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Fagidaboudit: The American Dream and Italian-American Gangster Movies


Metadata FieldValueLanguage
dc.contributor.advisorWinn, J. Emmett
dc.contributor.advisorPlasketes, Georgeen_US
dc.contributor.advisorBrinson, Susanen_US
dc.contributor.authorLamberti, Justinen_US
dc.date.accessioned2008-09-09T21:16:18Z
dc.date.available2008-09-09T21:16:18Z
dc.date.issued2005-08-15en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10415/305
dc.description.abstractThis thesis answers the question, how have both aspects of the American Dream myth been presented in the gangster films and how has the American Dream in gangster films changed in recent years? As Italians immigrated to the United States, the Mafia system involving organized crime followed. As a result, movies based on real news headlines emerged, thus creating the gangster genre. Movies have great cultural value and communicate a society’s myths, values, and beliefs. The American Dream is an important myth in American society and is frequently manifested in movies. The American Dream myth is clearly presented through the conventions of the genre and has not significantly changed in recent years. The genre’s plot, setting, characters, themes, motifs, and props illustrate the gangster’s drive to fulfill the materialistic and moralistic aspects of the American Dream myth. Ironically, however, the gangster never fully achieves the Dream because her or his drive for success leads her or him to neglect the moralistic aspect that is key to the myth, demonstrating that in order to reach the American Dream, a person must do so legitimately.en_US
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.subjectCommunication and Journalismen_US
dc.titleFagidaboudit: The American Dream and Italian-American Gangster Moviesen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
dc.embargo.lengthNO_RESTRICTIONen_US
dc.embargo.statusNOT_EMBARGOEDen_US

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