CINEMA SPRING 2010
ma, was a coincidence. But it is also a horrible fact because Lorre, who played a criminal in "M," and Cagney displayed similar characteristics, and it was hard to believe that Lorre's character was a murderer. This is in fact something that tells us the mysterious interpretations of the film noir and gangster genres. In the late 1930s, some other examples of the genre inspired by Cagney were produced, including "Angels with Dirty Faces" and "The Roaring Twenties." The former also falls in the sub-genre of "gang movie," which would emerge later. "Angels with Dirty Faces" narrates the story of a protagonist who has a tendency to commit crime and is also preoccupied with a gang of no-good kids who, of course, idolize him. In this period, movies were produced suggesting that American society should be purged of dangerous criminals. 'The Godfather' and the gangster movie's return to the top Gangster movies, supplanted by film noir with the arrival of "The Maltese Falcon" (1942), continued to be made in the subsequent decades, as evidenced by "Dillinger" (1945). However, the actual revival of this genre came only after the introduction of the New Hollywood tradition, also referred to as the American New Wave, in 1967, as first evidenced by "The Godfather," produced in 1972. The movie, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, took the gangster movie genre back to the top and brought it into the modern era. The revival of the genre as a consequence of the end of the film noir era helped "The Godfather" became a masterpiece. The most striking aspect of the movie was its ability to promote its antihero and make us connect with him through a cathartic tie. Its ability to transfer the genre into a colorful era should also be noted. While production of sequels to the movie contributed to Coppola's personal fortune, it also facilitated the emergence of other examples of the genre, including "Once Upon a Time in America," "Goodfellas" and "Casino." However, this tendency also led to the emergence of sub-genres of gangster films, including the "hood film," the gangster movie in black cinema; the "triad film," the Hong Kong version of the genre; the "gang film"; and "noir comedy," which combines comedy and gangster films. "Boyz n the Hood," the first film by John Singleton, may be cited as an example of the first, "A Better
Tomorrow" and "Hard Boiled" by John Woo of the second, "The Outsiders" and "The Warriors" of the third and "Miller's Crossing" of the last. Fantastic gangster movies A greater breakthrough came when a comic was adapted to the screen in "The Dark Knight," thus introducing a fantastic dimension to the gangster film genre. The Joker and his gang, major components of the Batman movies that we are familiar with, are accentuated in the film as the primary protagonists. This inevitably converts the Batmancentered skeleton into a Joker-centered one. Additionally, like Don Corleone in "The Godfather," the movie secured huge financial success with advertisements relying on the captivating image of the Joker. We should also remember that Heath Ledger (the Joker), who was treated like the star of the movie, won an Oscar. So, the gangster movie evolved into a hybrid form: the "fantastic gangster movie." We may take this as an extension of the logic that seeks to make cartoon adaptations and fantastic productions more realistic. However, the character of the Joker, who appeared as an exaggerated protagonist, seems to satisfy the mature viewers of the gangster genre. This actually points to the future direction of the genre because it has become the primary raw material of studios, becoming a genre on its own and not just one of the aforementioned sub-genres. It is only a matter of time now before new movies are produced under its influence. The difference between Cagney's Public Enemy, Marlon Brando's 112
played the police officer, to stardom. Among a rather lengthy list, movies such as "Krallarýn Öfkesi" (The Rage of the Kings), "Sürgünden Geliyorum" (I Am Returning from Exile), "Skandal" (Scandal), "Eþkýya" (Bandits), "Karýþýk Pizza" (Mixed Pizza) and "Fasulye" (Bean) could be considered leading examples of the genre. One interesting detail is that Yýlmaz Güney, known as the forefather of the "revolutionary movie" genre, has directed and written a number of gang movies. Güney, also known as the ugly king of Turkish movies, starred in the movie "Ýkisi de Cesurdu" (Both Were Brave) produced in 1963, which narrated the story of a gang leader in exile; his 1969 film "Bir Çirkin Adam" (An Ugly Man) narrated the story of a hired assassin. In "Aç Kurtlar" (Hungry Wolves), produced in the same year, Güney played a bandit who eliminated a gang. The gang movies Güney starred in also include "Yarýn Son Gündür" (Tomorrow Is the Last Day), "Bana Kurþun Ýþlemez" (I Am Bulletproof), "Benim Adým Kerim" (My Name Is Kerim) and "Kovboy Ali" (Cowboy Ali). On the other hand, we see similarities in the filmography of Cüneyt Arkýn, who became a star in the same period of time. Arkýn, who played the lead role in "urban gang" stories, has become an influential artist thanks to his work as an honorable figure fighting against gangs and corrupt cops as well as all sorts of illegal activities. Sadly, Turkish cinema was unable to achieve realism in narrating stories of gangs and crimes for sev-
Godfather and Ledger's Joker will definitely determine the direction of this transformation. Turkish gang movies: detached from reality The course of Yeþilçam, the Turkish movie industry, is no different from Hollywood. The gang stories narrated by Yeþilçam have always attracted a great deal of attention from viewers and have made their producers rich and popular. However, unlike the products of the movie sectors in other countries, Yeþilçam movies were detached from the reality. Let us take a brief look at this: Refik Halid Karay's novel 1939 "Çete" (Gang) was turned into a movie by Çetin Karamanbey in 1950. The movie, in which Neriman Köksal, Ýhsan Evrim and Orhon M. Arýburnu, the famous artists of the time, played the leading roles, narrated the heroic story of Kýran, who defeated enemy forces in Ýstanbul. Even though it seems to be a kid's movie, "Yumurcak," produced in 1961, features the story of the daughter of a gang leader who disguises herself as a man. The genre was so influential that gang movies were produced even in the early 1970s, when erotic movies were popular and regular movies failed to attract the attention of the viewers. In this period, the genre became an amalgam of gangster films and soft erotic features. The movie "Hem Döðüþ, Hem Seviþ" (Fight and Make Love) directed by Yücel Uçanoðlu, was a soft erotic gangster movie narrating the story of a police officer who was dealing with a gang blackmailing wealthy women using their naked photos. The movie propelled Behçet Nacar, who 113
The movie ‘Swordfish’ is about the relationship between terrorist activities and security council meetings. Every time the council has a meeting terrorist activities increase, and this lays the foundation for the decisions of the council. The civilian members of the council have no other chance but to follow the "orders" of the military men