship to the common man. Now with the onset of the depression and prohibition these gangsters take on a more familiar role with the audience, especially when they already have to rely on these types of bootleggers in real life in order to receive their alcohol. With the depression as a backdrop and the availability of synchronized sounds, the setting was perfect for the production of these three classic, pre-code gangster films.

Works Cited

Garlen, Jennifer. "Classic Films in Focus." Examiner.com. Examiner.com, 26 Aug. 2011.
Web. 20 Apr. 2013. .

Leitch, Thomas M. Crime Films. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2002. Print.

Munby, Jonathan. Public Enemies, Public Heroes: Screening the Gangster from Little
Caesar to Touch of Evil. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1999. Print.