Gender Stereotypes In Gangster Films

In regards to ‘The Godfather’, not unlike the other two films, the story revolves around a male hierarchy. The male characters are dressed in smart, expensive suits, which could suggest that they are highly respected and that they are confident and paramount. Additionally, fashion is regarded important in Italian families. After Michael Corleone becomes the head of the Corleone family, he says ‘women and children can be careless, not men’ which could suggest that the men in the family are supposed to protect and provide, while the women raise the children and socialise. The women are traditionally domestic, and this film does not oppose that. Similarly to ‘Scarface’ and ‘Pulp Fiction’, the women’s lives revolve and depend on the men’s. The …show more content…
The gangster genre portrays the pressures and complications that gangsters and immigrants faced in trying to become successful in the twentieth century. Brauer states that ‘In most gangster films, the main character is typically a male. This could be due to the fact that the most popular demographic for film viewers is a male between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four’ and this could also suggest why women appear to achieve supporting roles and are often sexually objectified. Not only are the films directed and produced through a male gaze, but they are also filmed to be viewed from a male audience and perspective. The annual ‘Celluloid ceiling’ report found that in the top 250 domestic grossing films of 2013, women accounted for only 16 percent of directors, writers, executive producers, producers and cinematographers. Moreover, the films represent males to be fearless, ruthless and strong (truly hegemonic males). This could suggest that men are convinced that they should do anything to protect their family or gain enough resources to stay respected and successful, even if it means homicide, and therefore influencing the gangster