Journal Four – Crime Films
1.
In both The Godfather and Public Enemy, the arc of the gangster’s rise to fame, fortune, and power is reinforces and, at the same time, subverts sacred American institutions, values, and ideals using film techniques and the plot. The two are crime films and therefore have crime as the central theme portrayed in these films from the criminal activities undertaken by the main characters. In The Godfather and Public Enemy, the activities are undertaken by the gangster to achieve the American dream reinforce some of the sacred American institutions such as family, land order, and American values such as friendship and loyalty, but at the same time subverts these institutions and values.
The Godfather reinforces the American institutions such as family, as seen from the way the Corleone family maintains ties with one another. Additionally, the film supports the American values of friendship, as seen from the friendships formed between different characters in the film; for example, the friendship between Vito Corleone and Bonesara. The friendship between the two also reinforces loyalty as one of the American values identified in the film. In terms of the film’s portrayal of American ideals, it reinforces the American dream from the success of Vito from being a poor man to become one of the richest and most powerful men in New York. The public enemy similarly reinforces some of the sacred American institutions, such as law and order. This is seen in the last scene where Powers dies on the street. This scene shows that in the end, a life of crime is short, and no one is all-powerful or above the law. The film shows that anyone who breaks the law eventually gets caught and punished accordingly. Public Enemy also subverts some of the American values and ideals. For example, it challenges American values, such as love and loyalty. Putty Nose abandons Tom Powers and Matt Doyle when they run to him for protection after they are chased by the police.. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
The two films reinforce and, at the same time, subvert some of the American values. The films support these values mainly through the relationship that the gangsters share with other people that they are close to, such as their families, but subvert these values mainly through the criminal activities they are involved in with an aim to achieve the American dream.
2.
Representations of the American dream in the two films, The Godfather and Public Enemy, are seen in the films’ portrayal of how the gangsters rise from poverty to riches. In both films, the gangster rises to fame, fortune, and power, using methods that would be considered unlawful or illegal. This way, the films depict that the American dream is there for anyone willing to take the chance and risks. Both of them depict that the American dream does not necessarily have to be achieved through legal means as these opportunities might not be available to everyone. In both The Godfather and Public Enemy, the arc of the gangster’s rise fame, fortune, and power reinforce the sacred American institutions of family, friendship, love, and loyalty but at the same time subverts some of the American values associated with the American dream such as disloyalty, crime, and corruption.
In The Godfather, Vito Corleone rises to riches and gains power and influence by conducting illegal businesses which have been hidden from the public, and uses his legal business as a cover-up for the illegal drug businesses he conducts. This way, the film subverts the American values of law and order as the Corleone family is involved in a lot of illegal acts such as violence and murder. However, the film supports the American values of family, love, and friendship, all of which are identified in the family through Vito Corleone’s aim of passing on the family name to his son, and also supports love as seen in the Corleone family. Friendship and loyalty are major themes identified in the family, as they are the two most important qualities to the gangster for him to gain trust and be able to carry out his illegal activities without being compromised.
In The Godfather, Friendship and loyalty are important to Vito Corleone. In the first scene of the film, Bonesara seeks help from Vito to get help in revenging his daughter’s attack. As payment, Vito asks for Bonesara’s loyalty and not money. In Public Enemy, the gangster is involved in illegal activities in order to provide for himself and his family and, overall, achieve the American dream but goes against the American values of law and order by involving himself in unlawful activities such as violence and murder. The film reinforces the sacred American institutions of friendship as it begins by showing the friendship that Tom Powers and Matt Doyle had since they were children. The film also subverts some of these values, such as disloyalty, as seen where Putty Nose abandons Tom Powers and Matt Doyle even after he assured them that he would take care of them if anything went wrong.
3.
The gangster’s rise to fame, fortune, and power are one of the major themes identified in both The Godfather and Public Enemy. Throughout the films, the gangster, who is an immigrant, and who is in constant conflict with other enemies and the law, strives to gain more wealth and power, which is a representation of the American dream as his struggle to achieve this dream is met with the American values of friendship, loyalty, and love.
