Media and the Mafia

Persuasive Essay # 62521

Criminology > Organized Crime Studies
Film
Sociology > Media and Society

Media and the Mafia

This paper discusses that organized crime has been glamorized by the entertainment industry.

1,680 words () | 2 sources | MLA | 2005 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that America's first big blockbuster was the very first gangster film, made in 1903, called "The Great Train Robbery"; this was not a romantic story or a comedy but rather a film about violence. The author points out that Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather" (1972), a film based on a novel by Mario Puzo, produced by Paramount Pictures, is listed on the top American Film Institute's list of the 100 films in history; the 1974 sequel was the only sequel to ever win an Oscar. The paper reviews Martin Scorsese's film "GoodFellas", the very first Mafia television series "The Sopranos" (HBO), which has won many awards and the reality show "Growing Up Gotti" (A&E) featuring Victoria Gotti, daughter of John Gotti and an accomplished gossip columnist for the New York Post.

From the Paper:

"Years later, sound was able to be recorded on film. In 1932, nearly thirty years after "The Great Train Robbery" was filmed, a new gangster film about a mad man with a Tommy gun brought controversy to the cinema. It was called Scarface, and it was loosely based on the life of Al Capone during prohibition years. Capone was a lot like Gotti in that he loved the attention of the media. Screenwriter Ben Hecht believed that if the movie is called "Scarface", people will think it's about Al Capone and come see it."