Discuss the reasons for the popularity of gangster films in the early 1930s. Indicate to what actual social context they responded, and why these films became increasingly controversial.
The late 1920s in America was a particularly tumultuous period of time for the country. The Wall Street Crash in 1929 had led to high levels of unemployment and dissatisfaction within the country. The Depression (1929-1934), which was a direct result of The Wall Street Crash, led to a breakdown of industry and commerce within the country and weakened its global position as a superpower. People began to realise that the ideal which had been frequently promoted by governmental propaganda of The American Dream which suggested that "success, in the democratic and classless society guaranteed by the American Constitution, was within the reach of everyone"1 was perhaps not as realistic as they had been led to believe and many supposed that it was in fact a myth. This loss of ideology led to widespread disapproval throughout the country and increased and highlighted the widening divisions in America's social and class system. Public dissent was further heightened by the period of Prohibition which spanned 1919-1933 during which "the manufacture, sale and transportation of alcoholic drinks was forbidden"2 throughout the United States. Prohibition was very hard to implement and even harder to enforce due to the fact that illegal "speakeasies" were opened by mobsters and gangsters such as Al Capone. Within these "speakeasies" people could drink freely as the groups of mobsters produced and sold contraband liquor. Gangsters were also aided during this period by corrupt authority figures within the police service and the media who generously covered there adventures within the popular press.
The conditions within America led to extensive discontent. During this period the rise of urban gang rule and mobsters was unprecedented, mainly emerging from minority immigrant groups (Jewish/Italian/Irish). Initially the gangsters of the period were seen as high achievers as they were associated with the proletariat and seemed to be capable of rising above there roots, even during hard times in America, and achieve wealth. When considering the socio-economic factors it is easy to understand why such men were considered as "gangster-heroes"3 who represented the people, however the only way that gangsters could achieve this wealth, subsequently fulfilling the American Dream, was by stealing it. "Accruing capital meant accruing power over others"4. Therefore it could be argued that the success gangsters exemplified was a perverse form of the American dream as it disregarded some of the key elements of the ideal. The fact that at this stage in America gangsters were the only group within society who could make upward mobility believable, "tells much about how legitimate institutions had failed - but that mobility was still at the core of what Americans held to be the American dream"5.
In the early 1930's productions began within Hollywood of what were commonly described as "social problem pictures"6, these films dealt specifically with the social difficulties of the period such as unemployment/labour struggles ("Black Fury"1935), racial discrimination ("Black Legion"1937) and Nazism ("Confessions of a Nazi Spy"1939). It has however been suggested that films of this nature tended to exploit disquieting topics, sensationalising the circumstances rather than dealing with or promoting an understanding of the situation. These films avoided exploring the root causes of the problems they portrayed and tended to focus on the actions of individuals or isolated events, rather than presenting a more objective overview. Topical films constituted a minimal number of films in comparison to the industries general output. The gangster film constitutes one of the most famous and popular genres of topical film of the period. The gangster film "was a declaration of the gritty realism which would characterise so much of Hollywood's product during the early years of the Depression7 However it has to be considered that the initial phase or cycle of gangster films had a "classic" period which according to most accounts lasted "only three years"8 between 1930 and 1932, but had been preceded by a highly distinctive type of gangster picture between the 1910s and 1920s "one in which emphasis was placed on the gangster's repentance, self-sacrifice and moral regeneration"9. The gangster films of the 1930s caused great controversy and public anxiety due to the ideologies it promoted and the general content which was seen as a representation of America at the time. Extensive coverage of Gangsters exploits within the media, regularly making the headlines did not serve to dampen public outcry.
The late 1920s in America was a particularly tumultuous period of time for the country. The Wall Street Crash in 1929 had led to high levels of unemployment and dissatisfaction within the country. The Depression (1929-1934), which was a direct result of The Wall Street Crash, led to a breakdown of industry and commerce within the country and weakened its global position as a superpower. People began to realise that the ideal which had been frequently promoted by governmental propaganda of The American Dream which suggested that "success, in the democratic and classless society guaranteed by the American Constitution, was within the reach of everyone"1 was perhaps not as realistic as they had been led to believe and many supposed that it was in fact a myth. This loss of ideology led to widespread disapproval throughout the country and increased and highlighted the widening divisions in America's social and class system. Public dissent was further heightened by the period of Prohibition which spanned 1919-1933 during which "the manufacture, sale and transportation of alcoholic drinks was forbidden"2 throughout the United States. Prohibition was very hard to implement and even harder to enforce due to the fact that illegal "speakeasies" were opened by mobsters and gangsters such as Al Capone. Within these "speakeasies" people could drink freely as the groups of mobsters produced and sold contraband liquor. Gangsters were also aided during this period by corrupt authority figures within the police service and the media who generously covered there adventures within the popular press.
The conditions within America led to extensive discontent. During this period the rise of urban gang rule and mobsters was unprecedented, mainly emerging from minority immigrant groups (Jewish/Italian/Irish). Initially the gangsters of the period were seen as high achievers as they were associated with the proletariat and seemed to be capable of rising above there roots, even during hard times in America, and achieve wealth. When considering the socio-economic factors it is easy to understand why such men were considered as "gangster-heroes"3 who represented the people, however the only way that gangsters could achieve this wealth, subsequently fulfilling the American Dream, was by stealing it. "Accruing capital meant accruing power over others"4. Therefore it could be argued that the success gangsters exemplified was a perverse form of the American dream as it disregarded some of the key elements of the ideal. The fact that at this stage in America gangsters were the only group within society who could make upward mobility believable, "tells much about how legitimate institutions had failed - but that mobility was still at the core of what Americans held to be the American dream"5.
In the early 1930's productions began within Hollywood of what were commonly described as "social problem pictures"6, these films dealt specifically with the social difficulties of the period such as unemployment/labour struggles ("Black Fury"1935), racial discrimination ("Black Legion"1937) and Nazism ("Confessions of a Nazi Spy"1939). It has however been suggested that films of this nature tended to exploit disquieting topics, sensationalising the circumstances rather than dealing with or promoting an understanding of the situation. These films avoided exploring the root causes of the problems they portrayed and tended to focus on the actions of individuals or isolated events, rather than presenting a more objective overview. Topical films constituted a minimal number of films in comparison to the industries general output. The gangster film constitutes one of the most famous and popular genres of topical film of the period. The gangster film "was a declaration of the gritty realism which would characterise so much of Hollywood's product during the early years of the Depression7 However it has to be considered that the initial phase or cycle of gangster films had a "classic" period which according to most accounts lasted "only three years"8 between 1930 and 1932, but had been preceded by a highly distinctive type of gangster picture between the 1910s and 1920s "one in which emphasis was placed on the gangster's repentance, self-sacrifice and moral regeneration"9. The gangster films of the 1930s caused great controversy and public anxiety due to the ideologies it promoted and the general content which was seen as a representation of America at the time. Extensive coverage of Gangsters exploits within the media, regularly making the headlines did not serve to dampen public outcry.
