A gangster film or gangster movie is a film belonging to a genre that focuses on gangs and organized crime . It is a subgenre of crime film , that may involve large criminal organizations, or small gangs formed to perform a certain illegal act. The genre is differentiated from Westerns and the gangs of that genre.
95-406: Bugsy Malone is a 1976 gangster musical comedy film written and directed by Alan Parker (in his feature film directorial debut ). A co-production of United States and United Kingdom, it features an ensemble cast , comprising only child actors playing adult roles, with Jodie Foster , Scott Baio , and John Cassisi in major roles. The film tells the story of the rise of "Bugsy Malone" and
190-444: A Cuban exile and ambitious newcomer to Miami who sees an opportunity to build his own drug empire. Abel Ferrara 's 1990 King of New York tells the story of Frank White, ( Christopher Walken ) and his return to New York City from prison. He navigates both the traditional Italian mafia authorities as well as the new cartels, as they are producing, smuggling and distributing cocaine in an uneasy business alliance. An early example of
285-583: A Little Love") as Bugsy and Blousey leave for Hollywood. Bugsy Malone was Alan Parker 's first feature film. Parker was trying to find a film project that was not "parochial" and decided upon an American gangster setting: "I had four young children and we used to go to a cottage in Derbyshire at weekends. On the long, boring car journey up there, I started telling them the story of a gangster called Bugsy Malone. They’d ask me questions and I’d make up answers, based on my memories of watching old movie reruns as
380-466: A Little love". Parker wrote the book for a stage adaptation of Bugsy Malone , using Williams' music. This premiered in the West End in 1983 at Her Majesty's Theatre and ran for 300 performances. It was directed by Michael Dolenz and the cast featured Catherine Zeta-Jones as Tallulah. Unlike the film version, the young cast perform their own songs rather than being dubbed by adult voices. In 1997,
475-602: A United Kingdom import. This edition includes a director's commentary as well as other special features. A new 4K restoration was released as part of the Paramount Presents line on 31 August 2021. In 2003, Bugsy Malone was voted #19 on a list of the 100 greatest musicals, as chosen by viewers of Channel 4 in the UK, placing it higher than The Phantom of the Opera , Cats , and The King and I . In 2005, Bugsy Malone
570-423: A big kiss on Bugsy's forehead just as Blousey enters. Blousey is jealous but performs anyway, using her personal feelings to boost her performance ("I'm Feelin' Fine"). Fat Sam hires Blousey after her audition and she leaves quickly, refusing to speak to Bugsy. Sam hires Bugsy as a driver to accompany him to a truce meeting with Dandy Dan. He also takes along "Looney" Bergonzi, a top Chicago mob enforcer. The meeting
665-455: A biographical mafia film distributed by Netflix , The Irishman , starring all three heavyweights in the genre, Robert De Niro as Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran , Al Pacino as Jimmy Hoffa and Joe Pesci as Russell Bufalino . In 2021, The Many Saints of Newark was released, as a prequel to David Chase 's HBO New Jersey Italian mafia series, The Sopranos . Directed by Alan Taylor and produced by David Chase and Lawrence Konner ,
760-513: A career in the United States Air Force Medical Service . In 2010, UK band Silvery included a cover of "You Give a Little Love" on their second album Railway Architecture , and Olly Murs , runner-up in the 2009 UK series of The X Factor , sampled "So You Wanna Be a Boxer" in his song "Hold On" that can be found on his debut album . In 2011, the film was the most screened film in secondary schools in
855-636: A cinema vérité story of a young aspiring mobster and his problem-gambler friend, played by Robert De Niro . In 1974, Sam Peckinpah directed Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia , about the Mexican mob, family honor, and the opportunistic Bennie ( Warren Oates ), friend of the eponymous Alfredo Garcia, looking to make a big score when the chance drops in his lap. Bonnie and Clyde was one of 1967's biggest box office hits and garnered 2 Academy Awards and 8 other nominations, including best picture. It, along with
950-424: A couple of reels would be more than enough of such a gag: after that you tend to pine for something more than the performances or the pastiche script or the joke of the cream-spattering machine guns have to offer. The writer-director was Alan Parker, who has come up through television commercials and a prizewinning television film, The Evacuees , and who clearly has a way with kid performers. The bright musical score
1045-507: A gangster who balances "Kung Fu honor" and the materialistic goals of the Triads. It was the all-time biggest grossing Hong Kong film at the box office and was critically acclaimed. Woo followed with a string of successes, including The Killer , Bullet in the Head , and Hard Boiled . Soviet propaganda has always said that organized crime exists only in the West. With the dissolution of
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#17328023242241140-462: A great boxer and introduces him to boxing coach Cagey Joe ("So You Wanna Be a Boxer?"). Fat Sam seeks Bugsy's aid again after Knuckles is accidentally splurged to death by a malfunctioning splurge gun knockoff . Bugsy resists but Fat Sam offers him $ 400, enough money to keep his promise to Blousey, although she is disappointed when she learns that Bugsy hasn't bought the tickets to California yet ("Ordinary Fool"). Bugsy and Leroy follow Dandy Dan's men to
