Misplaced Pages

#860139

123-582: Get Carter is a 1971 British gangster film , written and directed by Mike Hodges in his directorial debut and starring Michael Caine , Ian Hendry , John Osborne , Britt Ekland and Bryan Mosley . Based on Ted Lewis's 1970 novel Jack's Return Home , the film follows the eponymous Jack Carter (Caine), a London gangster who returns to his hometown in North East England after his brother's death. Suspecting foul play, and with vengeance on his mind, he investigates and interrogates, regaining

246-404: A Wurlitzer electric piano and a grand piano . Budd described the experience as "uncomfortable, but it sounded pleasant". The theme tune features the sounds of the character's train journey from London to Newcastle. The theme was released as a 7" vinyl single by Pye Records in 1971, titled simply Carter and backed with "Plaything", another piece composed for the soundtrack. Original copies of

369-465: A pornographic film in which Doreen is forced to have sex with Albert. The other participants in the film are Glenda and Margaret. Jack becomes enraged and pushes Glenda's head underwater as she is taking a bath. She tells him the film was Kinnear's and that she thinks Doreen was pulled into the production by Eric. Forcing Glenda into the boot of her own car, Jack drives off to find Albert. Jack tracks down Albert, who confesses he told Brumby that Doreen

492-428: A vehicle for Frank Sinatra . Michael Klinger complained in 1974 to president of UA Eric Pleskow about the lacklustre promotion of Carter , and tried to get him to relinquish the U.S. rights to the film so that Klinger could find a better distributor. The film did not encounter many censorship problems, although the scene where Carter knifes Albert Swift caused concern for the censor John Trevelyan . In South Africa

615-421: A " knight " forced to dispense his own sense of justice in a corrupt world". However, in his DVD commentary Hodges implies that he did not see Carter as morally any more justified than those he kills, and his death is intended to present his actions to the audience as morally bankrupt and futile: "I wanted him to be dealt with in exactly the same way he dealt with other people. Now that's a sort of Christian ethic in

738-549: A "chase sequence", but he persuaded them that it would draw too many comparisons with Bullitt (a chase sequence between Carter and the London gangsters is mentioned in the shooting script). Hodges tried to rehearse the racecourse scene between Caine and Hendry in their hotel the night before shooting, but "Hendry's drunken and resentful state forced Hodges to abandon [the] attempt". Hodges described Caine as "a complete dream to work with". Caine only lost his temper once on set, during

861-444: 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

984-410: A Train"), the best-known piece from the film, was played by Budd and the other members of his jazz trio, Jeff Clyne ( double bass ) and Chris Karan ( percussion ), and was recorded on a budget of £450 (£8,700 in 2024). The musicians recorded the soundtrack live, direct to picture, playing along with the film. To save time and money Budd did not use overdubs, simultaneously playing a real harpsichord ,

1107-455: 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 ,

1230-636: 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

1353-587: A feel for the city and its hardened-criminal element. Producer Michael Klinger optioned Lewis's novel shortly after its publication and made a deal with the ailing Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) to finance and release the film, making Get Carter the last project to be approved by the studio's Borehamwood division before its closure. The production went from novel to finished film in 10 months, with principal photography taking place from July to September 1970 in and around Newcastle upon Tyne , Gateshead and County Durham . Hodges, Klinger and Caine intended to create

SECTION 10

#1732791507861

1476-507: 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

1599-474: 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

1722-517: A landscape that suggested a "hard, deprived background". Newcastle was selected after Hodges' first choice of Hull proved to be unsuitable. Hodges thoroughly researched the local Newcastle crime scene, adapting the script to make use of settings and incorporating elements of his research into the story. His background at World in Action had made him accustomed to making films based on hard investigation and this informed his approach to Get Carter . One of

1845-472: 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. Newcastle Racecourse Newcastle Racecourse is a horse racing course located at Gosforth Park in Newcastle upon Tyne , England, owned by Arena Racing Company . It stages both flat and National Hunt racing , with its biggest meeting being

1968-497: A more realistic portrayal of violence and criminal behaviour than had previously been seen in British films: Caine, who also served as an uncredited co-producer, incorporated aspects of criminal acquaintances into his characterisation of Carter, while Hodges conducted research into the criminal underworld of Newcastle, in particular the one-armed bandit murder . Cinematographer Wolfgang Suschitzky worked with Hodges to give scenes

