American crime cinema has been a major area of production, enthralling audiences and critics alike. Explore its history and development in the period 1930 to 1990 through films such as Scarface (1932), Double Indemnity (1944), The Godfather (1972) and many others, while also considering key critical accounts of the genre, the films and their representation of American social and political life.
Learning modes and locations may be different depending on the course start date. Please check the location of your chosen course and read our guide to learning modes and locations to help you choose the right course for you.
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This online film studies course explores the American crime film, including a range of sub-genres and styles, perhaps most notably the gangster film and the film noir, as both an enormously successful area of production but also as one that has, sometimes problematically, explored American social and political life. We will trace the genre from 1930 and its beginnings in the early sound era through a series of gangster and 'social problem' films reflecting contemporary American life, to the heyday of the film noirin the 1940s, and later films in the 1950s and 1960s that engage with the rise of corporate America. From here, we will note the emergence of crime films which not only address these themes against a changing America but also, increasingly, in terms which comment on both American history and, in self-reflexive terms, the generic form of the crime film itself, to around 1990.
We will explore a key area of development in each of the five sessions of the course, and will consider a group of representative films for each of these areas. We will also be taking account of key critical accounts of the American crime film and its significance both as a function of the American film industry, and as an index of American society. We will be looking at, among others, the following films: Little Caesar (1930), Scarface (1932), G-Men (1935), Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), The Maltese Falcon (1941), Double Indemnity(1944), The Killers (1946), The Big Sleep (1946), Force of Evil (1948), The Naked City (1948), Gun Crazy (1949), White Heat (1949), The Asphalt Jungle (1950), The Big Heat (1953), The Killing (1955), Kiss Me Deadly (1955), Point Blank (1967), Bonnie and Clyde(1967), Dirty Harry (1971), The French Connection (1971), The Godfather (1972), Mean Streets (1973), Chinatown (1974), The Godfather Part II (1974), Scarface (1983), Once Upon a Time in America (1984), The Untouchables (1987), Goodfellas (1990), Heat(1995).
What will we cover?
The history and development of American crime cinema
American crime cinema and genre (e.g., gangster films, detective films and 'police procedural' films)
The American film noir
Classical and post-classical film style and the crime film
American crime cinema, censorship and the Production Code
American crime cinema and American society
Classical and post-classical modes of production
Critical accounts of the American crime film
What will I achieve? By the end of this course you should be able to...
Describe the history and development of American crime cinema
Describe and evaluate the American gangster film
Describe and evaluate the American film noir
Evaluate the relationship between classical and post-classical film style, the crime film and genre
Describe and evaluate American crime cinema, censorship and the Production Code
Describe the relationship between American crime cinema and American society
Describe classical and post-classical modes of production
Evaluate a range of critical accounts of the American crime film
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
The course is suitable for all levels and you do not require any particular skills - just an enthusiasm for film and discussing film. The course will provide an introduction to the subject but will also be useful for those wishing to build on existing knowledge in the subject area.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
Screenings of extracts from films, talks by the tutor, reading materials, small and large group discussions. It might also be a good idea to see what you can find out about the subject in advance of the class but this is not essential.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
You will require a pen and paper (or laptop/device) but the tutor will provide all other materials such as handouts. The tutor will show extracts from films and you do not have to obtain them.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
Please look also for other Film Studies courses under History Culture and Writing/Film Studies at www.citylit.ac.uk.
Jon Wisbey teaches film at City Lit and Morley College. He was for many years a committee member and vice-chair of Chelmsford Film Club, screening contemporary and classic world cinema releases. He has an MA in Film Studies from the University of East Anglia. His teaching focuses on classical and post-classical Hollywood, European cinema, British cinema, film noir and horror cinema.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.