1235-474: A hit. This movie about four friends was made in the road movie style. In 2006, Buslov released the sequel Bimmer 2 [ ru ] . In 2005, Aleksei Balabanov returned to the theme of gangster cinema and filmed a black comedy Dead Man's Bluff . In 2010, Balabanov returned to the theme of bandits in The Stoker . In 2010, The Alien Girl was released by Anton Bormatov. Russian television shows
1330-456: A kid." His eldest son suggested children should be cast as the "heroes". Alan Marshall, who was a producer and partner on several TV commercials with Parker, encouraged him to do the script. David Puttnam , who had served as producer on Parker's first script in Melody (1971), served as executive producer, helping to secure a deal with £1 million of funding that came from Rank Organisation and
1425-453: A lot of series about bandits, however, they are mostly of poor quality. A great success was the 2002 mini-series Brigada , which received cult status. Dupes A dupe or knockoff is a product similar in appearance, functionality, or design to a higher-end, often more expensive, branded item but sold at a much lower price. Knockoff products are those that copy or imitate the physical appearance of other products but which do not copy
1520-416: A massive splurge gun fight erupts and unarmed patrons throw cream pies, covering everyone (except Bugsy and Blousey), but somehow no one gets "finished" this time. Razamataz the piano player is hit from behind and falls onto the keys, striking a single bass chord. The tone silences the room, and the cream-covered crowd realize they can all be friends. They perform the final number ("Bad Guys Reprise" / "You Give
1615-411: A much darker neo-noir tone, a more fatalistic story, and a more gritty and violent portrayal of gangster life. The early 2000s saw a resurgence of British gangster films, popularised by director Guy Ritchie 's black comedy ensemble caper films Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) and Snatch (2000), and by Jonathan Glazer 's Sexy Beast (2000). Notable British gangster films from
1710-480: A penniless boxing promoter who is 'a little too popular with the broads... but a nice guy' ("Bugsy Malone"). At Fat Sam's Grand Slam Speakeasy , there is much dancing and singing ("Fat Sam's Grand Slam"). Fat Sam rants about the loss of Roxy, who was one of his best men, laying the blame on up-and-coming rival mob boss Dandy Dan and worried that Dan is trying to take control of his criminal empire. Blousey Brown, an aspiring singer and actress, has come for an audition at
1805-686: A remake of the 1932 original , by Brian De Palma , and 1990's Goodfellas by Martin Scorsese . The rise and fall of a mobster in a classic gangster film is often a thematic trope . In the 1970s, as genre theory came to the focus of academic study and the creation of a more specific taxonomy of genres was defined, gangster films started being distinguished from other subgenres, especially that of western. The genre has been predominantly defined by its historical, ideological, and sociocultural context. Three main categories of gangster films can be distinguished, according to Martha Nochimson: films that follow
1900-406: A warehouse where the guns are being stashed. They realize the two of them can't take the place alone, so Bugsy recruits a large group of down-and-out workers at a soup kitchen ("Down and Out"). They successfully assault the warehouse and take the crates of guns. Taking refuge at Fat Sam's Speakeasy, Bugsy and his army disguise themselves as waiters and patrons and await Dan's arrival. Chaos ensues as
1995-568: A young Vito Corleone . The lesson of the films' successes was not wasted on Hollywood. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the studios issued a steady flow of films about Italian American gangsters and the Mafia. Some of these were critically acclaimed. Scorsese's Goodfellas about Henry Hill 's life and relationship with the Lucchese and Gambino crime families, was nominated for six Academy Awards , including Best Picture and Best Director and won
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#17328023242242090-474: Is a delight to watch. The only concession it has been necessary to make is the fairly unobtrusive dubbing in of adult singing voices." Madeleine Harmsworth of the Sunday Mirror wrote: I approached the film BUGSY MALONE with misgivings. A musical send-up of a gangster movie with a cast of kids—average age twelve seemed like a good gimmick, but that's all. As it happens, writer-director Alan Parker's film
2185-765: Is a stark portrayal of a young gang leader and the racketeers in Brighton. It has been recognized as one of the greatest UK films ever by the British Film Institute . The late 1960s to early 70s saw a brief boom in British gangster films, alongside spy films and heist films , mirroring similar trends in Hollywood, Italy and elsewhere. Some films from this era took a lighthearted comedic approach to crime stories, like The Italian Job (1969), while others like Villain and Get Carter (both 1971) had
2280-400: Is a trap, but Bugsy helps Fat Sam escape and is paid $ 200 by a grateful Sam. Bugsy and Blousey reconcile and have a romantic outing on a lake, where Bugsy promises to take her to Hollywood. When he returns Sam's car to the garage he is attacked and his money is stolen. Bugsy is saved by Leroy Smith, who assaults the attackers and drives them away. Bugsy realizes that Leroy has the potential to be