2091-411: 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

2214-486: A naturalistic documentary feel, especially in crowd scenes. The film was shot in Metrocolor , which was MGM's trade name for films processed at its Eastmancolor laboratory . This lab processed Kodak 's Eastman Color Negative , so it is most likely the film was shot on this stock. Asked to comment on what he was aiming for in the look of the film, cinematographer Wolfgang Suschitzky said "The camera work on it [...] it

2337-458: A naturalistic feel, drawing heavily on their backgrounds in documentary films . Turning a respectable profit upon its initial UK release, Get Carter initially attracted mixed reviews. Critics grudgingly appreciated the film's technical achievements and Caine's performance while criticising the complex plot, violence and amorality, in particular Carter's apparent lack of remorse for his actions. American critics were generally more enthusiastic, but

2460-401: A new audio commentary with critics Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw , an isolated music track, interviews with Hodges, Trunk Records founder Jonny Trunk , actress Petra Markham and Michael Klinger's son Tony, Philip Trevelyan 's 1966 documentary film The Ship Hotel, Tyne Main , a booklet containing various essays on the film and other paraphernalia, postcards and a double-sided poster for both

2583-614: A re-release of the film at the BFI Southbank as part of their retrospective program Return of the Outsider: The Films of Mike Hodges , which ran from May 1 to May 31 and included various in-person events such as "Mike Hodges in Conversation" on May 3; this was followed by a wide release in British and Irish cinemas on 27 May. This release utilised a new 4K restoration of the film's original camera negative, which

SECTION 20

#1732791507861

2706-514: A real-life connection with organised crime. It was the recently vacated country house of North East fruit machine businessman Vince Landa, who had fled the country in 1969 after the murder of his right-hand man Angus Sibbett, the so-called one-armed bandit murder . Many believed the crime was part of a failed attempt by the Kray twins to gain control of the Newcastle underworld. Michael Klinger and

2829-487: A reasonable but below-average budget of 750,000 (there is some dispute as to whether this figure refers to dollars or pounds) for the production. Within months of agreeing to the deal MGM had pulled out of the UK. Klinger had seen Mike Hodges' television film Suspect (1969) and immediately decided he was the ideal candidate to direct his new project. Hodges had also previously worked on current affairs programme World in Action ,

2952-686: 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

3075-413: A way [...] That was a prerequisite of the film for me, that the hitman should go [click] and that's it". Hodges' decision to kill off Carter was initially protested by MGM executives, as they wanted the character to survive in the event that the film proved successful enough to warrant a sequel . Locations along the east coast of England had been scouted by Hodges and Klinger in the spring of 1970, to find

3198-568: 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

3321-710: 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

3444-765: 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

3567-566: Is not included on the soundtrack LP. The music playing in the nightclub scene is an uptempo cover of the 1969 Willie Mitchell tune "30-60-90" performed live by the Jack Hawkins Showband, which was the resident band at the Oxford Galleries night club. The pub singer, played by Denea Wilde, performs a cover of " How About You? " by Burton Lane and Ralph Freed , a song more associated with glamorous Hollywood films than

3690-469: Is referenced at the start of the film with a shot of a newspaper bearing the headline "Gaming Wars". Other locations in Newcastle and Gateshead, Northumberland and County Durham were also used. Principal photography took place in the North East between 17 July and 15 September 1970. Hodges favoured the use of long focal length lenses (as he had used previously on Rumour ) in many scenes to create

3813-564: Is told the name "Brumby". Jack knows Cliff Brumby as a businessman with controlling interests in local seaside amusement arcades . Visiting Brumby's house, Jack discovers the man knows nothing about him and, believing he has been set up, he leaves. The next morning, two of Jack's London colleagues – Con McCarthy and Peter the Dutchman – arrive, sent by the Fletchers to take him back, but he escapes. Jack meets Margaret to talk about Frank, but

