by George S. Larke-Walsh (Editor)
A companion to the study of the gangster film’s international appeal spanning the Americas, Europe, and Asia
A Companion to the Gangster Film presents
a comprehensive overview of the newest scholarship on the contemporary
gangster film genre as a global phenomenon. While gangster films are one
of America’s most popular genres, gangster movies appear in every film
industry across the world. With contributions from an international
panel of experts, A Companion to the Gangster Film explores the
popularity of gangster films across three major continents, the
Americas, Europe, and Asia. The authors acknowledge the gangster genre’s
popularity and examine the reasons supporting its appeal to
twenty-first century audiences across the globe.
The book
examines common themes across all three continents such as production
histories and reception, gender race and sexuality, mafia mythologies,
and politics. In addition, the companion clearly shows that no national
cinema develops in isolation and that cinema is a truly global popular
art form. This important guide to the gangster film genre:
- Reveals how the gangster film engages in complex and contradictory themes
- Examines the changing face of the gangster film in America
- Explores the ideas of gangsterism and migration in the Hispanic USA, Latin America and the Caribbean
- Discusses the wide variety of gangster types to appear in European cinema
- Contains a review of a wide-range of gangster films from the Americans, Europe, and Asia
Written for academics and students of film, A Companion to the Gangster Film offers a scholarly and authoritative guide exploring the various aspects and international appeal of the gangster film genre.