2375-724: Is by the American Paul Williams. But if we're hoping for white hopes for the ailing British cinema, it would be more encouraging to find something with bigger ambitions than novelty and nostalgia. Rex Reed gave the film an exuberantly positive review upon its debut in New York, less than two months later: In the commercial cinema, Bugsy Malone (Baronet) has captured my heart. Written and directed by newcomer Alan Parker, it's bright, wholesome and as lively as anything I've seen in films in longer than I care to remember, and although it might seem too coy for most adult tastes,
2470-765: Is considered to have begun with Fukasaku's Battles Without Honor and Humanity (1972), a violent, realistic portrayal of post-war gangs in the ruins of Hiroshima . Prior to Battles , the films of Seijun Suzuki had departed from the ninkyo eiga formula, but had met with limited commercial success. Suzuki's Branded to Kill later inspired other directors in the gangster film genre, including John Woo , Chan-wook Park and Quentin Tarantino . Indian cinema has several genres of gangster films. Examples include: The Hong Kong gangster film genre began with 1986's A Better Tomorrow , directed by John Woo and starring Chow Yun Fat . Woo's tale of counterfeiters portrays
2565-411: Is much more than a novelty. It's an inspiration! The dialogue is witty. The songs are snappy, and the pace never palls as gang fights gang with foam and custard pies. I wish this fun film the best of British luck. Kenneth Baily of The Sunday People said that "some may fear that kids glamorised as speak-easy chorus girls and slicked-up as gangsters could turn out a sick joke. The splendid achievement of
2660-538: Is truly extraordinary". Pauline Kael of The New Yorker called the film "nothing but its godawful idea", writing "We're not watching actors in a story, we're watching kids doing a stunt, and so we're primed to ooh and aah, the way the audience does for a chimp on the Carson show." Kathleen Carroll of the New York Daily News praised the songs, script and performances in her three-star review, but believed
2755-530: Is very peculiar, but he is remarkably successful considering the terrible odds against such a stunt in the first place." Charles Champlin of the Los Angeles Times called it "a rare, original, tuneful, lighthearted, charming, and preposterously innocent family film". Gary Arnold of The Washington Post panned the film as "a freakish embarrassment" and an "icky misconception", though he singled out Jodie Foster for praise as an actress whose "precociousness
2850-402: The 34th Golden Globe Awards including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy . During the prohibition era , a mobster named Roxy Robinson is "splurged" by members of a rival gang, using rapid-fire cream-shooting "splurge guns". Once splurged, a gangster is "all washed up... finished". Mob boss Fat Sam Staccetto introduces himself in the opening narration, as well as introducing Bugsy Malone,
2945-569: The Academy Award for Best Picture . A 2018 biographical mafia film, Gotti , directed by Kevin Connolly , stars John Travolta as John Gotti, released in June. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes , the film holds an approval rating of 0% based on 38 reviews, and an average rating of 2.3/10. The website's critical consensus reads, " Fuhgeddaboudit ." In 2019, Martin Scorsese released
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3040-538: The BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay , and a nomination for Best Direction . Geoffrey Kirkland won the BAFTA Award for Best Production Design . Additionally, Paul Williams received a nomination for the Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music , and Monica Howe a Best Costume Design nomination. The film received a Best Picture nomination. Graham Thompson adapted the film into a 1976 comic book, which
3135-594: The Bonanno crime family of New York City during the 1970s. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay . In 2006, Scorsese released The Departed , his adaptation of Infernal affairs , the Hong Kong film. The Departed was also loosely based on the Whitey Bulger story, and Boston's Winter Hill Gang , which Bulger led. It earned Scorsese an Academy Award for Best Director , and won
3230-587: The Chicago Outfit , that ran multiple casinos in Las Vegas during the 1970s and 1980s. The film was De Niro's third mob film of the 1990s, following Goodfellas (1990) and A Bronx Tale (1993). In 1996, Armand Assante starred in the television film Gotti as infamous New York mobster, John Gotti . In 1997's Donnie Brasco , Pacino starred alongside Johnny Depp in the true story of undercover FBI agent Joseph Pistone and his infiltration of
3325-436: The Lucchese crime family Henry Hill . It was one of the most notable gangster films of the 1990s. Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci also starred in the film, with Pesci earning an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, making Goodfellas one of the most critically acclaimed crime films of all time. In 1990, The Godfather Part III
3420-615: The National Film Finance Corporation , with the provision that a United States distributor was found. Richard Sylbert , the art director-turned-executive at Paramount Pictures was approached with Parker's visual presentation of the material and agreed to help distribute the film. The director chose to cast several unknown actors in the film. To find his Fat Sam, Parker visited a Brooklyn classroom, asking for "the naughtiest boy in class". The students were unanimous in selecting John Cassisi , and Parker gave him