Get Carter - Misplaced Pages Continue

3936-569: 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

4059-594: 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

4182-587: 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

4305-546: The Kray Twins ' convictions. Klinger was invited to view a first print of Peter Walker 's Man of Violence (1969) and was unimpressed, telling the director "I'm going to make a gangster film, but it's going to cost a lot more than this and it's going to be better". After searching many publishers for material to adapt into a film, Klinger purchased the rights to Ted Lewis ' novel Jack's Return Home . Andrew Spicer has written that "he [Klinger] sensed its potential to imbue

4428-436: 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

4551-597: The Northumberland Plate held annually in June. Horseracing began in the North East over 350 years ago, beginning in Killingworth in the early 17th century. A King's Plate for 5 year olds, run in 3 mile heats was instigated by George II in 1753. The Town Moor hosted the first recorded Northumberland Plate in 1833 and did so until 1881 when the race transferred to High Gosforth Park . 1882 saw

4674-464: 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

4797-405: The country house of crime boss Cyril Kinnear. Jack confronts Kinnear but learns little from him; he also meets a glamorous drunken woman, Glenda. As Jack leaves, Eric warns him against damaging relations between Kinnear and the Fletchers. Back in town, Jack is threatened by henchmen who want him to leave town, but he fights them off, capturing and interrogating one to find out who wants him gone. He

4920-561: 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

5043-499: The 1981 Jon and Vangelis track The Friends of Mr Cairo . The majority of the film's music was composed by Roy Budd , a jazz pianist and composer, who had previously worked on soundtracks for Soldier Blue and Flight of the Doves . Aside from its score, Budd also composed three songs: "Looking For Someone", "Love Is A Four Letter Word" (with lyrics by Jack Fishman) and "Hallucinations". The theme (otherwise known as "Carter Takes

Get Carter - Misplaced Pages Continue

5166-817: 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 ,

5289-579: The ABCs in Edgware and Fulham Road . On its general release in the North of England, Chibnall notes it had a "very strong first week", before an unseasonal heatwave damaged cinema attendance. Chibnall writes that "Interestingly, although [the film's] downbeat and unsentimental tone is now thought to express the mood of its times, the mass cinema audience preferred Love Story (Arthur Hiller 1970), which remained

5412-543: The British crime thriller with the realism and violence of its American counterparts". Klinger had been approached in 1969 by another producer, Nat Cohen , to make films for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). In financial trouble and shutting down its British operations, MGM was in the process of closing its British studios at Borehamwood and was looking to make smaller-budget films to turn a profit. At this time Klinger's friend Robert Littman had been appointed head of MGM Europe and so Klinger took his proposal to him. MGM agreed to

5535-659: 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

5658-464: The Fletchers' men are waiting and pursue him. He is rescued by Glenda, who takes him in her Sunbeam Alpine sports car to meet Brumby at his new restaurant development at the top of a multi-storey car park . Brumby identifies Kinnear as being behind Frank's death, also explaining that Kinnear is trying to take over his business. He offers Jack £5,000 to kill the crime boss, which he refuses. Jack has sex with Glenda at her flat, where he finds and watches

5781-514: 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

5904-551: The MGM publicity spokesman dismissed the use of the location as mere coincidence; however, Hodges was aware of the significance of the house and chose it deliberately. Steve Chibnall writes "It proved a perfect location, wreaking [ sic ] of authenticity and full of useful details such as the cowboys and Indians wallpaper [...] the African shield and crossed spears on the wall of the crime lord's living room". The Landa case also

6027-599: 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

6150-443: 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

6273-457: The action market, but won't win any laurels for Caine although his portrayal of the vicious anti-hero impresses". The reviewer also opined that "Tighter editing would help considerably". Roger Ebert was less reserved in his praise, writing that "the movie has a sure touch". He noted the "proletarian detail" of the film which is "unusual in a British detective movie. Usually we get all flash and no humanity, lots of fancy camera tricks but no feel for

SECTION 50

#1732791507861

6396-403: The arts programme Tempo and a 1968 children's television serial, The Tyrant King , and all these past experiences informed his approach to his film debut. Klinger contacted Hodges on 27 January 1970 with a copy of Jack's Return Home and contracted him to write and direct the film, paying him a flat fee of £7,000 (£135,700 in 2024) for his services. Hodges' original working title for the film

