PRINCE OF THE CITY

US, 1981, 167 minutes, Colour.
Treat Williams, Jerry Orbach, Bob Balaban, James Tolkan, Steve Inwood, Lindsay Crouse.
Directed by Sidney Lumet.

Prince of the City was nominated for an Oscar for its screenplay. A long film, the screenplay is intricate in its portrait of its characters and its many passages of discussion about issues.

Sidney Lumet has adapted many plays to the screen in a long career. This stands him in good stead for the dramatic discussions. He has also directed many action films with serious themes, especially on the police e.g. The Anderson Tapes, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon. The influence of all these film is evident in Prince of the City.

While presenting the leader of a special narcotics investigation team and his eventual confessing to corruption and trying to atone for it by working with the investigating committee, the film also explores themes of law and morality. Another theme is the relationship of men working to protect citizens with their limitations and their need for support. The hero Danny Ciello, played by Treat Williams, has his family and his partners. His need for being honest leads him into some kind of necessary betrayal of both.

The film has a great deal to say about social evil, the administration of the law, the training and support of the police, the need for continued investigation, the manoeuvres of people to subvert justice, the need for making decisions on bases of complex morality as well as the letter of the law. Prince of the City is satisfying entertainment and food for thought.

1 The impact of the police films of the '70s? The sombre criticism of The French Connection? The undercover policeman as Serpico? The balance of disillusionment and corruption with the glorification of the police? Television programmes? The impact of the stories and their dramatic human quality? Social issues? The role of this film?

2. Sidney Lumet and his films: action, strong drama? His talent for portraying plays on the screen? His capacity for dramatic action as well as theoretical discussion? His films focusing on police issues? Crime? Themes of individuals and integrity, rights and conscience? Confession, healing and pardon, cleansing?

3. Audience familiarity with the New York setting? The size of the city, crime in New York, the inadequacy of the police to fulfil their role? The squalor of so many precincts? The increase in drug traffic? organised crime? The potential for police corruption? Slum areas, junkies, raids? The contrast with government officers? The blending of exteriors and action with so much talking? The use of colour, the creation of a grim environment? The use of the streets for symbolic settings, squalid, rundown, collapsing buildings etc.? Musical score, songs? The running time of the film?

4. The title and the reference to the Special Squad? Its ironic implications? The men enjoying their role and its privilege? Being caught by it? The caption explaining the Prince of the City? The later captions and the focusing on bonds with partners, Danny enjoying his games, his not intending to hurt anyone? The captions as chapter headings as well as theme indications?

5. The length of the film and audience interest and involvement, attention to detail, perceiving the character of Danny and his motivation, understanding the environment and people caught in it, the many sides of the debate about police corruption, the law, morality, guilt and pardon?

6. The introduction to Danny with the brief question of his being in bed with his wife and being troubled, the later taking up of this image when they were in the Catskills? The cards and the identification of the men as policemen? The need for renewal of their cards? Their accountability and continued assessment? The introduction to the men in themselves? The atmosphere of crime in the city? Tip-offs. contacts. Danny's severe attitude towards the informant, the phone calls, the timing for the raid? The exhilaration of getting the drugs and the money? Their style as they marched into court? The transition to their homes,, the barbecues and the picnics, the relaxed style, wives and families? The contrast between the work and home style? The squad and Danny's leadership, their powers and rights, lack of accountability?

7. The gradual focus on Danny and his personality and career? His relationship with his wife and children? His wealth and the comfortable how? (The later revelation of the truth of his taking money?) The party and his addict brother stridently accusing him, his father knowing the truth? Audience belief or disbelief about his being on the take? (The irony of his brother being well dressed at the cousin's funeral at the end?) Danny and the phone calls during the night, his going to the help of the addicts, his tough manner, supplying the junkies with drugs, his contacts in the middle of the night? His hearing the brutalising effect of the drugs? His presumption that this was alright in keeping his informants supplied? Family pressures, the cousin in the Mafia and the expectations on him? His knowing the Mafia men and using the contacts? His wanting to support his family, the sequences with his wife and sharing the pressures with her? Their having to go away and be guarded? The atmosphere of the Catskills? Ding’s life being saved by his cousin - the ferry sequence and the later discovery of his dead cousin? His being drunk and not welcome at the funeral? The Italian family atmosphere? Danny locked into the family, his hopes of breaking through as being an honest policeman, the irony that he was considered the black sheep of the family?