3515-746: The National Youth Music Theatre mounted an all-youth version at the Queen's Theatre , starring Sheridan Smith and Jamie Bell . Another revival played in 2015 and again in 2016 at the Lyric Hammersmith , where it was nominated for the Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival. The Lyric Hammersmith production toured the UK from July 2022, before a Christmas run at Alexandra Palace in London. The only cast recording of
3610-464: The Oscar for Best Picture , as well as the award for Best Actor for Marlon Brando and is widely considered one of the greatest American films of all time . In 1974, The Godfather Part II became the fifth-highest-grossing film of the year and garnered 11 Academy Award nominations . It again won Best Picture. Coppola won Best Director and Robert De Niro won best supporting actor for his portrayal of
3705-619: The 1960s onward include: Films about the Kray Twins (active in the 1950s and 60s) include: Richard Burton 's character in Villain (1971) was also loosely based on Ronnie Kray . The ninkyo eiga (chivalry films) were replaced in the late 1960s and early 1970s by a new style, pioneered by Kinji Fukasaku and inspired by the French New Wave and American Film noir called Jitsuroku eiga (true record films). The new style
3800-817: The 20th century. It took African American producers and directors of the 1990s like John Singleton , Spike Lee and the Hughes Brothers to begin exploring the criminal lifestyle in American urban communities, telling stories of drugs, gang culture, gang violence, racism and poverty in African American communities. Examples of films from the 1990s fitting the African-American gangster genre include Boyz N The Hood , Menace II Society and New Jack City . Brian De Palma 's 1983 remake of Scarface stars Al Pacino as Tony Montana ,
3895-659: The Casbah . Its distribution in America was blocked by the US-makers of its 1938 remake Algiers . French gangster films appeared again in the mid-1950s, most notably Jacques Becker 's Touchez pas au grisbi , American blacklisted filmmaker Jules Dassin 's Rififi and Jean-Pierre Melville 's Bob le flambeur . Melville would directed 1967's Le Samouraï starring Alain Delon as mob hitman Jef Costello. 1969 and 1970 saw
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3990-514: The Gallic gangster film is Maurice Tourneur ’s 1935 film Justin de Marseille set in Marseille . Tourneur's gangster-hero differentiates from his American equivalent by valuing honour, artisanship, community and solidarity. Four years before of the rise of film noir , in 1937, Julien Duvivier created Pépé le Moko , a French gangster film in the style of poetic realism that takes place in
4085-461: The Paradise , but had also written huge pop-radio hits (such as " We've Only Just Begun " (lyrics), and " (Just An) Old Fashioned Love Song "). In fact, Williams would soon win an Oscar for his song " Evergreen " from the film A Star Is Born (1976). Williams felt that "... the challenge for me was to provide songs that reflected the period ... and yet maintained an energy that would hold
4180-599: The Soviet Union , people of Russia had to face the fact of what they used to previously read only in newspapers. Gang wars accompanied the formation of a free market in Russia. This decade in Russia received the name of the "Dashing 90s" ( Russian : Лихие 90-е , translit. Lihie devyanostye ). In 1997, director Aleksei Balabanov released Brother which acquired cult status, and started to return interest of local people to Russian cinema, which had been in crisis since
4275-612: The United Kingdom. In 2017, the song "You Give a Little Love" was sung by a children's chorus at the end of a Netflix Black Mirror episode (Season 4 Episode 3 "Crocodile"). Sometime in the 2000s, Coca-Cola Ltd. (Canada) made an animated ad using "You Give a Little Love" that was only screened in movie theaters before any trailers. The song "Ordinary Fool" has been covered by numerous artists including Ella Fitzgerald and The Carpenters . In 2024, Morrisons released their Christmas ad featuring oven gloves singing "You Give
4370-847: The United Kingdom. By 1985, it had earned an estimated profit of £1,854,000. The film garnered 15 award nominations, including "Best Motion Picture (Musical/Comedy)", "Best Original Score" and "Best Original Song" (for the title track) from the Golden Globes , and an Oscar for " Best Original Song Score " (Paul Williams). The film was in competition for the Palme d'Or at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival . Jodie Foster received two BAFTAs , "Best Supporting Actress" and "Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles", however, both her nominations were for her previous year's work in Taxi Driver , in addition to her work on Bugsy Malone . Alan Parker received
4465-443: The abuses suffered by the common people, often at the hands of the corrupt powers that be. The so-called "Chivalry movies" of the 1960s gave way to the violent realism of Kinji Fukasaku , whose 1973 Battles Without Honor and Humanity would inspire future filmmakers across the globe. In 1931 and 1932, three of the most enduring gangster films were ever produced. Scarface , Little Caesar and The Public Enemy remain as three of
4560-536: The award for Best Supporting Actor for Joe Pesci 's performance. Italian-American film Once Upon a Time in America directed by Sergio Leone about David "Noodles" Aaronson played by Robert De Niro is considered one of the best gangster films of all time. The 1987 film The Untouchables was nominated for four Academy Awards . Sean Connery won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in his role as an associate of Eliot Ness who helped bring down Al Capone . Others, however, strayed into stereotypes and