6519-536: 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

6642-562: The backrooms of Newcastle pubs. The Pelaw Hussars, a local juvenile jazz band and majorette troupe, also appear and perform two numbers, " When The Saints Go Marching In " and " Auld Lang Syne ". The world premiere for Get Carter was held in Los Angeles on 3 February 1971. The film finally opened for general release across the UK on 10 March 1971 and in the US on 18 March, where it was rated 'X' for violence and female nudity, meaning it

6765-733: 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

6888-438: The censor cut out Britt Ekland's phone sex scene, shortening her already brief role; her name was still left on the poster, leaving filmgoers to wonder why she was advertised as appearing. A resurgence of critical and public interest in the film in the 1990s led to the British Film Institute (BFI) releasing a new print of the film in 1999. It worked with Hodges to restore the film, with Hodges sourcing another set of negatives of

7011-602: The credits of some prints. Mike Hodges explained that Howard was an extra in his TV film Rumour , and the director gave him a line to say, but another extra was wrongly credited. Hodges promised he would make it up to him and cast him in Carter , but his name was missed off some of the original prints. When the film credits were printed in the Radio Times and TV Times , Howard was also trimmed. Hodges said in 2002 that "Carl and credits don't seem destined for each other". In

7134-451: The crew out on a one-day strike. At the advice of Richard Lester , Hodges and his assistant director stayed at a separate hotel to the rest of the cast and crew, which enabled him to have some respite from the production after the shooting day was done. Klinger was present on set for much of the film shoot. However, Hodges said he encountered very little interference from the producer. At one point Klinger and Caine asked if Hodges might work in

7257-519: The criminal strata of society". Of Caine's performance he wrote, "The character created by Caine is particularly interesting. He's tough and ruthless, but very quiet and charged with a terrible irony". Judith Crist in New York magazine gave a glowing review, saying "Michael Caine is superb, suave and sexy" and describing the film as "a hard, mean and satisfying zinger of the old tough-tec school done in frank contemporary terms". Variety also praised

7380-479: 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

7503-402: The earlier American crime films it attempted to emulate. He found Carter's motivations were inconsistent, either being an avenging angel or an "authentic post-permissive anti-hero, revelling in the casual sadism". In contrast, Nigel Andrews found the characters to be clichéd archetypes of the criminal underworld, such as the "homosexual chauffeur, bloated tycoon, glamorous mistress", describing

SECTION 60

#1732791507861

7626-406: 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

7749-452: 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

7872-423: The employ of organised crime bosses Gerald and Sid Fletcher. Jack is having an affair with Gerald's girlfriend Anna and plans to escape with her to South America , but he must first return to Newcastle and Gateshead to attend the funeral of his brother, Frank, who died in a purported drink-driving accident. Jack's bosses warn him not to stir up trouble, as they are friendly with the Newcastle mob. Unsatisfied with

7995-556: 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

8118-466: The film and its history—has observed that the floral pattern of Carter's jacket is taken from the distinctive pillow and matching sheet design from the bed in the scene where Britt Ekland writhes naked whilst on the phone to Jack. The poster also places Carter's shotgun in Eric's hands, and features a grappling man and woman who seem to belong to a different film. Promotional shots and poster artwork exist from

8241-463: The film appeared on the front of buses across London, featuring the tagline "Caine is Carter". The original British quad poster with artwork by Arnaldo Putzu , in common with many film posters, has aspects or images that differ from the finished screen version. Carter is depicted wearing a gaudy floral jacket, as opposed to the dark raincoat and mohair suit he wears in the film. Asked in 2006, Putzu could not remember his artistic rationale for painting

8364-415: The film as "one of the most formidable British thrillers of its time". Get Carter was a financial success, and according to Steve Chibnall its box office takings were "very respectable". On its opening week at ABC2 cinema at Shaftesbury Avenue , London, it broke the house record, taking £8,188. It out-performed Up Pompeii , which was showing in the larger ABC1. It also performed strongly when moved to

8487-512: The film as "perfunctory". Richard Weaver in Films and Filming praised the realism of the film, describing it as "crime at its most blatant", while George Melly writing in The Observer confessed to vicarious enjoyment of it, but admitted it was "like a bottle of neat gin swallowed before breakfast. It's intoxicating all right, but it'll do you no good". Steve Chibnall writes that "America

