Ever since Tiny Heat recommended it, I've had Let the Right One In (aka Låt den rätte komma in) on my Netflixqueue. I've been researching vampire stories for my upcoming pop culture class in the fall. Working my obsessions into my work is easy with my job, thankfully! What I've been looking at is the history of vampirism (the invention of the vampire, its original lore in different parts of the world, its use as a metaphor). So in addition to the vampire movie and books I already love, I'm seeking out stories that try to add to and/or mess with the conventions of the myth. Let the Right One In is just that kind of story.
Now, you know me. I don't need an excuse to watch a vampire movie. Whatever, it was the last day I had to be available for students before the final. I came home from an extended endless office hour (or 5 hours) of lonliness and decided to treat myself with a movie. M. was taking a nap and he said that some of the noises from the movie were freaking him out in his sleep. That's how awesome this film is!
It's a Swedish film, and since I haven't heard Swedish spoken much and I hate dubbing, I read the English subtitles just so I could listen to it. Worth it. It's always worth it. I can't think of anything worse than dubbing.
This was such a good film. Not like a vampire film you know. Dark, haunting yes, but also more about lonliness and adolescence. And what it might really feel like to live next door to a vampire. Someone who needs blood to live, and whose hunger is dangerous. And what it might cost you to be a vampire in the guise of a 12 year-old girl.
It's about a 12 year old boy who is horrfiically bullied at school. He gets a new neighbor, a young girl and what seems to be her father/guardian. Turns out, his neighbor is a vampire. In the course of the story, they develop a friendship. She has been 12, it seems, for a long time.
I don't want to spoil it, but there is one addition to the vampire lore that isn't super consequential to the story. You know the whole aspect of vampire mythology about being "invited" in to a residence? A vampire has to be invited in order to be allowed to cross a threshold. Usually, it's a magical invisible barrier that prevents her or him from entering (at least in TV/movies). In this film, the vampire, Eli, asks to enter, but her friend, the central character, Oskar, questions the reality of the myth. He beckons her to come in with his finger, but never says it out loud. To test her. She comes in. She starts to shake. Then, blood pours from her eyes, ears, and mouth. Finally, her scalp and other pores start to bleed. It's almost as if she rejects the blood she's taken as punishment for not being invited. The pic above is the aftermath of her experience. Interesting penance, I thought.
It's a solemn, brooding, quiet film. It has interesting lighting and sound, and hints at things it never explains. But honestly, the last scenes were so intense and amazing and full of satisfaction that I ordered the book, written byJohn Ajvide Lindqvist. I would read the story, with MORE detail, even though I know how it ends. In the book, the vampire is androgynous, and there is a moment in the film where Eli says "I'm not a girl." So maybe I'm just taking some cues from the actress. Sadly, the author looks like this:
I heard there is a US remake in the works, filming now, called "Let Me In" because well, the whole Morrissey reference is apparently lost on Hollywood. But you should see this one. It's beautiful and scary and thoughtful. Don't wait.
Ok, so here are my recommendations for the 90s and 2000s, in no particular order:
King of New York Christopher Walken stars alongside Lawrence Fishburne and Welsey Snipes in this excellent film that fits nicely into the gangster sub-genre known as "return of the big shot." Last time I talked about Key Largo, one of the earliest in the genre. These are movies where a gangster who is past his prime and tries to come back and rise to the top again. In this movie, Frank White comes out of a 25 year sentence and finds his city falling apart due to the baseless morals of those that took his place (coincidentally, the Puerto Ricans, the "Asians" and the Italians). Yes, Frank WHITE comes to take the city back and put in place a gang operation centered around things like investing in hospitals. But Walken plays the character so well, you just gotta love his kooky movements and body language.
Also, two of the ruthless body guards in this movie are hot ladies.
