In the New York Times today, writer John Leland reports on the new Ridley Scott movie American Gangster starring Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington.
Unlike when say Coppola or Scorsese sat down to make a gangster movie, the genre now has a whole host of meanings and connotations for an American audience. For Scott and producer Brian Grazer, the analysis of gangsters as a type and a trope are a big part of making this movie, according to the piece. Though unfortunately this deep thinking can lead to cloudy statements difficult to parse by journalists. Evidence (complete with snarky embedded response):
"I like to think in terms of a grand generic notion of an American gangster, as opposed to the American gangster,” [Scott] said. “Because there are too many famous and infamous American gangsters over the last century. The notion of ‘American Gangster’ is almost like a new evolution of the adjustment of change. Change in this instance cost the Mafia the main precedence at the time, because they were having to buy the idea of progress in the idea of a black businessman.' (Somehow, when he talked to actors and his four camera teams, they seemed to follow him without decryption devices.)"
Oh, snap.
Posted by karen at October 30, 2006 10:09 AM