8610-559: 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

8733-503: The film in a special edition on DVD in October 2000 in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio . Extras included three trailers; the international trailer, an introduction by Michael Caine to the people of Newcastle, and a third featuring Roy Budd playing the opening theme. This format was also used in a 2001 VHS set released by Warner, which included Bullit and Shaft . Also included on the DVD

8856-497: The film languished on the drive-in circuit, while MGM focused its resources on producing Hit Man , a blaxploitation -themed remake of the film. Get Carter eventually garnered a cult following , and further endorsements from directors such as Quentin Tarantino and Guy Ritchie led to the film being critically re-evaluated, with its depiction of class structure and life in 1970s Britain and Roy Budd 's minimalist jazz score receiving considerable praise. In 1999, Get Carter

8979-443: The film showing Carter holding a pump-action shotgun ; in the finished film, the only shotgun used by Carter is a double-barrelled shotgun, which Carter finds on top of his brother Frank's wardrobe. MGM sold distribution rights to the film in the U.S. to its future subsidiary United Artists , which promoted it poorly, amidst worries the cockney dialogue in the opening scene would be unintelligible to U.S. audiences. The film's release

9102-518: The film, saying it "not only maintains interest but conveys with rare artistry, restraint and clarity the many brutal, sordid and gamy plot turns". However, Jay Cocks writing in Time was disparaging, calling the film "a doggedly nasty piece of business" and comparing it unfavourably to Point Blank . The film appeared on several US critics' lists of best films of the year. In Michael Klinger's The Guardian obituary in 1989, Derek Malcolm remembered

9225-551: 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

9348-580: 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 ,

9471-580: The first locations which attracted Hodges' attention was the Trinity Square multi-storey car park, which dominated the centre of Gateshead. To Hodges, the car park and the cast iron bridges over the Tyne , "seemed to capture the nature of Jack Carter himself". The car park embodies one of the film's more subtle themes, which is the destruction of an old cityscape and its rebuilding in line with modern Brutalism . Hodges described how wandering alone through

9594-591: The first running of the Plate at Gosforth Park with a new flat and chase course, new stand and stabling for 100 horses. In 1994 Sir Stanley Clarke 's Northern Racing company acquired Newcastle Racecourse. In April, 2002 the Scottish businessman David Williamson joined Newcastle Racecourse as managing director and during a six-year period he transformed their fortunes and helped boost turnover from £2.5m to £6.5m. The Northumberland Plate weekend now brings in £30m to

9717-454: The floral jacket, but said he was painting a lot of flowers in designs at that time. Chibnall describes the flower power imagery as "what seems like a desperate and misguided attempt to suggest the hipness of a genre which had largely fallen out of favour". However, movie poster expert Sim Branaghan liked its eccentricity, calling it was "that kind of quirkiness you wouldn't get these days". Jonny Trunk of Trunk Records —a long-time aficionado of

9840-420: The general stance of British critics "was to admire the film's power and professionalism while condemning its amorality and excessive violence". Geoff Mayer observed that "Mainstream critics at the time were dismayed by the film's complex plotting and Carter's lack of remorse". In Sight and Sound , Tom Milne said the film was well-constructed and had good characterisation, but lacked the mystery and charisma of

9963-633: 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

10086-467: 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

10209-424: The grounds of Kinnear's estate, kills her with a fatal injection, and leaves her body there. He then calls the police to raid Kinnear's party. Jack chases Eric along a beach. He forces Eric to drink a bottle of whisky as Eric had done to Frank, then beats him to death with his shotgun. Having avenged Frank and Doreen, Jack walks along the shoreline, where he is shot dead from a distance by Kinnear's associate. There

10332-409: The job". He gave Hodges multiple possibilities of how the sound could be dubbed, and explored every angle. Klinger was worried that the debut director might be overwhelmed with too many options, but Hodges said he and Atkinson got on very well. As Carter drives away from the flats, with Glenda in the boot of the car, the tyres make a screeching sound. This was later sampled by Vangelis , who used it on