New Jack City (1991) 1991 was a big year for African American filmmakers. More films featuring African American casts and directors came out that year than had during the entire Blaxploitation era. One of them was New Jack City, which took a lot stylistically from the classic gangster films of the past. Instead of rum running, gambling, or cocaine, this film focuses on crack cocaine. One thing I've noticed about films past 1980 is that they tend to give voice to the gangster's perspective in new ways. Before then, a lot of them got lectured by authority figures in the end or during conversations with the cops trying to bring them down. Now, we see a lot of gangsters talking about why they do what they do, the limited chocies they've had, and that they see themselves as no more ruthless or immoral than other businessmen.
Carlito's Way You gotta love anything with Carlos Guzman. He can play anything. ANYTHING. True, he does usually play Puerto Rican gangsters or Puerto Rican gay dudes. But give him Hamlet and he'd kill it, I bet.
Anyway, did you like Al Pacino as a cuban gangster? Well get ready for Pacino as a Puerto Rican gangster. Carlito Brigante gets out of prison and wants to stay on the right side of the law, but his past life keeps bringing him back in.
Pulp Fiction (1993) Finally, we're leaving New York for a minute. I saw this in high school, and was so into it I saw it 3 or 4 times in the theater! You're wondering if you should see it since it's been so long and maybe it isn't relevant. See it. It's set in Los Angeles. The story structure is interesting, the characters are fascinating, and I like the way it introduces the gangster in a different way. Sure, we see a mob boss type character for part of the film (a very disturbing part), but it's Jules and Vincent that steal the show for me here. Two gangsters with different world views, one of whom does something gangsters in these movies just doesn't really get to do: find a way out and some kind of redemption.
Reservoir Dogs (1991) Tarantino has a way with an LA story, and if he'd just not cast himself in every film (and thus annoy me to no end), he'd make far superior movies. This one is a great example of a postmodern gangster film, where the characters reference and understand the gangster genre and have conversations about all kinds of stuff, including the benefits of tipping, and the metaphorical meaning behind Madonna's "Like a Virgin."
Boyz N the Hood I'm obviously trying to represent for the west coast here. But hell, so many movies are about New York, it's nice to see an examination of Los Angeles gangs, especially during an era where Los Angeles gangs were spiraling out of control. It explores the pressures young men in inner cities deal with, and the cycle of violence that plagues communities that are allowed to decay by an uncaring system.
A good film, but a much more interesting examination of the period, it's history, and it's legacy is Stacy Peralta's documentary Crips and Bloods: Made in America.
American Gangster Did you not see this? It's good. Very good. Well, I have some problems with the ending, but it's nice to see Frank Lucas represented in the genre. Lucas gets pure heroin shipped into America during the Vietnam War era via military service planes in the coffins of dead soldiers. Yeah. I know. He sees himself as a community hero, as someone who takes care of a community (and his family) when no one else will. And there's this other stuff with Russel Crowe's character that I'm not into, but see it. Did you know that you can't just rub a stain on an alpaca rug, you have to blot? These are cleaning tips I needed to know.
The next three are Scorcese's contributions:
The Departed Even though Jack Nicholson is hammy and ridiculous, the story and the Damon/DiCaprio dynamic is excellent. Also, see the movie just for Mark Wahlberg's character. He's my personal hero after this. Well, the character is. The real Mark Wahlberg strikes me as kind of a douche. Like, he can't handle it when people refer to "Marky Mark." Dude, you made up that lame ass name! Also, his making fun of Andy Samberg's nose strikes me as quasi-nazi. Speaking of that:
Gets me every time.
Casino (1995) I don't know why this isn't my favorite movie. It's a gangster film based in Las Vegas. How is not? It may not be my fave, but it's up there for sure. Based on true events centered around the now (sadly) demolished Stardust casino, we get a birds eye view of how the mob functioned in Vegas. Excellent work by De Niro, of course, but I was really fascinated by Sharon Stone, who pulled out all the stops for her character. Scorcese is hit and miss when it comes to female characters, but I think hers was a nuanced, complex role worth seeing.
Gangs of New York (2002) Saved the best for last, right?
