MELVIN PURVIS: G-MAN (THE LEGEND OF MACHINE GUN KELLY)

US, 1974, 90 minutes, Colour.
Dale Robertson, Harris Yulin, Maggie Blye, Dick Sargent, Matt Clark.
Directed by Dan Curtis.

An interesting telemovie about the FBI agents, especially Purvis, during the 1930s. He has a confrontation with Machine Gun Kelly. Dale Robertson, veteran of many romantic melodramas and action features of the 1950s, is Purvis and Harris Ulan, better known as a character actor, is Machine Gun Kelly.

The film was written by John Milius who went on to direct The Wind and the Lion, Big Wednesday, Red Dawn as well as writing the screenplays for such films as Apocalypse Now and Conan the Barbarian. The film was directed by Dan Curtis who made his mark in television with the Night Stalker series and other films. He also succeeded with Dark Places. Over decades he also directed a number of telemovies including When Every Day Was the Fourth of July and finishing his career with the film about the sex scandals in the Archdiocese of Boston, Our Fathers (2005).

There was a sequel, The Kansas City Massacre with Robertson once again as Melvin Purvis but with Bo Hopkins as Pretty Boy Floyd.

1. What was the main impact of this film? How enjoyable? How successful a thriller?

2. How obvious was the television style of this film? Especially in the credits and their repetition? In the close-up style of the film?

3. Comment on its documentary style and flavour. The narrative by Melvin Purvis, the recreation of scenes and setting, the information given about the criminals at the end? What was the impression of realism and a slice of American history?

4. How do these films on the thirties and the gangsters fit into the atmosphere of the violence of the 1970's? The preoccupation of the 70's with violence? The attractiveness of portraying the thirties and its violence on the screens of the 70's?

5. Comment on this picture of United States' violence in the past and in the present, What insight into the American character, the inevitability of violence, its attraction?

6. There have been many films portraying the thirties and the gangsters. What are the main characteristics of this genre? As regards the recreation of the period? The exploration of themes? How successful an example was this, why?

7. How important was the depression for this background of violence? The values of the depression, poverty, the oppression of the rich, the rebels attacking society and trying to survive? Was this theme well explored and presented?

8. How important was the class struggle as presented in this film? Kelly and Kate, and their attack on the Chicago aristocracy? Poor people from the backblocks wanting money from the rich?

9. Were Kelly and Kate important criminals in any way? What kind of persons were they? Did the film explore their characters? did it explain why they embarked on crime and became a gang? Kelly as a strong or a weak man? The influence of Kate? The influence of money and the times?

10. the importance for the criminals of doing a big job? The attractiveness of the Chicago plot? Their skill in handling the situation? The recreation of the crime in the film, how well presented, convincingly?

11. The theme of betrayal? The criminals not trusting one anther and betraying one another? Money and violence and human betrayal?

12. What comment was being made on the rich in America in the thirties? The heir and his ransom? His assumption that he was of better character and of better background than the criminals? His easy way of life? His trying to seduce Kate and her response to him?

13. How important was the character of Melvin Purvis and the G-men pursuing the criminals? Purvis and his style, the relentlessness of his pursuit, his arrogance even to his cigars, the violence of his way of life in shooting criminals? The irony of the information about his latest suicide?

14. The presentation of the mystique of the criminals in the thirties? Popular opinion and support, the families of the criminals living and dying for them, the newspapers and the publicity?

15. The inevitable violence of the shoot-out, the impact on audiences?

16. The importance of having this kind of film as a re-creation of a striking part of American history?