10455-426: The late 1960s, a relaxation in film censorship produced an increase in dark, uncompromising films, with many directors pushing the boundaries of acceptability. Get Carter was a film that explored this freedom. The project went from concept to finished film in just 10 months. In 1969, producer Michael Klinger devised plans for a gangster film to capitalise on public interest in the British criminal underworld after

10578-706: 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 ,

10701-678: The most popular film in Britain throughout Get Carter' s run". It was the sixth-most popular "general release" movie at the British box office in 1971. 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

10824-546: 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

10947-434: The official explanation, Jack investigates for himself. At the funeral, Jack meets his teenage niece Doreen, and Frank's evasive mistress, Margaret. Jack goes to Newcastle Racecourse , seeking his old acquaintance Albert Swift for information about his brother's death, but Swift evades him. Jack encounters another old associate, Eric Paice, who refuses to tell Jack who is employing him as a chauffeur. Tailing Eric leads him to

11070-660: The original opening, which were found in the archives of the BBC. The team then spliced the beginning segment onto a high-quality print of the film. The reissue premiered at the National Film Theatre and went on general release on 11 June 1999, showing at the Tyneside Cinema in Newcastle. On 16 March 2022, the BFI announced that they would be partnering with Warner Bros. and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment for

11193-515: 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

11316-466: The plot to a linear narrative spanning a single weekend. As Chibnall writes: The immediate consequence was the loss of the insights into Carter's motivations provided by his memories of boyhood and his relationships with brother Frank and delinquent gang leader Albert Swift. Also lost was the backstory of Carter's dealings with Eric Paice during their time as rival gangsters in London, in particular, Eric's violent treatment of Carter's lover Audrey (Anna in

11439-649: The record are much sought after by collectors and sell for around £100. The soundtrack—including pieces not used in the film—was originally only available in its entirety in Japan, where it was released on Odeon Records . It was released in the UK in 1998 by the Cinephile label, a subsidiary of Castle Communications . In 2012, the theme was included on the Soul Jazz Records compilation British TV, Film and Library Composers . The film includes other music which

11562-477: The regional economy and he also introduced Ladies' Day which now attracts over 15,000 racegoers. In April, 2008 he was headhunted by Newcastle United and appointed Executive Director (Operations). Williamson was replaced by Mark Spincer . In 2007, Newcastle's owners, Northern Racing, changed hands and came under control of the businessmen David and Simon Reuben , who then subsequently merged it with another of their companies, Arena Racing Company in 2012 forming

11685-771: 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

11808-448: The restoration and a replication of the original UK poster art. On Rotten Tomatoes , the film has an approval rating of 87% based on 38 reviews, with an average rating of 7.50/10; the site's critical consensus reads "Darkly entertaining and tightly wound, Get Carter is a gritty revenge story done right". In 2003, Steve Chibnall observed a large gender imbalance in voting on the film up to April 2002, with less than 6% of votes cast (where

11931-585: The river, unaware that Glenda is in the boot. Returning to the car park, Jack finds and beats Brumby before throwing him to his death. He then posts the film to the Scotland Yard vice squad. Jack abducts Margaret. He telephones Kinnear (who is in the middle of a wild party at his home), telling him that he has the film, and makes a deal for Kinnear to give him Eric in exchange for his silence. Kinnear agrees, sending Eric to an agreed location; however, he subsequently phones an associate. Jack drives Margaret to

12054-408: The same extras as the 2000 release, although with only two trailers and this time in 16:9 ratio. Get Carter was released on Blu-ray Disc by Warner on April 22, 2014; this release features the same extras as the special edition DVD, but due to a manufacturing error, American pressings of the disc utilize the dubbed American version of the opening sequence instead of the original audio. This change

12177-507: The screenplay) the memory of which fuels Carter's hatred. The significance of the double-barrelled shotgun as Carter's choice of weapon (which in the novel symbolises family ties and Carter's memories of more innocent times hunting with his brother) was lost in the film adaptation. Carter's killing of Brumby and his own assassination were further alterations from the novel, emphasising the film's parallels with revenge tragedy and Carter's role as what Geoff Mayer calls "the moral agent [...]

