The infancy of gangster films can be traced back to the early 1930's, with such movies as Scarface, Little Caesar, and White Heat. These movies are considered classics of the gangster genre for several reasons. They were each made during an era where real gangsters were making daily headlines. Hollywood captured the authenticity of current life, and adapted it such a way as to make it attractive for a movie audience to enjoy. Another example is the classic gangster movies glamorized the gangster, while portraying the ordinary citizen as boring. Audiences found themselves routing for the bad guy. This was morally wrong in that society and threats of federal regulation forced the moviemakers to tone down the hoodlum image.
             Generations later, a new breed of gangster films emerged. The Godfather I is considered a baroque gangster film that set new standards for the genre, thus becoming a new classic. Many aspects of the Godfather I differ from the classic 1930's gangster films. For example, in this "new breed" of gangster films, each gang is made up of members of a family. Family members are usually blood relatives, or someone that has married into the family. Few exceptions are made to welcome non-related members. There are usually several families that remain predominately in control. A focal point throughout daily existence is maintaining respect within their own family and towards the other crime families. Additionally, the classic mobsters wanted control and money through bootlegging, as prohibition was still in effect. The new generation of gangsters are involved in gambling, illegal drugs and manipulating powerful unions.
             In the Godfather I, several scenes demonstrate the notion of a baroque genre to a new classic. For example, when the Corleone family discusses options for avenging the shooting of the Don, they are concerned about the repercussions of killing a police captain. They fear of ...