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In his book Underworld U.S.A, Colin McArthur identified three phases in the gangster film genre based on differences between characters, the setting, and the technology used by gangsters. Along with Little Caesar and The Public Enemy, Scarface is classified in the "first phase" or "classic phase". This phase is characterized by gangster figures who are born gangsters, not made gangsters. All of their gangster-like traits such as violence, vulgarity, and charisma are innate attributes of the classic phase gangster. The ethnicity of the gangster reflects immigration patterns of the time, as the newest immigrants often started at the bottom of the social classes. For example, in the first phase of gangster film, gangsters are often of Italian or Irish descent, because that reflected the immigration patterns of the 1920s and 1930s. The gangster anti-hero in the classic phase of the gangster film genre is characterized by their use of violence and the way that they are punished with violent deaths, frequently in public. Their death is important and regarded in a tragic or heroic manner. The ambiguous portrayal of the gangster as neither the hero nor the villain was seen as a problem to the film censorship offices of the time who required Scarface to put a justifying prologue at the beginning of the film, clarifying the menace of the gangster to modern society and a call to action for the government and the audience. The inevitable fall of the gangster is most visible in this phase through his conspicuous consumption. The lavishness of his life and his craving for material items and status symbols shows the gangster's compulsion for success. The turning point of the film is when the gangster tries on his new clothes; it is the beginning of his demise. Tony Camonte takes pride in the number of shirts that he owns which serves as a symbol of the decline and self-delusion of the gangster. These films are often characterized by misogynistic views evident in Scarface by the way Tony treats his sister. Yet, there is another aspect to the classic era gangster in that he often has an abnormal sexuality. This idea is represented in Scarface by Tony's inability to have a normal relationship with a woman because of the incestuous feelings that he harbors for his sister.

Many scholars view gangster films as an era genre and argue that Hollywood filmmakers lack the depth and critical distance required to considered historians. Historian and film critic J.E. Smyth argued of the biopic nature of the film Scarface. Sound films or "talkies" were a new genre at the time of production of Scarface. The filmmakers took advantage of the technology to create characters that looked and talked like gangsters using urban speed and accent to create an accurate historical portrayal of the gangsters of the prohibition era.

Family
The family in the gangster genre is characteristically close and self-reliant. They represent their own micro-society with their own hierarchical structure. The gangster's downfall is his obsession with the protection and preservation of his family. In Scarface, Camonte's downfall is partly due to his overprotective and incestuous feelings for his sister. Tony's lack of a father or patriarchal figure influences his desire to find a replacement through another means and is a common theme in other gangster films as well.

Isolation
Camonte in the beginning of the film is shown as successful. After he allows himself to be alone, it's clear that he is going to be killed. This further establishes a significant theme from gangster films: that it is dangerous to be alone. Camonte separates himself from both his mother and his past life of poverty in pursuit of success. According to Robert Warshow, this represents a conflict for the gangster, because success in itself creates solitude, because it sets someone apart as an individual. The gangster always fails because of his compulsion to succeed. The dilemma of the gangster is that of the failure versus success, which will ultimately lead to failure. The goal of the gangster film genre is to represent this dilemma through the gangster and resolve it through death.