12300-625: The small supporting roles. Godfrey Quigley was cast as Eddie Appleyard, a colleague of Frank Carter's. Kevin Brennan appears as Harry the card-player. Ben Aris , who plays one of the architects, had previously appeared in such films as if.... , The Charge of the Light Brigade and Hamlet . Carl Howard's character of the assassin, "J", is only identified by the initial on his ring, in his only film role, and an appropriate mystery surrounds his real identity. His name does not appear on

12423-400: The stairs; one from the lowest level of the stairwell where Caine actually threw Bryan Mosley over the side onto mattresses; one shot of a dummy falling; and one of the body of Brumby on top of a crushed car. Carter's climactic pursuit of Eric used an amalgamation of two locations spaced 35 miles (56 km) apart: Blyth staithes and Blackhall Beach near Blackhall Colliery . The chase scene

12546-508: The sun began setting to capture the overcast shadowy lighting seen in the film. The film shows the beach black with coal spoilings, dumped there by the mine's conveyor system. The conveyor, a common sight on the East Durham coast, was known locally as The Flight. In the early 2000s, £10 million was spent removing these conveyors and the concrete towers, and cleaning tonnes of coal waste from the beaches of East Durham. The cleaning programme

12669-402: The upper structure, he realised how the different levels could be used to reveal the hunter, Carter, and the hunted, Brumby, simultaneously but without either being aware of the other – adding to the suspense. The shopping centre and car park were closed in early 2008 and demolished in late 2010. The location for Cyril Kinnear's house, Dryderdale Hall, near Hamsterley, Bishop Auckland , provided

12792-481: The very tense and emotional day filming in Glenda's flat, when the focus puller ruined his first take . Caine apologised immediately. The most complicated scene to shoot was Kinnear's game of cards. There are four simultaneous conversations, with a lot of plot exposition and the introduction of two important characters, Kinnear and Glenda. The technical complexity was compounded by the variation in light coming through

12915-407: The voters gave their gender) by women (53 out of 947). He also noticed a substantial increase in women voting on the film in the eight months leading up to April 2002. Describing the initial critical response to the film, Steve Chibnall wrote "Initial critical vilification or indifference establishes the conditions in which a cult can flourish. Get Carter had to make do with ambivalence". He thought

13038-409: The windows, and Osborne's whispered delivery which made microphone placement difficult. Hodges moved the camera and the boom closer to Osborne as the scene progressed. Chibnall says that Hodges regretted not rehearsing the scene more thoroughly. In shooting the scene in which Carter throws Brumby to his death from the multi-storey car park, Hodges used four shots: one of the pair struggling high up on

13161-505: Was Carter's The Name . Steve Chibnall writes: "his treatment retained the essential structure of Lewis's novel with its strong narrative drive, but introduced some minor changes to characterisation and more fundamental alterations to narratology ". Given that Ted Lewis had not specified where his novel was set, Hodges felt free to relocate the story to a place he was familiar with, considering Grimsby , Lowestoft , Hull and North Shields before deciding on Newcastle upon Tyne. Hodges said he

13284-477: Was commentary from Caine, Hodges and Suschitzky, constructed from separate interviews with the three. The soundtrack was presented in 1.0 mono Dolby Digital . The film was bundled in the 2008 "Movies That Matter – 70's Classics" DVD set with Deliverance and Dog Day Afternoon . It is available from the Warner Archive Collection as a Made on Demand (MOD) DVD-R or a download, with

13407-408: Was Frank's daughter. Brumby showed Frank the film to incite him to call the police on Kinnear so Eric and two of his men arranged Frank's death. Having extracted this information, Jack fatally stabs Albert. Jack is attacked by the London gangsters and Eric, who has informed Fletcher of Jack and Anna's affair. In the ensuing shootout, Jack kills Peter. As Eric and Con escape, they push the sports car into

13530-511: Was approved by Hodges. Chibnall has established that the film was shown on LWT in 1976 and 1980 "in a bowdlerised version" (which edited out Britt Ekland's phone sex scene) and once on Westward Television and on Granada in August 1981, but it was not shown nationally and in its entirety until a post-watershed BBC broadcast in 1986. It was finally released on home media in 1993 by MGM/UA as part of its "Elite Collection". Chibnall says "There

