>I presume, setting aide whether you have seen the
>films or not, that you think that the Godfather I &
>II, Scarface (with Paul Muni), Public Enemy, White
>Heat, Little Caesar, Donnie Brasco, Goodfellas, and
>such like, cannot be good movies or part of any Golden
>Age of film because they celebrate gangsterdom and
>unbridled capitalism.
>
>Only The Grapes of Wrath and other uplflifting
>proletkult movies about The Common Man will pass
>muster under Socialist Realism. Speaking of which,
>haven't we seen _that_ movie before?
>
>I recall it was from an epoch the greatest film of
>which was Ivan The Terrible, a glorification of feudal
>tyranny, cruel dictatorship, serfdom, national
>chauvinism and war.
You presume incorrectly. I did not perceive of the Godfather films as glorifying gangsterism. Depicting yes, but not glorifying. Scarface glorified gangsterism? Not the version I watched. Maybe I did not understand these films and they really were celebrating gangsterism. Why does it have to be either "uplifting proletkult" films or else White Heat? Is there nothing in between? The best movie I've seen so far this year was Tully on DVD this spring and it doesn't fit either genre you've just described.
John Thornton