product
https://www.citylit.ac.uk/american-crime-cinema2745104American Crime cinemahttps://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/product/a/m/american-crime-cinema-hf236-1200.jpg129129GBPInStock/Courses/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Film studies/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Film studies/American film/Courses/vm/Halloween Courses/Courses/Online courses228511771580207913482173112285117715801653<p>American crime cinema has been a major area of production, enthralling audiences and critics alike. Explore its history and development in the period 1930 to 1990 through films such as Scarface (1932), Double Indemnity (1944), The Godfather (1972) and many others, while also considering key critical accounts of the genre, the films and their representation of American social and political life.</p>002745017American Crime cinema129129https://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/product/a/m/american-crime-cinema-hf236-1200_1.jpgInStockEveningWedOnlineAvailable courses5-10 weeksWeekday2026-04-29T00:00:00+00:00Beginners, Some experience, Advanced, Suitable for allApr 2026Culture, history & humanitiesHF236129129American Crime cinema12984129Jon Wisbeyamerican-crime-cinema/hf236-2526<p>American crime cinema has been a major area of production, enthralling audiences and critics alike. Explore its history and development in the period 1930 to 1990 through films such as Scarface (1932), Double Indemnity (1944), The Godfather (1972) and many others, while also considering key critical accounts of the genre, the films and their representation of American social and political life.</p>0000-Available|2026-04-29 00:00:00<p>This online film studies course explores the American crime film, including a range of sub-genres and styles, perhaps most notably the gangster film and the film noir, as both an enormously successful area of production but also as one that has, sometimes problematically, explored American social and political life. We will trace the genre from 1930 and its beginnings in the early sound era through a series of gangster and 'social problem' films reflecting contemporary American life, to the heyday of the film noirin the 1940s, and later films in the 1950s and 1960s that engage with the rise of corporate America. From here, we will note the emergence of crime films which not only address these themes against a changing America but also, increasingly, in terms which comment on both American history and, in self-reflexive terms, the generic form of the crime film itself, to around 1990.</p><p>We will explore a key area of development in each of the five sessions of the course, and will consider a group of representative films for each of these areas. We will also be taking account of key critical accounts of the American crime film and its significance both as a function of the American film industry, and as an index of American society. We will be looking at, among others, the following films: Little Caesar (1930), Scarface (1932), G-Men (1935), Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), The Maltese Falcon (1941), Double Indemnity(1944), The Killers (1946), The Big Sleep (1946), Force of Evil (1948), The Naked City (1948), Gun Crazy (1949), White Heat (1949), The Asphalt Jungle (1950), The Big Heat (1953), The Killing (1955), Kiss Me Deadly (1955), Point Blank (1967), Bonnie and Clyde(1967), Dirty Harry (1971), The French Connection (1971), The Godfather (1972), Mean Streets (1973), Chinatown (1974), The Godfather Part II (1974), Scarface (1983), Once Upon a Time in America (1984), The Untouchables (1987), Goodfellas (1990), Heat(1995).</p><p>American crime cinema has been a major area of production, enthralling audiences and critics alike. Explore its history and development in the period 1930 to 1990 through films such as Scarface (1932), Double Indemnity (1944), The Godfather (1972) and many others, while also considering key critical accounts of the genre, the films and their representation of American social and political life.</p><ul><li>The history and development of American crime cinema</li><li>American crime cinema and genre (e.g., gangster films, detective films and 'police procedural' films)</li><li>The American film noir</li><li>Classical and post-classical film style and the crime film</li><li>American crime cinema, censorship and the Production Code</li><li>American crime cinema and American society</li><li>Classical and post-classical modes of production</li><li>Critical accounts of the American crime film</li></ul><ul><li>Describe the history and development of American crime cinema</li><li>Describe and evaluate the American gangster film</li><li>Describe and evaluate the American film noir</li><li>Evaluate the relationship between classical and post-classical film style, the crime film and genre</li><li>Describe and evaluate American crime cinema, censorship and the Production Code</li><li>Describe the relationship between American crime cinema and American society</li><li>Describe classical and post-classical modes of production</li><li>Evaluate a range of critical accounts of the American crime film</li></ul><p>The course is suitable for all levels and you do not require any particular skills - just an enthusiasm for film and discussing film. The course will provide an introduction to the subject but will also be useful for those wishing to build on existing knowledge in the subject area.</p><p>Screenings of extracts from films, talks by the tutor, reading materials, small and large group discussions. It might also be a good idea to see what you can find out about the subject in advance of the class but this is not essential.