Scarface

Similar to “The Public Enemy,” “Scarface” is another classic gangster film from the nineteen thirties.  The film was directed by Howard Hawks and Richard Rosson and stars Paul Muni as Tony Camonte.  Although the film was produced before both “The Public Enemy” and “Little Caesar,” it was released after the others in 1932 due to problems with the Hays Office and other censorship boards.

The film is extremely violent for the time in which it was made even if some of this violence seems unrealistic or comical to today’s audiences.  The stand out parts of them film that were taken seriously by audiences in 1932 but are giggled at by audiences in 2015 are the scenes in which anyone hits another person.  The punches are thrown so gently and the impact is usually shielded by someone’s body, pointing out to today’s audiences that most likely no one actually was hit.

“Scarface” was heavily modeled after real life gangster Al Capone.  While Capone was not fond of the idea of a film modeled after his life at first, he eventually came to like the film and obtained a copy for his own private viewing.  

A big part of the reason that “Scarface” is a classic film is that the story has stuck with audiences throughout the years.  The film was remade in 1983, 51 years after it’s original release.  There were only slight changes made to the film, the majority of the film’s story remained the same, and audiences loved it.  The remake had permeated popular culture and become somewhat of a cult classic itself over the years.  Nearly everyone know the famous quote, “Say hello to my little friend.”  

“Scarface” is set to be remade yet again with an anticipated release in 2016.  The film’s story while it will most likely be changed slightly like the 1983 remake, is expected to have the same bones as the original, further proving that the original “Scarface” is a classic that has and will stand the test of time.

Sources

http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/90484%7C0/Scarface.html

http://www.thestatelyharold.com/#!Scarface-remake-starring-Leonardo-DiCaprio-announced-for-2016/cmbz/55ae3e6c0cf25b8bf7ee83e1

The Cook

“The Cook” directed by Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle was released September 15, 1918.  The film was also written by Arbuckle, and he was one of the stars as well.  Starring beside Arbuckle was Buster Keaton.  Arbuckle portrays a cook in the film, while Keaton plays a waiter.  The twenty two minute long movie was filmed in Long Beach, California.  

“The Cook,” a slapstick comedy,  is considered a classic because of the cast of the film as well as it’s staying power.  The cast of “The Cook” is well known, most notably Keaton and Arbuckle.  While Keaton and Arbuckle’s lives were not always the cleanest or most upstanding, their jokes made them, and their movies popular.  The duo made fifteen two reel films together, before Keaton struck off on his own and created a production company he could call his.  These fifteen films made the duo well known.  

The staying power of the film also contributes to its status as a classic film.  While many silent films watched now, in the time of big, flashy, fast, loud movies, can bore the younger generations, this one did not.  Shown in a college classroom, it provoked laughs more than once.  The comedy remains funny, nearly one hundred years after the movie’s release.  Most of the jokes are situational, people eating spaghetti in ways that are not typically socially acceptable, Arbuckle dips a ladle into a pot several times, but a different type of food appears each time, Arbuckle and Keaton tossing food and drink across the kitchen yet not spilling much, if any of it, the list goes on.

Another reason why “The Cook” is a classic is that it does exactly what it came to do.  Be funny.  The movie set out with the goal to be entertaining and humorous and it does just that.  One of the main purposes of any movie is to be entertaining, and “The Cook” does just that.  Audience members are pulled in, wondering what Arbuckle and Keaton will get up to next.  They can be delighted watching food be thrown and miraculously not spilling, or be educated in the abundance of methods of spaghetti consumption.

Additionally the film has stood the test of time.  While “The Cook” may not be the movie you sit down to rewatch again and again with family, it is still relevant.  The movie is a part of the history of film as it is being shown in college classrooms ninety-seven years after release and will most likely continue to be shown for years to come.

A Trip to the Moon

 

Georges Melies’ “A Trip to the Moon” made in 1902 in France is one of the most important classic films to date.  The film is significant for quite a few reasons; “A Trip to the Moon” was the first science fiction film, was so popular in it’s time that many other filmmakers illegally copied it, and it was made with an extravagant budget for the time.

“A Trip to the Moon” is the first science fiction movie to be made and paved the way for the science fiction of today.  Melies used special effects and editing along with simple backdrops to create the whimsical world in which “A Trip to the Moon” occurs.  Being made in 1902, “A Trip to the Moon” was years ahead of it’s time as the Wright brothers wouldn’t fly the first airplane for another year after the film’s release.  Many of today’s science fiction films have the same ingredients as Melies “A Trip to the Moon,”  an outlandish goal, convincing special effects, outer space, humour, and adventure.

Melies' four hundredth film was so popular that many other filmmakers illegally copied or pirated copies of the film to pass off as their own work.  As the film was not copyrighted yet in the United States, Edison was one who pirated “A Trip to the Moon.”  Eventually to combat the copies of his work, Melies opened an office in the United States.

“A Trip to the Moon” was expensive both in regard to time and money in 1902.  The film cost 10,000 francs and took four months to complete. Compared to the movie budgets of today 10,000 francs may not seem like much, it is equivalent to approximately $277,777 today, which is not much compared to multi-million dollar budgets of some films but is still a decent amount of money.

“A Trip to the Moon is a classic for several reasons, it as the first of it’s kind, it was extraordinarily popular, and a lot of time and money was spent on it’s creation.  The film has also stood the test of time and is still enjoyed today being available to stream on Netflix and with a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Sources

http://www.filmsite.org/voya.html

http://www.openculture.com/2011/01/a_trip_to_the_moon_where_sci_fi_movies_began.html

http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/29935%7C0/A-Trip-to-the-Moon.html

The Public Enemy

“The Public Enemy” made in 1931 was directed by William Wellman and starred James Cagney and Jean Harlow.  The film was one of the first gangster films and is regarded as one of the top three films of the genre next to “Little Caesar” and “Scarface” which were all made within a span of two years, leading to its status as a classic film.

The film begins with a look at the main character’s childhoods showing what most likely lead to their eventual careers as gangsters.  Many parts of the film are based in reality, such as Tom surviving the machine gun ambush just as Earl "Hymie" Weiss had and Tom hitting his girlfriend with half a grapefruit is based on the real life event of Weiss hitting his girlfriend with an omelette.  The grapefruit scene became infamous and there are differing accounts on whether Mae Clark was aware she was going to be hit in the face.  The decision to use a grapefruit instead of an omelette was made by the director as he felt an omelette would be too messy.

“The Public Enemy” made in a month with a budget of $151,000.  The film was released at about the same time as “Little Caesar” but was more violent, tougher and more realistic than “Little Caesar” was.  The film helped to set the tone for the other gangster films that were to come during the depression.

“The Public Enemy” is a classic due to its realistic violent, and gritty portrayal of real life events spun into a fictional narrative.  The film, along with “Scarface” and “Little Caesar” created the genre of gangster films as they are known today.

Sources

http://www.filmsite.org/publ.html

http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/31288%7C0/The-Public-Enemy.html