4655-468: The battle for power between "Fat Sam" and "Dandy Dan". Set in New York City, it is a gangster movie spoof, with machine guns that fire gobs of whipped cream instead of bullets. The film is based loosely on events in New York and Chicago during Prohibition era , specifically the exploits of real-life gangsters such as Al Capone and Bugs Moran . Parker lightened the subject matter considerably for
4750-733: The blame from the criminal's shoulders, onto a cruel society in which success is difficult. At the end of the 1930s, crime films became more figurative, representing metaphors, as opposed to the more straight forward films produced earlier in the decade, showing an increasing interest in offering a thought provoking message about criminal character. With the abolition of the Hays Code in the late 1960s, studios and filmmakers found themselves free to produce films dealing with subject matter that had previously been off-limits. Early examples include Arthur Penn 's 1967 depression-era tale of Bonnie and Clyde . In 1973's Mean Streets , Scorsese directed
4845-459: The brand name or logo of a trademark. They may still be illegal under trademark laws if they confuse consumers or violate patents . The concept is particularly prevalent in the fashion world. In the early 20th century, American fashion designers would visit Paris, France, intending to copy French fashion to return to America; labels emerged as a way for fashion designers to declare the authenticity of their designs, which only further encouraged
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#17328023242244940-487: The brand name or logo of a trademark. They may still be illegal under trademark laws if they confuse consumers or violate patents . Dupes are products similar in appearance, functionality, or design to higher-end, often more expensive, branded items but sold at a much lower price. These products offer consumers an affordable alternative to luxury goods without significantly compromising quality or style. Dupes are particularly popular in fashion, beauty, and electronics, where
5035-463: The business, because I didn’t like driving into Manhattan. Well, the long and the short of it is that I wanted to play with my friends after school, but it happened to be raining that day, so I went to the city to meet with Alan Parker. I read it, but I just barely read it. I didn’t even want to be there. He was English, but I didn’t even know what that was. He was just this weird guy with long hair, and I didn’t know what he was. [Laughs.] So I sort of read
5130-612: The children's market and the film received a G rating in the U.S. Bugsy Malone premiered at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival , where it competed for the Palme d'Or . It was theatrically released in the United Kingdom on July 23, 1976, by Fox - Rank Distributors , and in the United States by Paramount Pictures on September 15. Although a commercial success in the UK, it was not a financial success overseas. The film received critical acclaim, with praise drawn for Parker's screenplay and direction, its musical numbers, unique narrative and
5225-519: The creation of knockoffs. Dupe culture , driven largely by Gen Z and Millennials, has emerged as a significant trend in the shopping world. These generations are increasingly seeking out dupes, which are affordable alternatives to high-end products, in an effort to maintain style without breaking the bank. This movement is fueled by social media, where influencers and users share their favorite dupes, promoting accessibility and savvy shopping. High-end brands are encouraged to embrace this trend, recognizing
5320-479: The depiction of bootlegging is a frequent occurrence in many early mob films. As the 1930s progressed, Hollywood also experimented with the stories of rural criminals and bank robbers, such as John Dillinger , Baby Face Nelson , and Pretty Boy Floyd . The success of these characters in film can be attributed to their value as news subjects, as their exploits often thrilled the people of a nation who had become weary with inefficient government and apathy in business. As
5415-447: The desire for trendy or high-performance items meets budget constraints. Social media platforms and influencers play a significant role in promoting dupes by sharing their discoveries and recommendations with their audiences. The term counterfeit is often used interchangeably, although their legal meanings are not identical. Knockoff products are those that copy or imitate the physical appearance of other products but which do not copy
5510-406: The earliest films, reflecting doubts about how well the American system was working. As stated, many films pushed the message that criminals were the result of a poor moral and economic society, and many criminal protagonists are portrayed as having foreign backgrounds or coming from the lower class. Thus, the film criminal is often able to evoke sympathy and admiration from the viewer, who often shift
5605-452: The early 1990s. In 2000 came the sequel Brother 2 , which was even more successful. In 2001, actor Sergei Bodrov Jr. , who played a major role in both of those films, released Sisters , which was his directorial debut. Other notable films of those years were Antikiller (2002) by Yegor Konchalovsky and Tycoon (2002) by Pavel Lungin . In 2004, Pyotr Buslov, a young 26-year-old director, released Bimmer , which instantly became
