MOBSTERS
US, 1991, 104 minutes, Colour.
Christian Slater, Patrick Dempsey, Richard Grieco, Costas Mandylor, F. Murray Abraham, Lara Flynn Boyle, Michael Gambon, Chris Penn, Anthony Quinn.
Directed by Michael Karbelnikoff.
Mobsters is the story of the young days of a number of friends who became some of the major gangsters in American history of the 20th century. Critics of the film said that too much of it was invented and events telescoped. However, it gives a glimpse of the background and ethos of the young thugs who were to have such a significant impact on American society. They include Lucky Luciano who is played by Christian Slater, Meyer Lansky, the business brains who is played by Patrick Dempsey, Bugsy Siegel, responsible for the building up of Las Vegas, played by Richard Grieco. Financier Arnold Rothstein is played by F. Murray Abraham and there are two dons, one played by Michael Gambon and the other by Anthony Quinn.
The film offers a lot of strutting and posing, the gangsters building themselves up into an image which they would draw on as they created their empires and ruled them ruthlessly. Since there are so many other films about these gangsters, it would be an interesting exercise to compare the different portraits as well as check the facts and the history. Italian cinema made a full-length feature about Lucky Luciano with Gian Maria Volonte and there was the Oscar-nominated Bugsy with Warren Beatty.
1.Interest in this kind of film? The younger years of well-known gangsters? The impact of the film? In the atmosphere of the 1990s – and other films at the time about these gangsters, including Bugsy?
2.The tradition of the gangster film from the silent era? The developments in the 1930s with Scarface, Public Enemy etc? As it continued through the decades? The change of gangster film in the 1970s with The Godfather films, The Valachi Papers (which also covers the material in this film)?
3.The blunt title, the true labelling of these gangsters?
4.The re-creation of the period, colour photography, sets and décor, a gangster world? The inner cities of the United States? The early 20th century? The musical score? The choice of actors for the cast, for the younger generation, for the dons?
5.Gangsters and mythology, seeing them as some kind of heroes – or inverted heroes? Their exploits, mythologised as heroic? Condemned as criminal?
6.The prologue, the representation of the four young men plus Lansky? The religious background?
7.Life for these young men, daily life, in the cities, in the neighbourhoods? Tough? Don Faranzano? His home? The church scenes, mass, his nephew? Luciano (the Catholic background of these gangsters and its influence – morality, rituals, the crucifix)? Lansky and his Jewish background?
8.The saving of Luciano, the bonds, the experience of racism, racist attitudes?
9.The four friends as a group, each of them in himself, the different characters, characteristics? Adherence to codes? Motivations? Bonds?
10.The character of Arnold Rothstein, his influence? Clothes and style? Pride? Prohibition and liquor?
11.The young men growing up, their experience of success, their exercise of violence – and the collage showing their activities, financial success, business success, brutality?
12.Luciano and the effect of this on his character? Myra and his falling in love? The sexual relationship? Experience, Lansky helping? The baby? His death?
13.The portrait of the other men, their careers?
14.The older generation, the dons, their authority, the bases of their authority? Don Salvatore, Don Giuseppe? The nicknames – Joe the Boss?
15.Tommy Reina and his relationship with the group?
16.The world of gambling, the world of the police? Priests, rabbis? The melting pot that was America during the early 20th century?
17. Lansky and his approval? The meal, destructive? Henchmen, the sauna, his not being killed? Deals? Beliefs, way of life, betrayal? Tommy? The feigned killing? Motivations, death?
18.Faranzano, brutality, delays, killings, war? The bridge and torture? Capo dei Capi? The collage? His death?
19.Assassinations, freelance, sneers.
20.Luciano, torture – and getting his nickname? Lansky, business and the IRS? Siegel and Tommy? Costello aide?
1. The world of gambling, the world of the police? Priests, rabbis? The melting pot that was America during the early 20th century?