Gangs of New York is set in New York, but it's much earlier than any of the gangster films that came before it. We're talking during the Civil War era, when the city was dominated by mobs and political bosses. Lower Manhattan's "five points" area is at the center of another war, "natives" vs. immigrants. The Natives are led by Bill The Butcher Cutting, played by Daniel Day-Lewis. Amazing role. Lewis left his acting retirement for this role. And he wasn't like hanging out in Miami wondering what he was going to do without filmmaking. He was a cobbler in Italy. Dude just up and started a new life as a cobbler. And he said, damn, I have to play Bill the Butcher. You should see it just for that, but also for the history lesson, the story telling.
Even though it's about 19th century gangsters, it explores what all gangster films do, the limited resources and options available to the poorest people in the nation, and the short-term thinking that usually leads people to get so focused on their own problems that they fail to see how larger forces are shaping their lives. That, more than bad morals, ultimately leads to the gangster's downfall.
Ok, that's enough for now. I know, I missed a bunch of favorites, like Millers Crossing, and I left out films I thought were part of other genres but still contained gangster characters, like heist films (Oceans 11, The Italian Job, etc.). And don't even think to include West Side Story in here.
Since I'm doing a whole week on gangster films for my course, I have decided it's gangster weekend here at Chez Sweet Lady, or Chez Femme Gentille if you wanna get consistent with language. We have a few movies to watch from Netflix, plus my new ones from my trip to DVD Planet. Anyway, as someone who has researched and watched a ton of films, I offer you some of the basics you need to build a decent, well-rounded library. It's a two-part installment. I also added some documentaries and music when necessary.Finally, stuff you can buy that's educational!
PART 1
The Classic Gangster Era
It was pretty hard to beleive in the "rags to riches" myth of equal opportunity in Depression-era America. For the first time, many middle class Americans figured out that hard work and determination didn't necessarily mean you were going to move up in the world. Of course, the working class already knew that. One of the few kinds of people actually going from rags to riches in the 1930s were gangsters, whose small territories grew into large empires of bootlegging, racketeering, the drug trade and prostitution. Not surprisingly, people started looking at these guys as shining lights of inspiration, rebellious anti-establishment heroes. Must haves from this era:
The Public Enemy (1931) Scarface (1932) Little Ceasar (1931) Reasoning: Star power - James Cagney, Paul Muni and Edward G. Robinson are amazingly intense and thus set themselves up as archetypal gangster characters we still see today. All three of these met with controversy, but Scarface, the Howard Hughes film, is one that you definitely need to own. If anything, get it just to see how closely it was adapted to the 1983 version. And don't tell me you don't like old movies. These are different. I promise.
Post-Code Gangster Films
After the studioes started to self-censor via the Production Code (aka the Hays Code), the gangster film was severely handicapped. They couldn't make a hero out of the gangster, so they had to make sure cops and other people in authority were shown to be the true heroes. But they didn't want to give up on the violence and intensity that the gangster brought to the story (and to the profits). Hence these two options:
G-Men (1935) - where the Jimmy Cagney plays a cop just as psycho as the gangsters he previously played. Angels with Dirty Faces (1938)- one of my favorites, where (again) James Cagney plays a gangster with important ties to his past. The last ten minutes illustrate why Cagney was so often chosen for these roles, and how the studios cleverly got around the Code. Film Noir Gangster
During WW2, films mostly focused on the new evil, the Axis forces. Even gangster films like Lucky Jordan and All Through the Night were mostly gangsters vs. Nazis (the real enemy). But Key Largo, a noir film, really showed how disillusioned the country was after the war. Excellent work by Humphrey Bogart, but also from Edward G. Robinson, who played a gangster who was trying to get back his former glory, and failing. Not to mention Lauren Bacall, who put an important foot forward for women in gangster films. Though she rules most in To Have and Have Not.
The Film that Killed the Code
Bonnie & Clyde After a bunch of heist films in the 50s where the gangsters were often low-level and didn't have much power, the 1960s reintroduced the traditional gangster with the biographical gangster film, and Bonnie & Clyde was a bloody, bloody film that showcased the central characters almost heroically fighting the establishment. I think the scene where they are shot a thousand times is when the studios decided something like the MPAA would be a good idea.