5700-556: The escapades of outlaw rebels, such as Bonnie and Clyde , melodramas of villain gangsters against whom the in-story victims and the audience identify, such as Key Largo and, most predominantly in the genre, films following an outsider, immigrant gangster protagonist, with whom the audience identifies. The first Japanese films about the Yakuza evolved from the Tendency films of the 1930s. They featured historical tales of outlaws and
5795-460: The film a score of 71 based on seven reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Among British reviewers, Patrick Gibbs of The Daily Telegraph described the film as "entertainment of considerable originality and polish." Arthur Thirkell of the Daily Mirror applauded Foster's performance and called Bugsy Malone "one of the most delightfully professional films to hit the screen in
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#17328023242245890-559: The film focuses on the young future mafia boss Tony Soprano , with the 1967 Newark riots as a backdrop. Apart from telling their own tales of African American gangsters in syndicates, films like Black Caesar feature the Italian mafia prominently. Often the blaxploitation films of the 1970s such as Shaft tell the tale of African American gangsters rising up and defeating the established white criminal order. African Americans were under-represented in filmmaking roles during much of
5985-568: The film is its wholly good taste and enjoyable entertainment." Derek Malcolm of The Guardian gave the film a more mixed assessment, praising Williams' music, Parker's script and direction and the various performances, while noting that "there are times when the movie loses its way, when the invention sags and when the essential artificiality of the concept becomes apparent." A review from David Robinson in The Times read as follows: If for nothing else you would have to admire Bugsy Malone for
6080-615: The film three-and-a-half stars out of four and said that "what makes Bugsy Malone really worth watching—as opposed to being just a cute idea—are the fine performers, terrific choreography, catchy songs, and bright photography." Variety wrote that the film had "charm, neat acting by an all-youngster cast, a tongue-in-cheek script and dialog, lilting songs, and score", but that audiences may find it "a bit fragile over its hour-and-a-half duration, and its content and approach just that bit too clever." Vincent Canby of The New York Times wrote "The world that Alan Parker has created in 'Bugsy Malone'
6175-611: The film version dubbed the songs with adult voices, this is the only released version with the songs performed by children and young adults. Gangster film In 2008, the American Film Institute defines the genre as "centered on organized crime or maverick criminals in a twentieth century setting". The institute named it one of the 10 "classic genres" in its 10 Top 10 list, released in 2008. The list recognizes 3 films from 1931 & 1932, Scarface , The Public Enemy & Little Caesar . Only 1 film made
6270-633: The film was "awesome": A kid’s fantasy: You get to dress up as gangster, you get to shoot guns that fire whipped cream, you get to drive cars with pedals that look like real cars, and you get to talk like a grown-up. I mean, you couldn’t ask for a better first big gig. Talk about getting you hooked on a business! It was fantastic. On Rotten Tomatoes , Bugsy Malone holds a score of 79% based on 28 reviews, with an average rating of 6.50/10. The website's consensus reads, "Delightfully bizarre, Bugsy Malone harnesses immense charm from its cast of child actors playing wise guys with precocious pluck." Metacritic gave
6365-426: The filmmaking process—she could have complicated technical conversations with the camera crew and script supervisor that were beyond her years. Even then, when she was twelve, I joked that if I got sick, she could take over. Parker chose Paul Williams to score the film in order to get a more "palatable" modern sound, and simply because he liked him. Williams had scored Brian De Palma 's commercial failure Phantom of
6460-488: The films imply that criminals are the creation of society, rather than its rebel, and considering the troublesome and bleak time of the 1930s, that argument carries significant weight. Often the best gangster films are closely tied to the reality of crime, reflecting public interest in a particular aspect of criminal activity. Thus, the gangster film is in a sense, a history of crime in the United States. The institution of Prohibition in 1920 led to an explosion in crime, and
6555-580: The films were domestic successes, and Borsalino was popular elsewhere in Europe. None of them, however, broke through in the United States. Various British film noir and crime dramas from the 1930s, 40s and 50s were set in the underworld with gangster or racketeer character, such as Night and the City (1950). The 1947 adaptation of the Graham Greene novel by the same name, Brighton Rock ,
6650-502: The former Huntley & Palmers buildings in Reading, Berkshire. The "splurge firearm" proved to be problematic. After initial experiments with cream-filled wax balls proved painful, Parker decided to abandon the idea of filming the firearms directly. Instead, the firearms fired ping-pong balls, and a fast cut to a victim being pelted with "splurge" was used to convey the impression of the rapid-firing firearms. Baio later said making
6745-633: The gratuitous use of Italian ethnicity in minor characters who happened to be criminals. This created a backlash in a portion of the Italian American community. In the 1990s there were several critically acclaimed mob films, many of which were loosely based on real crimes and their perpetrators. Many of these films featured long-time actors, well known for their roles as mobsters such as Al Pacino , Robert De Niro , Joe Pesci and Chazz Palminteri . In 1990, Goodfellas , directed by Martin Scorsese , starred Ray Liotta as real-life associate of