In The Godfather, the Corleone family faces certain situations that necessitate them to undertake certain criminal activities for their survival and for the American dream. Vito Corleone is involved in criminal activities that lead him to form conflicts with other people and must battle with other families that are involved in the illegal business. The film, therefore, subverts the American values of law and order through its portrayal of criminal activities orchestrated by the Corleone family. On the other hand, it supports the American values of family, friendship, and loyalty. Such can be seen from the togetherness of the Corleone family and how loyalty is important to their survival as people who are on the wrong side of the law.
Similar to the way The Godfather supports and at the same time subverts some of the sacred American values, Public Enemy also supports and, at the same time, subverts these values. The film reinforces the American values of friendship as the film begins where it shows the friendship shared between Tom Powers and his lifelong friend Matt Doyle who are involved in crime together. This scene also portrays the American value of loyalty as the young boys have each other’s backs in their criminal activities. At the same time, the film undermines loyalty, where the two boys go to Putty Nose for help when they are chased by the police but find that he left town. The starting scene of the film also shows how it subverts the American values of law and order as the two boys are seen engaging in petty theft.
As seen, the two films reinforce and, at the same time, subvert some of the American values. The films support these values mainly through the relationship that the gangsters share with other people that they are close to, such as their families, but subvert these values mainly through the criminal activities they are involved in with an aim to achieve the American dream.
4.
The two crime films, The Godfather and Public Enemy, portray the rise of the gangster from poverty to fame, fortune, and power and often support and at the same time subvert some of the sacred institutions, and American values and ideals. Both the Godfather and Public Enemy reinforce these institutions, values, and ideals using some of the major themes identified in the film, and at the same time, they subvert these using other themes as well as different film techniques used, as identified in the films.
In The Godfather, some aspects of sacred institutions such as family are identified, especially from the Corleone family who believes in protecting their own. Additionally, American values such as love are identified in Vito Corleone’s love for his family that he does whatever it takes, even involving himself in crime so that he can offer the best for his family. Loyalty is another theme identified in The Godfather, as seen in the opening scene where Vito asks for Bonesara’s royalty as a way of showing gratitude. The Godfather subverts the American values of law and order since it involves a lot of crimes committed by the Corleone family and other characters in the film. At the same time, it reinforces the idea of the American dream as it shows that anyone, no matter their origin, can achieve the American dream. Conversely, the film shows that the American dream can be achieved through crime and, as a result, subverts from the American ideal of the American dream. In Public Enemy, the film reinforces some of the American values and institutions, such as friendship and law and order. Friendship is seen between Tom Powers and Matt Doyle, who are involved in crime together. At the same time, it subverts these values as the friendship between the two is toxic as it leads them to crime.
Both The Godfather and Public enemy have various aspects of American values and ideals, and as seen in this discussion, the two films reinforce and, at the same time, subvert these values and ideals using the themes identified in the films.
Portrayals of the American dream in the two movies, The Godfather and Public Enemy, are found in the movies’ depiction of how the criminals ascend from destitution to wealth. In the two movies, the criminal ascents to acclaim, fortune, and influence utilizing techniques that would be viewed as unlawful or illicit. Thusly, the movies portray that the American dream is there for anybody ready to take the risk and dangers. The two delineate that the American dream does not really need to be accomplished through the legitimate methods as these open doors probably won’t be accessible to everybody. In both The Godfather and Public Enemy, the circular segment of the criminal’s ascent notoriety, fortune, and influence fortifies the sacred American foundations of family, love, and friendship yet subverts a portion of the American qualities related with the American dream.
In Public Enemy, the film fortifies some of the American values and institutions, for example, law and order. There is a strong friendship between Tom Powers and Matt Doyle, who are engaged with crime together. At the same time, the film subverts these qualities as the friendship between the two is poisonous as it drives them to wrongdoing. In The Godfather, the Corleone family fare faced with certain situations that require them to undertake certain criminal activities and break the law for their survival and to achieve the American dream. Vito Corleone is involved in criminal activities that lead him into conflicts with other people and must battle with other families that are involved in the illegal business. The film, therefore, subverts the American values of law and order through its portrayal of criminal activities orchestrated by the Corleone family. On the other hand, it supports the American values of family, friendship, and loyalty. Such can be seen from the togetherness of the Corleone family and how loyalty is important to their survival as people who are on the wrong side of the law.
The two films reinforce and, at the same time, subverts American values and ideals through their representation of various themes identified in the films and also using different film techniques. As seen, some of these themes represented in the support of the film and subvert these values and ideals.