LEPKE

US, 1974, 110 Minutes, Colour.
Tony Curtis, Anjannette Comer, Michael Callan, Milton Berle, Warren Berlinger.
Directed by Menahem Golan.

Lepke contributes to the almost-complete rogues' gallery of US gangsters of fact and fiction. Devotees of the genre will have little difficulty with this film. Those who wonder about the cinema history of the Mafia and the Syndicates may be consoled by the fact that Lepke was one mobster who was punished by US justice. The usual background of slum origins, harsh law enforcement, rebellion, single minded ambition, murder and a soft other side where family and children are concerned, are all presented. Crude assassinations, Walter Winchell's radio hunting of Lepke and Lepke's death are highlights along with Tony Curtis, unusual casting as Lepke.

1. Audience interest in the gallery of rogues and the American depression? The gangster film? Lepke as an interesting character in himself, what he stood for? The value of this kind of film for general audiences?

2. How did this film fit into the tradition of gangster films; the black and white documentaries with their tough atmosphere of the 30's, the fictional gangsters in the 40's, the resurrection of biographies of most of the important gangsters of the 20's and 30's in film of the 70's?

3. This film had an Israeli director. It concerned a Jewish gangster. Was this any different from the presentation of Italian, German and Dutch gangsters? The use of locations, New York, Panavision, colour? The musical score and the overtones of Jewish folk music?

4. The overall impression of the film, was it enjoyable or not? Presuppositions about gangsters, values?

5. The importance of the opening sequences and the early years of Lepke? A sepia colour? Lepke as a boy, criminal, encounters with the police, arrests, warnings? His being brutalised by the police? His poverty as a motivation for stealing? How much did this help to explain the later Lepke? The plaque on the wall of the police station with its warning?

6. How well did the film introduce the adult Lepke? Tony Curtis as Lepke and the audience presuppositions about him as an actor? The transition from the early years to his arrival in New York as an adult? His poverty, his return to his origins, his request to the landlady for the room, her acceptance of him? The possibility of his building on this?

7. Lepke's relentlessness and ruthlessness? His friendship with Shapiro and him as his ally throughout his career? His gradual making of contacts? His working for the bosses? His toughness and push? Brutality of pushing the tailor out of the window when he refused to pay? His associates' awareness of his consciencelessness and ruthlessness? Augie and his ruling? Lepke's ambitions and the engineering of Augie's death? Brutal beginnings, greater organisation, building an empire, creating loyalty in Shapiro and his friends?

8. How credible and real was the gangster world? The world of Luciano, Anastasia? Their norms, values, codes, ambitions? Morality, the law?

9. The film's introduction of Robert Cain and aspects of the law? Childhood friendship with Lepke? Cain's search for help, friendship? The change in Cain and his legal work for Lepke? His knowledge of shadiness? The ironies of his moral behaviour and yet his support for Lepke? How credible a character? His later change of attitude?

10. The introduction of Bernice, meeting her at Cain's office? Her status as a widow? Her falling in love with Lepke? The lyric episodes of their walk along the beach etc? The build up to the interview with her father? Jewish ritual and Lepke's lack of knowledge of this? The humour of the formalities of his proposal? The build-up to the wedding, its story and celebration? Broken by the visit of Luciano? The consequent separate worlds and Bernice’s' willingness to remain in her own world? Her not recognising what her husband did? The significance of the arrival of the police at the home and her not facing the facts? Her meeting Lepke at the fairground with the merry-go-round during his hiding? Her attitude towards her sons knowledge of their father? Her visit to the theatre and final rejection of Lepke because of his rejection of her? Her presence at the court and her feeling at his condemnation? Her presence at the execution night and the last scene of her walking away.

11. The character of Bernice's father? His knowledge of Lepke, agreement to the wedding, his asking Bernice to come back, and confronting her with the truth and her unwillingness to see it? Moral judgement through this character?

12. How well did the film build-up Lepke's work and his empire, his lust for power, money, his home? The importance of Dewey's attack on the gangsters and Lepke's decision that his life be saved? The irony of Dewey condemning him later? The decision to enter the drug world? The humour and irony of Shapiro's visit to Hong Kong and the getting of the drugs? Naive Americans and yet their overtaking of drug traffic? Lepke's lies about the drugs, his bribes, his killings, the attacks of others on his drug stores? How deeply was he involved in the gangster world? Was it possible to turn back?

13. Lepke's presuppositions about people and their ability to be trusted? His ruthlessness for murders?

14. His indiscretion at his decision at Rosen's death? Its repercussions later and the testimony against him later?

15. The ruthless character of Max Rebin and his doing the killing for Lepke? The visualising of these, such as the stabbing of the girl in bed, the spaghetti exploding, his later appearance in court?

16. Lepke's downfall and his hiding, eating at the fairground and the empty merry-go-round, his hiding in the theatre and watching the gangster film and wishing for something romantic, brutality and irony of the big shootout in the theatre?

17. The character of Walter Winchell and his influence in America through his radio programmes and campaigns? His popular comments on Lepke and audience response? The FBI, the Winchell's involvement in the deal with Lepke? The fact that Lepke was betrayed? The prison sequences and their effects on him, his behaviour on the court and his final condemnation?

18. The grim presentation of execution? The preparation for the execution, his being readied, the visit by the rabbi, Cain, Winchell? The visualising of the execution and the effects on the audience? Horror, deterrent?

19. The theme of Lepke's life and what it profited a nun to gain everything and to lose everything?

20. This kind of film as a picture of America, the realities of the gangsters world, society, individuals, corruption, greed and ambition, law and order?