Since the 16th Century, the various countries of Europe at one time or another have tried to colonize other parts of the world, namely Africa, Asia, and Latin America. While there are obvious examples in modern cinema that portray European colonialism (Ronald Tembo (Pete Postlethwaite) being a “White Hunter” in Stephen Spielberg’s The Lost World(1998) and various Indian stereotypes reinforced in Spielberg’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom(1984), there is one genre that gets overlooked: the gangster movie.
In the period between 1881 and the eve of World War I, several expansionist European countries occupied, colonized, and annexed various territories in Africa. Historically referred to as “The Scramble for Africa”, African natives played a secondary role to their European masters. Six years after World War I, the United States passed the 18th Amendment, outlawing the sale and production of alcohol. Mirroring the actions of the European nations, various underworld organizations scrambled to carve up territories to plow a now highly profitable and illegal product. But instead of Africa, these gangs and organizations, mostly of European descent, would claim territories in the most populated cities in the United States. While this underworld scramble occurred in the U.S., instead of Africa, African American criminals would still play a secondary role to their European underworld masters.
There is no shortage of gangster movies that takes place during prohibition. But, Francis Ford Coppola’s The Cotton Club (1984) is a fantastic example of how the memory of European colonial imperialism is portrayed through the gangster film. Taking place in New York during 1928, The Cotton Club follows the career of trumpet player Dixie Dwyer (Richard Gere), who, through a chance encounter with Bronx kingpin Dutch Schultz (James Remar), becomes a trumpet player at the infamous “playground of the mob.” The Cotton Club itself, which is owned by Irish gangster Owney Madden (Bob Hoskins), is located in Harlem, which is predominately an African American neighborhood. The fact that an Irish gangster, who is of European descent, owns a club in a predominantly African American part of New York is a direct reflection to the expansionist history of the European powers. But the Cotton Club wasn't only a hangout for just Irish gangsters, but gangsters of various European descent. German-Jewish gangster Dutch Schultz and eventually Sicilian Mafia boss Charlie “Lucky” Luciano (Joe Dallesandro) are both respected guests at the club. The only gangsters that aren't seen there are the African American gangsters, which as stated earlier, play a subservient role to their European gangster overlords. Bumpy Rhodes (Laurence Fishburne), who is based off the real life New York gangster Bumpy Johnson, is the leader of an African American gang, who isn't allowed into the Cotton Club. For the majority of the film, Bumpy and his men conduct business in exile from this oasis in the middle of Harlem. Not only are Bumpy and his men not allowed in the club, but they aren't even the masters of their own neighborhood, for they must answer to Dutch Schultz. Another element of the club that can be seen as a throwback to colonialism is that the only African Americans who are allowed into it are performers. While rich white people eat, drink, or conduct business, the African Americans in the club are only there to entertain or to serve the white guests.
A direct illusion to the colonial powers fighting over the territory in Africa can be compared to a scene early in the film where Dutch Schultz and rival gangster Joe Flynn (John P. Ryan, playing a fictitious gangster) have been fighting over territory in Harlem. A “sit down” is called by Madden to keep the peace between the two gangsters, who represent two European powers. Madden forces the two rivals to shake hands and says:
“There is plenty of money in Harlem for everybody. It’s hot and it’s getting hotter.
You start this war business up there and you got a brand new enemy, me. You are here because you both agreed to this truce. And it is a truce. Now shake hands. Shake fucking hands! Now, in the next room gentleman is the best food, drink, and pussy available at any price in New York. I suggest you take a sample of these things and try to remember that is this why we work so hard, to live the way that kings and princes lives in this world, eh?”
The meeting suggests that Madden helped carve up Harlem and is trying to keep the truce between the two gangsters, to avoid a costly gang war. The same can be said the way Africa was divided up for the European nations, to eliminate the threat of a European-wide war over the territories of Africa. But like the Berlin Conference of 1874, which failed to end the hostilities between European nations, Madden’s conference between the two gangsters ends in bloodshed after Schultz stabs his rival to death after a racist comment. The meeting, along with the grandiose speech that Madden gives, clearly shows that these gangsters think of themselves as “kings” or “princes” of New York City, rather than as criminals peddling booze.
The notion that The Cotton Club mirrors European expansionism is only further proven by the way that the African American community sees this intrusion of white gangsters into their neighborhood. After one of her bars is shot up for refusing to pay protection money to Schultz, independent numbers operator Stephanie St. Claire(Novella Nelson) calls a war council on how to deal with the “white invaders.” Most of them agree that war is the only answer, but St. Claire decides not to take on the gangster establishment. Bumpy, also hesitant to go to war, later tells musician Sandman Williams (Gregory Hines):
“Sandman, I can kill him. But you can dance on his grave. No, listen to me Sandman. I’m not a dancer, ok? I’m a pimp, I’m a thief, I’m a gambler. That’s what I do. I’ve got no talent for dancing for where I want to get to in this world. I can’t even get my foot in the door of the Cotton Club, where my own people, black people, are the stars. Why? Because I’m black. There’s only two things in this world I have to do, Sandman. One is stay black, the other is die. The white man ain’t left me nothin out here but the underworld and that is where I dance.”
