Crime Movies

by Carlos Clarens, Foster Hirsch

Crime movies are as old as filmmaking itself. They embody the American nightmare, functioning both as a mirror of society and a tool for educating the public about its enemies. In this history of the genre Carlos Clarens gives us a mini-history of crime American-style. From D. W. Griffith and New York's Biograph Studios, where raw violence was introduced to celluloid immortality, to today's multimillion-dollar celebrations of blood and power, Crime Movies shows us the whole the unchanging cast of characters (the gangster hero, swaggering, charming, suspicious; the stoolpigeon or strikebreaker; the moll); the stars (James Cagney, Spencer Tracy, George Raft, Edward G. Robinson, Humphrey Bogart, Richard Widmark); the censorship battles, political pressure, and public outcry. This book illuminates movies such as Intolerance, Underworld, Little Caesar, Public Enemy, Kiss of Death, On the Waterfront, Bonnie and Clyde, The Godfather, Goodfellas, Reservoir Dogs, and hundreds of others, while detailing the film-making strategies Hollywood has adopted to deal with the controversial yet profitable and enduring subject of American criminality.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction, Art, Media Tie In, History

376 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Carlos Clarens was born in Havana, Cuba as Carlos Figueredo. He was an actor, film critic, film historian and cinematographer. He was an acclaimed (but not very prolific) film critic in the United States, whose books on horror and crime films are still widely read. During his lifetime he was a regular contributor to the magazines Sight and Sound and Film Comment. He also wrote a book-length study of the films of George Cukor entitled George Cukor. In New York, he ran (with Mary Corliss) a photo-agency specializing in stills from old movies, which provided illustrations for many magazine articles and film books.He passed away from a heart attack. He resided in New York City at the time of his death. Upon his death, tributes were held at New York's Little Theatre at the Public Theater, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and Paris.

Reviews

[Checkman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A truly fascinating look at the history and sociology of the crime movie in Hollywood from the silent movie era to the late 1970's. The book was originally published in 1980 and then updated by Foster Hirsch in 1997. As a life-long movie buff, amateur historian and career police officer I found this to be an engrossing read. It definitely can appeal to many different readers with differing interests. That's about all I can say except that it's a good book

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good history of the changes in crime movies as they trended towards making the gangster the protagonist to changing to the cop/agent being the hero and then around again, with a little detour into film noir. The requirements of the studios, Hays Office, J. Edgar Hoover affected how crime could be portrayed. All of that was interesting and readable, but Clarens description and assessment of specific movies was almost impenetrable. I would think he didn't like a movie only to have him compare it favorably to another movie a few pages later. His description of some of the early movie plots were pretty humorous, more because of the actual plots than Clarens witty descriptions. A last chapter included to bring the book up through the 1990s is written by someone else and is far more clearly written.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is far more than just a crime movie book of the "and
then they made" variety. It really delves into the psychology
of what made gangster movies such a hit with the movie going
public of the early 1930s. Did you know that a 1931 survey
had movie stars and gangsters as the top occupations that the
man in the street aspired to!! I found it fascinating that
whenever a film tried to turn the focus on the police the
public stayed away. The reason, according to this book, was
that they were not as charismatic as the gangsters who were
portrayed by such larger than life stars as Edward G. Robinson
and James Cagney.
With the emergence of John Dillinger, gangsters became even
more popular than ever - unlike the Chicago mobsters, these
mid west bandits were usually poor folk who wanted something
more and were not too choosey about how they got it!! J. Edgar
Hoover really clamped down and would not allow any movie to be
made featuring a real gangster's name (Monogram's 1947
"Dillinger" slipped through the cracks). Hoover wouldn't even
endorse the movie "G Men" because (shock! horror!) Cagney, as
a G man, was seen going into a nightclub!!
Important crime movies are given intelligent appraisals -
"Musketeers of Pig Alley", "Regeneration", "Underworld", "Little
Caesar", "Doorway to Hell" and "The Public Enemy". Even an
oddity like Fritz Lang's "You and Me" which combined social
commentary, music and comedy. A huge chapter is included on film
noir, another on the "Bonnie and Clyde" phenomenon as well as
"The Godfather". Definitely a must to read if you are a serious
film lover.