Gangster Film Renaissance
The Godfather Trilogy Like, no duh, you need to watch at least The Godfather I & II. The third you can watch, but don't feel obligated to own it even though it's a trilogy. Not only did it reinvigorate the genre and make it classy, it provided a revisionist history as well. No story before it quite captured how difficult immigrants who eventually became gangsters had it in America, and how sometimes the gang provided protection, support, and a way to acheive some semblance of the American dream denied to people of a certain color or background.
Scarface (1983) Just go buy it, OK? It is bloody, freaky (with Tony's whole obsession with protecting his sister), and Al Pacino's attempt at a Cuban accent is just priceless. It stays true to the message of Hughes' original, while at the same time bringing to light the hypocrisy of the establishment. And it is yet another interesting discussion of the limitations facing immigrants in the Reagan era.
For more on that, you should make a night of it and rent, or better yet, BUY the documentary Cocaine Cowboys, that explores the history of that era in Miami.
They manage to interview key players in the drug trade in Miami in the 1980s, including gang enforcers, major dealers, and the FBI/police officers trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Lots of information about the connection between Miami and the Medellin cartel, but not so much on Pablo Escobar (who hogs all the glory in other docs). I rarely watch documentaries over and over, but this is one of the few that has been replayed. Also, it spends quite a bit of time on a little known key player, La Madrina, the Godmother, Griselda Blanco. Even putting her name in this blog kinda scares me, because if she's still alive and Googling, she could find me. She's scary as hell. I hope they make a movie about her life. That's a ganster film I'd definitely want in my collection.
Goodfellas (1991)
Goodfellas is the best film in the history of film. Don't even argue with me, because it just is. Amazing score, amazing dialogue, amazing story, Scorcese's genius. Get my drift? It shows quite convincingly why people were attracted to the gangster lifestyle, but more importantly (at least for me), it shifts the narration from the central character, Henry Hill (the gangster) and his wife, Karen. So we get a picture of what life is like for him, but for her as well . Excellent acting all the way around.
Next time:
West Coast gangsters represent, Christopher Walken, TV shows like Gang Nation, and Daniel Day Lewis' sexy version of the probably very stinky and grody Bill "The Butcher" Cutting. Oh, and don't forget Tony Soprano!
I got tired of the lil girl banner so I came up with something a bit more simple. And temporary. I have yet to find my defining image. Maybe I'm not brandable. Maybe that's a good thing.
I am in a better place, so hopefully, I'll have some nice things for you all on Friday. It's been hectic with the grading and the student emails. Tomorrow I begin one of my favorite sections of my course: gangster films and the American Dream. I went to DVD Planet today and got a bunch of great films. A whole set of classic gangster films with a documentary about the golden era of gangster films. Very cool, very informative, and useful. I haven't seen any of the films in the set, either, so I'm looking forward to that. I got another boxed set of pre-code Hollywood films. Before 1934, the film industry had no governor. No ratings system. There were very racy films, films that dealt with dark themes. I can't wait for the next rainy day to watch them.
I also got another copy of Goodfellas. It's my favorite film, so no surprise the DVD I already have has been put through its paces. It's also ancient. Seriously, you have to turn it over in the middle of the film to finish the story. This new DVD is the criterion collection, which I hope doesn't have a "Side B."
Not a bad haul, and all of it tax deductable! Sweet!
Ever since Tiny Heat recommended it, I've had Let the Right One In (aka Låt den rätte komma in) on my Netflix queue. I've been researching vampire stories for my upcoming pop culture class in the fall. Working my obsessions into my work is easy with my job, thankfully! What I've been looking at is the history of vampirism (the invention of the vampire, its original lore in different parts of the world, its use as a metaphor). So in addition to the vampire movie and books I already love, I'm seeking out stories that try to add to and/or mess with the conventions of the myth. Let the Right One In is just that kind of story.
I heard there is a US remake in the works, filming now, called "Let Me In" because well, the whole Morrissey reference is apparently lost on Hollywood. But you should see this one. It's beautiful and scary and thoughtful. Don't wait.