In Bumpy’s speech, the audience can hear in his voice not only the frustration that he is discriminated against by the law because he is black, but the only haven he has left, crime; he is also discriminated against because the color of his skin. After her refusal to go to war, a montage of shootings, bombings, and African American men being beat up plays, it ending with a newspaper on screen with the headline “HARLEM RACKETS INVADED!” and “NUMBERS WAR RAGING IN HARLEM!” This war council formation and its quick defeat by Schultz can be compared to the several African revolutionary groups that were formed to resist European aggression. Because of the technology possessed by the Europeans, and the sheer force of their army, the majority of these resistance groups were quickly defeated. A parallel can be constructed between European dominance and the montage mentioned above. Because of the industrial revolution, most of the European powers had machine guns in their arsenal. In the montage, only white gangsters are shown firing “tommy guns” at African American gangsters. This suggests that like the African resistance movements, the lack of technology in arms is the main reason for their defeat.
As with the tensions between European powers that erupted into World War I, in The Cotton Club, gang war does not happen, but the assassination of Dutch Schultz and the division of his rackets in Harlem are split by an alliance formed by Owney Madden and Charlie Luciano, who headed the newly reorganized Mafia. This assassination could be compared to the outbreak of World War I and the division of territory between the European nations after the war.
Another gangster movie that portrays the imperialistic past of Europe is another Coppola film, The Godfather: Part II (1974). Continuing from the story of the first Godfather film, Godfather: Part II shows Michael Corleone‘s (Al Pacino) imperialistic dealings with Cuba on the verge of revolution. In a pivotal scene in the film, Michael is at a hotel in Havana with Jewish crime czar, Hyman Roth (Lee Strasberg) and other various leaders of the American underworld. Being Roth’s 67th birthday, a cake in the shape of Cuba is presented to him. He then starts to explain how Cuba is going to be split up between the Mafia families to avoid bloodshed. Roth cuts the cake and hands it to the Mafia boss that gets his portion of Havana. Roth explains:
“You all know Michael Corleone – and we all remember his father. At the time of my retirement, or death, I turn over all my interests in the Havana operation to his control. But, all of you will share. The National will go to the Lakeville Road boys. The Capri to the Corleone Family. The Sevilla Biltmore, also, but Eddie Levine of Newport will bring in the Pennino Brothers, Dino and Eddie, for a piece, and also to handle the actual casino operation. And we've saved a piece for some friends in Nevada, to make sure things go smooth back home. I want all of you to enjoy your cake – so, enjoy.”
And later, Roth admits to Michael that:
“If only I could live to see it, to be there with you. Uh, what I wouldn't give for – twenty more years. Here we are protected, free to make our profits without key follow with the goddamn Justice Department and the FBI. Ninety miles away, partnership with a friendly government ninety miles. It’s nothing. Just one small step, looking for a man that wants to be President of the United States and having the cash to make it possible. Michael, we’re bigger than U.S. Steel.”
The way Coppola portrays it, Roth is giving away an empire rather than a criminal enterprise. Since colonies were usually oceans away from their colonizer, a common European tactic to keep the colonized population settled is that you construct a new native elite class in society, and let them govern the natives. In The Godfather: Part II, there is a scene where Michael, Roth, and several other men representing legitimate U.S. businesses are at a table with the President of Cuba (Tito Alba). While his name is never spoken in the film, it is obvious that he is supposed to be Cuban President Fulgencio Batista. Much like the historical Batista, he is supported by both U.S. business interest/Government and the American Mafia. Again, both in the film and in reality, the United States and the Mafia colonized Cuba, not literally, but economically. Batista allowed the Mafia to operate casinos and houses of prostitution in return for a chunk of the profits. In the film; he is even given a golden telephone, a symbol of his submission, by one of his colonialist overlords. Batista is the American Mafia’s elite in Cuba, who rules in the interest of the colonizer rather than the colonized.
In the scene mentioned above, Batista says to the men at the table:
“I’d like to thank this distinguished group of American Industrialists, for continuing to work with Cuba, for the greatest period of prosperity in her entire history. Mr. William Proxmiro, representing the General Fruit Company. Messrs. Corngold and Dant, of the United Telephone and Telegraph Company; Mr. Petty, regional Vice-President of the Pan American Mining Corporation; and, of course, our friend Mr. Robert Allen, of South American Sugar. Mr. Nash of the American State Department. Mr. Michael Corleone of Nevada representing our Associates in Tourism and Leisure Activities. And my old friend and associate from Florida, Mr. Hyman Roth. ”
And when asked what he is doing to quash the Cuban rebellion that is gaining popular support, he responds with:
“I can assure you this! We’ll tolerate no guerrillas in the casinos or swimming pools!”
It is obvious that the average Cuban citizen could care less about the swimming pools in hotels. Batista is not worried about the safety of the Cuban people in this revolution because he is looking after the interest of the colonizers, who have invested money in Cuba.
Even though the age of European colonization has long since ended, the echoes of empire are embedded in film. Francis Ford Coppola’s, The Cotton Club, portrays modern colonization, not over the third world, but rather over the underworld, where European gangsters rule over their subjects. In Coppola’s The Godfather: Part II, the Mafia practices economic colonialism, where they rule over their gambling empire through corrupt dictator Fulgencio Batista.