13653-418: Was carried over to the initial British pressings of the disc, but was later reversed following public backlash; later British pressings sold by outlets such as Amazon UK feature the original audio track. BFI Video released its 4K restoration of Get Carter on August 1, 2022 on standard and Ultra HD Blu-ray ; the two-disc sets include the special features of earlier home media releases of the film, as well as

13776-400: Was delayed while parts of the film were redubbed, with no great improvement. In the process of redubbing the opening, the version of the film with the original dialogue was lost. For years the version shown on British television was the redubbed American cut. UA placed the film on the declining drive-in movie circuit , where it played at the bottom of a double bill with Dirty Dingus Magee ,

13899-501: Was for adults only. It was later reclassified as 'R' , meaning children under the age of 17 had to be accompanied by an adult. A censored version was released in West Germany on 6 August 1971, with a running time nine minutes shorter than the original. Michael Klinger was involved in promotion of the film in the UK, using the experience from his background as a distributor to conduct a strong advertising campaign. Teaser posters for

14022-406: Was happening. Others were sourced from local casting company Beverley Artistes, which sent everyone registered with it for auditions, one of these being Deana Wilde, who was cast as the pub singer. Several of the company's actors were also in background shots in the film including the casino, streets, bars and the police raid scene. Mike Hodges recruited a band of experienced character actors to play

14145-466: Was influenced in his writing by the works of Raymond Chandler and Hollywood B-movies such as Kiss Me Deadly , because they showed "how to use the crime story as an autopsy on society's ills". He did not, however, employ a traditional noir technique of using a voiceover to expose the character's inner feelings. He also dispensed with flashbacks to Carter's youth featured in the novel which explored his relationship with his brother Frank, streamlining

14268-516: Was known as Turning the Tide. Klinger was a hands-on producer who remained present throughout shooting and in post-production. He suggested Hodges use John Trumper as editor. Hodges said that he and Trumper argued and disagreed constantly, but he still thought he was a "brilliant, brilliant editor" and was "very grateful to him for [...] how much he contributed". Sound editing and dubbing was done by Jim Atkinson, whom Hodges described as "so obsessive about

14391-536: Was no advertising to suggest a significant event had occurred. It was simply a part of the long process of exploiting MGM's back catalogue in the run-up to Christmas". Despite this, the release was given a five-star review in Empire , where it was described as "one of the best British films of the 70s". Chibnall notes "it did not, however, find a place in Empire ' s top fifty videos of the year". Warner Bros. reissued

14514-576: Was pressure from MGM to have more big-name American stars in the film, which was successfully resisted by Hodges. As well as Telly Savalas , names posited by Klinger and studio executives were Joan Collins , and someone Hodges described as "the Canadian lead actress in TV's Peyton Place ", which is likely a reference to Barbara Parkins . The production also utilised a large number of extras, most of whom were locals who just happened to be on scene when filming

14637-544: Was ranked 16th on the BFI Top 100 British films of the 20th century; five years later, a survey of British film critics in Total Film magazine chose it as the greatest British film of all time. A poorly received second remake under the same title was released in 2000, with Sylvester Stallone portraying Jack Carter and Caine in a supporting role. Newcastle -born gangster Jack Carter has lived in London for years in

14760-449: Was rather more used to hard-boiled storytelling" and that reviewers there were "more prepared than British criticism to treat Get Carter as a serious work", Pauline Kael admiring its "calculated soullessness" and wondering if it signalled a "new genre of virtuoso viciousness". US publication Box Office gave a cautiously approving review, describing the film as "nasty, violent and sexy all at once". It predicted that "It should please in

14883-757: 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

15006-407: Was shot in reverse, with Hodges filming Eric's death scene first because of Hendry's poor condition, Hodges being worried that he would be too out of breath to play the death scene after running. Hodges chose the beach for its bleak, dark atmosphere but when he returned to shoot the scene he found it bathed in bright sunshine, unsuitable for the sombre conclusion he was hoping for. He waited hours until

15129-449: Was very influenced by Mike Hodges who has a very good eye for setups and he of course conferred with his operator and myself, but he influenced all of us, and much of the good look is due to him, I confess. My main task was lighting on location, very moderately, and waiting for the right daylight and setting the exposure on the lens". In the first week of shooting in Newcastle, the ACTT called

#860139