6840-467: The greatest examples of the genre. However, starting in the mid-1930s, the Hays Code and its requirements for all criminal action to be punished, and all authority figures to be treated with respect, made gangster films scarce for the next three decades. Politics combined with the social and economic climate of the time, influenced how crime films were made, and how the characters were portrayed. Many of
6935-431: The kids love it and you can send them off to see it with no fear of brain damage. A delicious musical spoof of Forties' Warner Brothers gangster epics, entirely sung, danced and performed by children, Bugsy Malone has clever Paul Williams songs, high-kicking pubescent chorines, tommy-gun dialogue out of Damon Runyon, and the most precocious cast of mobster moppets ever assembled on a screen that shows their talents to be twice
7030-468: The last decade." Alexander Walker of the Evening Standard called it "an impossible film to categorise—but a wholly fresh, inventive, enjoyable experience to view. It has taste, shape, melody, infinite affection for its period props—and a joyously spunky reading by the kids of its period stereotypes." Russell Davies of The Observer said that "the performance he has coaxed from Scott Baio in
7125-706: The list from 1933 to 1966, 1949's White Heat . This was at least partly due to the limitations on the genre imposed by the Hays Code , which was abandoned in favor of the Motion Picture Association of America film rating system in 1968. Beginning in the 1960s, the genre was revitalized in the New Hollywood movement. New Hollywood directors were honored with 5 of the top 6 films on the list—1967's Bonnie and Clyde by Arthur Penn , 1972's The Godfather and 1974's The Godfather Part II both by Francis Ford Coppola , 1983's Scarface ,
7220-406: The mouldy leather armchairs that smelled of fish. The film was Echoes of a Summer , and the young actress in question was Jodie Foster. I subsequently met with Jodie in my publicist's office. Affable and articulate, the twelve-year-old Jodie was wise beyond her years. Jodie was impeccable and extremely "set savvy". I think she directed me as much as I directed her. She was extremely knowledgeable of
7315-546: The newly formed FBI increased in power, there was a shift to favour the stories of the FBI agents hunting the criminals, instead of focusing on the criminal characters. In 1935, at the height of the hunt for Dillinger, the Production Code office issued an order that no film should be made about Dillinger, for fear of further glamorizing his character. Many of the 1930s crime films dealt with class and ethnic conflict, notably
7410-419: The novelty wore thin after a while, and she was also critical of the song dubbing. Bugsy Malone was not a commercial success in the U.S., bringing in just over $ 2.7 million. Paramount gave it a limited release , usually in second-tier theaters in a double-bill with The Bad News Bears , which had been out for six months and was no longer much of a draw. According to Parker, the film was "quite successful" in
7505-515: The others, were overshadowed by Francis Ford Coppola's Godfather saga. In 1972, Francis Ford Coppola 's The Godfather was released. The epic story of the Corleone family , its generational transition from post-prohibition to post-war, its fratricidal intrigues, and its tapestry of mid-century America's criminal underworld became a huge critical and commercial success. It accounted for nearly 10% of gross proceeds for all films for 1972. It won
7600-514: The performances of the cast. In 2003, it was voted #19 on a list of the 100 greatest musicals, as chosen by viewers of Channel 4 in the UK. In 2008, Empire ranked it 353rd on their list of 500 greatest movies of all time. The film received eight nominations at the 30th British Academy Film Awards , including Best Film and won three: Best Supporting Actress and Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles for Foster and Best Screenplay for Parker. The film also received three nominations at
7695-771: The release of three successful French gangster films featuring the day's biggest French movie stars. All three films featured good looking star Alain Delon . In 1969, Jean Gabin , Delon, and Lino Ventura starred in Le clan des siciliens , about a jewel thief and the Mafia . In 1970, Borsalino , a tale of the Italian Mafia in 1930 Marseilles, featured Delon, along with Jean-Paul Belmondo . In 1970, in Le Cercle Rouge , Delon, Gian Maria Volonté , and Yves Montand team up to rob an impenetrable jewelry store. All three of
7790-528: The role. Florrie Dugger (Blousey) originally was cast in a smaller role; when the actress cast as Blousey suddenly grew taller than Baio, Dugger was promoted. She had been "discovered" at RAF Chicksands , an air force base in Bedfordshire where her American father was stationed. At the time of filming, all of the cast were under 17 years old. Parker cast Baio after he slammed down the script and stormed out of his audition. Baio later remembered: I had quit
7885-464: The script, threw it at him, and walked out the door. That was it: I’d gotten the part before I got home. In Los Angeles , Parker met a 12-year-old Jodie Foster , who at the time was about to start the filming of Martin Scorsese 's Taxi Driver . About casting Foster as Tallulah and working with her, Parker said: I sat on my own, suitcase at my side, in the shabby screening room with its threadbare carpets replete with Darryl F. Zanuck's cigar burns in
