Movies and New York City

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at how the public's perception of New York City has been affected by Martin Scorsese's "Mean Streets", Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing" and Woody Allen's "Annie Hall". Through an exploration of these three films, the paper demonstrates how the popular imagination has been infused with the idea of New York as a melting pot of people from all over the world.

Outline:
Martin Scorsese's "Mean Streets"
Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing"
Woody Allen's "Annie Hall"
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"On a superficial level, Mean Streets is about gangsters in New York's Little Italy neighborhood. Going deeper, however, one realizes that Mean Streets is actually a film about living in a state of sin. Whatever Charlie (Harvey Keitel) does throughout the film, we are constantly aware that he is living in a state that he is unable to escape from, even as he tries to help the seemingly helpless Johnny Boy (Robert De Niro.) The plot of the film involves Charlie's difficult attempts at reconciling all of the conflicting worlds he involves himself in. Charlie works for Giovanni, a restaurant owner and Mafioso. Charlie shows promise in the underworld and is being groomed to take over the restaurant, but Giovanni does not like his association with Johnny Boy, a troubled figure that Charlie feels it is his Christian duty to help and protect. Johnny Boy owes money to another character, Michael, who is growing restless over Johnny Boy's ongoing failure to pay it back."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Calvino, Italo. 1974. Invisible Cities. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
• Cannon, Damian. 1997. "Mean Streets (1973)." Movie Reviews UK. Retrieved April 24, 2008 from: http://www.film.u-net.com/Movies/Reviews/Mean_Streets.html.
• Ebert, Roger. 2003. "Mean Streets." Retrieved April 25, 2008 from: http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20031231/REVIEWS08/401010340/1023.
• Friedman, Lawrence S. 1997. The Cinema of Martin Scorsese. New York: Continuum.
• Grist, Leighton. 2000. The Films of Martin Scorsese, 1963-77: Authorship and Context. New York: St. Martin's.

More papers on Movies and New York City:

• Comparison Essay # 23620 : "New York City as Represented in Two Films"
• Term Paper # 96768 : "Gangs of New York"
• Film Review # 115926 : "'Taxi Driver' and Today's Society"

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