8. The establishment of the inquiry? Cappalino and his first interrogation of Danng and Danny's offhand remarks? Danny setting up further meetings, the meal and the criticism of the steak? The further setting up of a meeting and the interview with Paige? Danny's strident and loud manner? His ironic denials and his weeping and confessing? The significance of his sense of guilt? His not analysing his guilt but acting? The one huge leap to salvation? The reality compared with the ideals? His ranting, covering up, confessing? The suggestions of complexity in his character? His decision to inform and record? His adamant stand as regards his partners and their protection? The inevitability of complications once he had started?

9. Danny and his enjoying his work, considering so much of it a game, his skill in concealing the tapes? His being trained, fitted out, the details of so many meetings, his cover and his joking, even telling the truth? His reporting? The establishment of the inquiry office and the build up of the tapes? How authentic the meetings, the nature of the conversations and the tapings and the criminals not protecting themselves so well? The support ? and Danny’s criticism of the sullen guards? Danger? His being under suspicion, in danger of his life and not rescued? The build up to the cafe sequence and the arrests? Newspaper information about his talking to the inquiry? His being under suspicion by both sides?

10. The effect on him and the need for guards? His getting deeper into the inquiry, the Washington visit? Santimassino and the atmosphere of Washington? The relationship with federal government? The intensity of federal inquiry? Santimassino and his ruthless efficiency? The question of Sardino and the contact with Gino? Danny's visit to Gino to try to warn him? His wanting his wife to warn him? The encounter with Sardino in the restaurant, Gino's arrest, his sweating and impassivity at his interrogation, his humiliation, suicide? The effect on Danny?

11. The personalities of the inquirers in the Commission? Cappalino and his intensity, his enthusiasm at the exposes. his excitement about the tapes? the special bond with Danny and his support of him? Paige and his reserve yet supporting Danny? The efficiency of their work? The irony of their promotions and lack of direct contact with Danny? The introduction of so many other prosecutors? The collage of prosecutors and their interrogation? The build up to the arrest of the lawyer and his trial? The prosecutors trying to get the truth from Danny and his adhering to his statement about three instances of corruption? The fact that he perjured himself? The arrest of the negro dealer and the evidence of the lie detector? Danny and his remaining free?

12. The pressures on his safety? The interview with Doug and the other guards? The moving house to the Catskills? Danny's wife and her trying to be kind to the guards? Danny and his being away from hone so often? In the army barracks? The work on identifying the tapes and their transcripts? The hostilities from criminals and the police? The walk in the park and his being warned and his wanting to confess that he had informed?

13. The personality of the partners - how well sketched? In themselves, their work, their relationship with Danny? Danny's admiration for Gus Levy? His undercover job and his getting information? The garment district? His being warned by Danny but his decision to defy inquiry? The mutual pledges that they would not inform? The continued pressure on Danny and his dilemma? The reasons for his decision to tell the absolute truth? The phone call to Joe and the visit to his house? The phone call to Bill, his alcoholism, his going to see Gus,' shooting himself? Gus and his hostile reaction? The impact emotionally on Danny?

14. The reopening of the lawyer's case and the assessing of evidence? The lawyer and his cross-examination of Danny previously, his cross-examination of him in the reopened case? The crosscutting between this case and the prosecutor's discussion about what to do with Danny?

15. The presentation of the prosecutor's discussion? Polito and his standing firmly by the law? Audience antagonistic attitudes towards him? His stating very clearly the letter of the law policy? Cappalino and Paige and their support of Danny? Mario and the audience knowing the bond between the two, the discussions, the confession? Mario and his support? The president's assessing of the arguments and the decision? The dramatic impact of having the lawyer's guilt re-established and the decision made not to prosecute Danny?

16. Themes of the relationship between the letter of the law, morality? Atonement and guilt? Prison as punishment? Information and working for the law as punishment and atonement?

17. The role of the police in New York City, training, the pressures, protection by the law, possibilities of corruption? Their inability to protect the law-abiding citizens who demand high standards?

18. The image of an ugly world, evil, innocent people being caught up in corruption and trapped, complexity of motivation? The truly evil, the weak victims?

19. Insight into human nature? Portrait of 20th. century men and women? Social themes - of an ugly world?

20. The irony? of the ending with Danny giving the class and the student walking out? A satisfying dramatic question mark after almost three hours of examination of persons and issues?