Setting
The film’s setting is Chicago during Prohibition, introduced in the USA from 1920 to 1933. This period was the heyday of organized crime and the development of the activities of mafias and gangsters. The time and place of events give viewers a clear idea of the essence of the film. The urban environment and the controversial time of Prohibition create a unique atmosphere and serve as a background for the story’s development about crime, lust for profit, and power.
Performance
Little Caesar actively focuses on synthesizing acting performance and naturalism. On the one hand, the film’s actors tried to get into the images as much as possible and make their characters bright, memorable, and expressive. Such aspects are especially noticeable in Edward G. Robinson’s performance. Robinson’s hero became the embodiment of an ambitious gangster of the time due to the “evil” mimicry, expressiveness of the eyes, and expression of cold-bloodedness, toughness, and ruthlessness in behavior(Little Caesar).
On the other hand, Little Caesar‘s actors generally try to create believable and natural characters so the audience can feel their story and sympathize with their fate. Stories about gangsters are often entertaining, intriguing, and simultaneously dramatic. The actors managed to recreate the atmosphere of the luxurious life of criminals, which usually ends rather quickly and unhappily.
Costume and Makeup
Costumes and makeup, typical of the American gangster genre of the time, are equally significant elements of the film. The characters are dressed in the 30s Chicago-style costumes, characterized by luxury, glamour, and sophisticated fashion. Their clothes are distinguished by strict classics, the absence of bright colors, and laconic decorations.
Little Caesar, an ambitious mobster, often wears classic suits consisting of a black jacket, vest, pants, white shirt, and hat, emphasizing his authority and confidence. As Little Caesar, Joe Massara, Caesar’s best friend, wears elegant and minimalist suits. Olga Stassoff, Caesar’s love, is dressed in gorgeous, shiny evening dresses made of expensive materials. Her makeup is done in the classic 30s, brightening eyes, eyebrows, and lips.
Work Cited
Little Caesar. Directed by Mervyn LeRoy, First National Pictures, 1931.