</p><p>You will require a pen and paper (or laptop/device) but the tutor will provide all other materials such as handouts. The tutor will show extracts from films and you do not have to obtain them.</p><p>Please look also for other Film Studies courses under History Culture and Writing/Film Studies at www.citylit.ac.uk.</p>Film studiesAmerican filmvirtual12912984HF236NONEWed29/04/26 - 27/05/2619:45 - 21:3019:4521:305 sessions (over 5 weeks)55-10 weeksWeekdayOnlineOnlineJon WisbeyBeginners, Some experience, Advanced, Suitable for allAvailable courses2026-04-29T00:00:00+00:00EveningApr 2026Culture, history & humanities129129American Crime cinemaamerican-crime-cinema/hf236-2526<p>American crime cinema has been a major area of production, enthralling audiences and critics alike. Explore its history and development in the period 1930 to 1990 through films such as Scarface (1932), Double Indemnity (1944), The Godfather (1972) and many others, while also considering key critical accounts of the genre, the films and their representation of American social and political life.</p>0000-Available|2026-04-29 00:00:00<p>This online film studies course explores the American crime film, including a range of sub-genres and styles, perhaps most notably the gangster film and the film noir, as both an enormously successful area of production but also as one that has, sometimes problematically, explored American social and political life. We will trace the genre from 1930 and its beginnings in the early sound era through a series of gangster and 'social problem' films reflecting contemporary American life, to the heyday of the film noirin the 1940s, and later films in the 1950s and 1960s that engage with the rise of corporate America. From here, we will note the emergence of crime films which not only address these themes against a changing America but also, increasingly, in terms which comment on both American history and, in self-reflexive terms, the generic form of the crime film itself, to around 1990.</p><p>We will explore a key area of development in each of the five sessions of the course, and will consider a group of representative films for each of these areas. We will also be taking account of key critical accounts of the American crime film and its significance both as a function of the American film industry, and as an index of American society. We will be looking at, among others, the following films: Little Caesar (1930), Scarface (1932), G-Men (1935), Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), The Maltese Falcon (1941), Double Indemnity(1944), The Killers (1946), The Big Sleep (1946), Force of Evil (1948), The Naked City (1948), Gun Crazy (1949), White Heat (1949), The Asphalt Jungle (1950), The Big Heat (1953), The Killing (1955), Kiss Me Deadly (1955), Point Blank (1967), Bonnie and Clyde(1967), Dirty Harry (1971), The French Connection (1971), The Godfather (1972), Mean Streets (1973), Chinatown (1974), The Godfather Part II (1974), Scarface (1983), Once Upon a Time in America (1984), The Untouchables (1987), Goodfellas (1990), Heat(1995).</p><p>American crime cinema has been a major area of production, enthralling audiences and critics alike. Explore its history and development in the period 1930 to 1990 through films such as Scarface (1932), Double Indemnity (1944), The Godfather (1972) and many others, while also considering key critical accounts of the genre, the films and their representation of American social and political life.</p><ul><li>The history and development of American crime cinema</li><li>American crime cinema and genre (e.g., gangster films, detective films and 'police procedural' films)</li><li>The American film noir</li><li>Classical and post-classical film style and the crime film</li><li>American crime cinema, censorship and the Production Code</li><li>American crime cinema and American society</li><li>Classical and post-classical modes of production</li><li>Critical accounts of the American crime film</li></ul><ul><li>Describe the history and development of American crime cinema</li><li>Describe and evaluate the American gangster film</li><li>Describe and evaluate the American film noir</li><li>Evaluate the relationship between classical and post-classical film style, the crime film and genre</li><li>Describe and evaluate American crime cinema, censorship and the Production Code</li><li>Describe the relationship between American crime cinema and American society</li><li>Describe classical and post-classical modes of production</li><li>Evaluate a range of critical accounts of the American crime film</li></ul><p>The course is suitable for all levels and you do not require any particular skills - just an enthusiasm for film and discussing film. The course will provide an introduction to the subject but will also be useful for those wishing to build on existing knowledge in the subject area.</p><p>Screenings of extracts from films, talks by the tutor, reading materials, small and large group discussions. It might also be a good idea to see what you can find out about the subject in advance of the class but this is not essential.</p><p>You will require a pen and paper (or laptop/device) but the tutor will provide all other materials such as handouts. The tutor will show extracts from films and you do not have to obtain them.</p><p>Please look also for other Film Studies courses under History Culture and Writing/Film Studies at www.citylit.ac.uk.</p>Film studiesAmerican filmconfigurable
20791580American filmhttps://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/humanities/film-studies/american-film1/2/285/1177/1580/20791/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Film studies/American film