7980-565: The sheer doggedness of its eccentricity. It is a nostalgic pastiche of all the cliches of the gangster movie and the musical of-the early days of sound films, the novelty being that it is entirely played by children of an average age of 12. Its rapturous reception by the public at the Cannes Festival in May shows that this kind of novelty appeals strongly to a large section of the audience, so I'd not like to make too much of my own feeling that
8075-433: The size they are. The oldest is 13-year-old Jodie Foster (who turned 14 after the film's completion), the teenage hooker from Taxi Driver . The youngest is barely out of diapers. All are superb in their Godfather pin-stripes and their flapper fringe. Roger Ebert gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four and called it "a charming one" with "yet another special performance by Jodie Foster". Gene Siskel also gave
8170-447: The speakeasy remains. Sam finds his gang fooling around ("Bad Guys") and then sends all his available men except his personal enforcer Knuckles, to see if they can track down the guns but they are ambushed at a laundry and splurged by Dandy Dan's gang. Bugsy returns to Fat Sam's to arrange a new audition for Blousey. Fat Sam's girlfriend, the chanteuse Tallulah, makes a pass at him and, although Bugsy rejects her flirtation, Tallulah plants
8265-414: The speakeasy, but Sam is too distracted to see her. Bugsy meets Blousey when he trips over her luggage; he is instantly smitten and attempts to flirt with her. Just then, Fat Sam's is raided by Dandy Dan's men, who shoot up the place. Over the next few weeks, Dan's men continue to attack Fat Sam's empire, eventually taking over all of Sam's moneymaking rackets and splurging members of Fat Sam's gang until only
8360-433: The stage show released to date is by the National Youth Music Theatre , released in 1998. This includes all the songs featured in the film and two new songs written by Williams: "That's Why They Call Him Dandy" and "Show Business". There is also some additional incidental orchestral score, such as an Overture and Exit Music , with music arranged by John Pearson. The recording features a young Sheridan Smith as Tallulah. As
8455-578: The tapes arrived, scarcely weeks away from filming, we had no choice but to go along with it!" The film soundtrack album was originally released as an LP in 1976. In March 1996, Polydor UK released the soundtrack on CD. Performers include Paul Williams , Archie Hahn , Julie McWhirter , and Liberty Williams . The film was rehearsed and shot in the United Kingdom, largely on Pinewood Studios ' "H" stage, with locations in Black Park Country Park (Wexham, Buckinghamshire) and primarily
8550-439: The title role is particularly remarkable; the lad catches a consistently honest, unflashy diffidence that is the very essence of that traditional figure in American mythology, the average guy. whom the ladies go for." David Castell of The Sunday Telegraph said that "all W.C. Fields -like prejudices are left outside this vast adventure playground in which the children conduct themselves with an earnestness and natural dignity that
8645-417: The work and the only thing I've ever doubted is the choice of using adult voices. Perhaps, I should have given the kids a chance to sing the songs." Parker also commented: "Watching the film after all these years, this is one aspect that I find the most bizarre. Adult voices coming out of these kids' mouths? I had told Paul that I didn't want squeaky kids' voices and he interpreted this in his own way. Anyway, as
8740-440: The young audiences attention." According to Parker, Williams was writing while on tour, recording songs in different cities, and sending the completed tapes to Hollywood. Arriving during the first pre-shoot rehearsals, the songs had to be accepted and used as they were, with voices by Williams, Archie Hahn, and others. Neither the director nor the songwriter were comfortable with the results. Williams later wrote "I'm really proud of
8835-444: Was only released in the United Kingdom. In the early 1980s, Bugsy Malone was released on VHS. On 16 April 1996, it was re-released by Paramount on VHS. A region 2 DVD has been available since 2003 and although the film has never been released on Region 1 DVD, it has been available through Internet sites as an Asian import supporting Region 1 (US). On 9 September 2008, Arista/SME released a Blu-ray version, encoded for "all regions", as
8930-757: Was released. Al Pacino reprised his role as the iconic Michael Corleone . The film served as the final installment in The Godfather trilogy, following Michael Corleone as he tries to legitimize the Corleone family in the twilight of his career. In 1993, Pacino starred in Carlito's Way as a former gangster released from prison who vows to go straight. In 1995, following their collaboration in Goodfellas , Scorsese, De Niro and Pesci teamed up again to make Casino , based on Frank Rosenthal , an associate of
9025-673: Was voted 39th on a list of the 100 greatest family films (also compiled by Channel 4) ahead of Beetlejuice and The Princess Bride and behind Bedknobs and Broomsticks and It's a Wonderful Life . Bugsy Malone ranks 353rd on Empire 's 2008 list of the 500 greatest movies of all time. A 2003 television documentary called Bugsy Malone: After They Were Famous features a reunion and interviews with Jodie Foster, Scott Baio, John Cassisi, and Florrie Dugger. The British actors who played Fat Sam's gang are also reunited at Pinewood Studios . The documentary reported that Dugger, who (unlike her co-stars) had never acted again, had chosen to pursue
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