ling with similar subject matter. As such, Underworld "was effectively the beginning of the genre as it was the first gangster movie to make a big impression on the public" (Cameron, 1975, p. 16).
Although these early silent era gangster films got the genre off to its start, they were not without their limitations. For example, in terms of influence and story lines, the early silent films were "essentially romances" (Kaminsky, 1974, p. 14). The emphasis on crime and the gangster way of life had not yet developed, and thus the films were simple romances within a gangster setting.
One of the reasons why the gangster film had not yet solidified into an identifiable genre was the fact that the silent films lacked the typical gangster dialogue, which soon came to strongly characterize the genre. In later films, dialogue became one of the most vital elements of the genre. Indeed, the unique style of dialogue used by the motion picture gangsters "gave crime movies much of their flavour" (Cameron, p. 16). Because of the way in which dialogue served to impact and add definition to the genre, once the sound era got under way "the gangster film began to flourish as never before" (Everson, p. 72).
The tone of the times was another important influence which set the stage for the rising popularity of the gangster film genre during the mid to late 1920s. Prohibition had served to make crime and gangsters an integral part of American life, and their exploits filled the news of the day. Even without the films, the public had developed a fascination with underworld characters. The films were simply reflecting the cultural influences of the times, and gangsters were such colorful subjects that they were seemingly tailor made for the movies. Thus, the gangster genre is "rightly placed at the end of the 1920s and the beginning of the 1930s the climactic years of the Prohibition era" (Everson, p. 68).
Because of these influences, during th...