By Megan Cooper

The Godfather - 1972

Goodfellas - 1990
The Godfather Part II - 1974
Gangs of New York - 2002
American Gangster - 2007
The Departed - 2006
The Godfather (1972)
Profit - $134, 821, 952
Director - Francis Ford Coppola
Rating - 9.2/10 (IMDB)
The Godfather was the first gangster film which had worldwide
recognition and a huge profit. It is regarded as one of the greatest
films of all time, and one of the most influential. For a time it was
the highest grossing picture ever made, and still is the box office
leader for 1972. It received countless awards, such as the
academy award for best picture. This film influenced me as the
opening is very simple, however draws the audience in with
camera movements, dialogue and excellent mise en scene.
In mob films, large cities are used, such as New York City and
Chicago. Large cities offer multiple locations for gangsters to
commit murders and crime, for example, dark alleyways. Gangsters
are very power hungry, and it is often their mission to control as
much as they can, therefore large cities are perfect for gangsters to
increase their control, power and reputation.
Costumes are similar throughout all mob films. Suits is the most
common as it shows wealth, power and authority. Also, formal suits
portray how the gangsters think of themselves - this being that they
feel their illegal work is professional, and a career. For female
characters in mob films, a common colour they wear is red, this
could be a dress or lipstick. Martin Scorsese however always
introduces his female characters in white clothing.
Props such as guns, expensive cars and cigarettes are seen very
often in mob films. They often show a gangsters wealth, and
again their authority, as many of the props are expensive. Guns
are very violent and aggressive, highlighting their dominance to
whoever they come in contact with.
Mob films have mainly low-level lighting. This gives the film a
more grim feel, and can also reflect the gangsters dark
personality. Furthermore, the low-level lighting can also reflect the
dark narrative in the film, and the violence within them.
Typical conventions of a mob gangster film is that the antagonist succeeds
throughout the movie, and then failing right at the end, or being punished for
their crimes; this would normally happen due to a fatal mistake made by
someone below them/working for them, or the main gangster himself. This
ending enables the audience to understand that what the gangsters/mobsters
have been doing is wrong, because many times the gangster is seen as the
protagonist, however everything they do is illegal, and not a normal way of
living.
A typical theme for a mob gangster film is dealing with drugs, crime and having
rivalry. For example some mob films include rivalries between families, which
are extremely violent.
The narrative structure ranges between mob films. The Godfather (1972) uses
a circular narrative structure, meaning the beginning starts with the end. This is
effective as it gives the audience an insight into the narrative of the film, and
also setting the audience on edge for what is to come.
Mob gangster film openings vary in amounts of diegetic and
non-diegetic sounds. The Godfather for example only has
diegetic sound in its opening, this being dialogue and
ambient sound. This is also seen in Pulp Fiction, where two
characters are in a cafe, and we only hear diegetic dialogue
and ambient sound. Sounds can also change from diegetic
to non-diegetic, this helps in transporting us into the
characters world.
For a fast paced scene, the editor will choose to cut regularly
between shots to help the audience up to speed with the
action. Also, if the narrative structure was circular, then there
would be a colour effect on the picture, for example black
and white. This signals to the audience that the scene is in
the past, and not the present.
The first title informs us that the film is based on
true events, this automatically puts the audience
on edge at what is to come.
This is a mid shot of the back of a car. The
lighting is very low level, this creates a
mysterious atmosphere for the scene.
The previous shot tracks sideways, becoming
a point of view shot where we are another
driver overtaking the car.
This title shows us the location and date of the film.
New York is a very common location for gangster
films as the city is very big, therefore attracting
gangsters as they want as much power as they can
get. The date shows us that the film may be a story,
or someone looking back on their past - it is not the
present.
The title then cuts to a mid shot of the
characters in the car. There is only one
awake, as it is nighttime and he is the driver.
They are all wearing suits and therefore the
audience wonder where the characters have
come from e.g. a meeting or a robbery.
A diegetic thump is heard from the boot of
the car. The driver seems to be unaware of
what has caused the sound and wakes up
the other people in the car. The intensity has
risen slightly as the audience wonder what is
in the boot.
The director cuts to an establishing shot. The
driver has pulled over and they are now
standing in a red spotlight which is from the
car. This sets an intense atmosphere for the
audience as red has connotations of blood
and danger.
This next shot includes diegetic sounds of the person
in the car hitting the boot. The shot zooms in which
intensifies the drama and dangerous atmosphere.
The shots in the opening are also dark, suggesting
the characters are doing something they shouldnt
and making the scene more grim.
From my sub - genre research into mob gangster films, I have more precise knowledge and
information about my film opening, and what type of content is appropriate. I am considering using a
circular narrative for my film opening, this is so that it stays close to the mob genre, and meets a lot of
the genre's conventions. I will also bring in many elements of the typical mise en scene for the mob
genre, such as low level lighting, props, and costumes. I want to make my film opening one of high
quality, however this is a high target for myself. Therefore, I will choose the most common elements of
a mob gangster genre to put into my film opening. Hopefully doing this will help me achieve an
opening which has a clear genre, and is of high quality. Although I love the mob genre and want my
film opening to be highly based around it, I also admire the Film Noir genre. This is because I like the
old, vintage settings and female characters within them. Therefore, I will attempt to bring in these
elements to my opening, however I plan to keep a strong percentage if it dedicated to the mob genre.