The Post-Code Gangster: Ideology and Social Conscience

Abstract

Chapter 1 discussed the significance of the ‘classic’ cycle of Little Caesar, The Public Enemy, and Scarface predominantly in terms of its articulation of the cultural tensions of the period of modernity within which it was produced. The intention behind this was to shift attention away from its critical position as a timeless embodiment of the conventions of the gangster genre in order to show that it is simply one variation within a mutable form while also highlighting the fact that it is an expression of specific historical social relations. When turning from the classic cycle to other 1930s manifestations of the gangster genre, the notion of genre as a mutable field of operations that articulates related but diverse forms becomes more obvious. The classic cycle is only one element within the early sound gangster movie. The racketeering film has already been discussed in relation to Quick Millions and Doorway to Hell, but other variations can also be seen, including the early social conscience gangster movie in the form of Three on a Match (1932), the urban tough variation in Taxi! (1932), the gangster-as-gambler in Smart Money (1931) and the female gangster movie in Blondie Johnson (1933). In many ways these films are as important as the classic cycle because they form models or sub-genres which are returned to, in modified form, in later years.