Little Caesar

Little Caesar, a 1931 Hollywood gangster classic, is viewed in revivals today with nearly as much audience enthusiasm as it enjoyed a half-century ago, in the depths of the Great Depression. In general, the Hollywood film industry responded to the dark economic conditions of the 1930s with escapist and non-topical films. The fascinating exception was the gangster film, through which the studios joined in the debate over the spiritual and economic health of the nation. Little Caesar, considered by many to be an architype of the genre, is one of the most memorable dramatizations of the discontent and alienation, the deep anxiety and hostility shared by millions of Americans during those dark years. W.R. Burnett had first-hand experience of the world he describes in his vivid and terse novel Little Caesar (1929).The novel's hero, Cesare Bandello (Rico), is a “gutter Macbeth”, a bad guy who claws his way through the ranks of a Chicago gang, circa 1928. Though the image of Rico is almost inseparable from Edward G. Robinson's star-making performance in the 1930 film version of the book, the novel, inspired in part by Machiavelli's The Prince, remains a fuller experience. It is believed to have had a profound effect on William Faulkner, Horace McCoy, and Graham Greene.There is nothing heroic about Rico. He is not a dashing or even especially talented man; the one gift he possesses is a laser-like focus. It is this intensity that sets him apart from the slovenly hoods that surround him.Rico is a cold, clear-eyed student of human nature. This knowledge initially provides Rico's success, but when it crystallizes into hubris, it results in his ultimate undoing. Rico becomes too satisfied with his success, forgetting that he has prevailed in what is essentially a jungle and that in this place, the laws of survival are immutable and unsparing. 1929. The World's First Gangster Novel. Little Caesar Follows The Rise And Fall Of Rico In The Crime World As He Flees To Chicago And Ultimately To His Violent End. The Book Begins: Sam Vettori Sat Staring Down Into Halsted Street. He Was A Big Man, Fat As A Hog, With A Dark Oily Complexion, Kinky Black Hair And A Fat Aquiline Face. In Repose He Had An Air Of Lethargic Good-nature, Due Entirely To His Bulk; For In Reality He Was Sullen, Bad-tempered And Cunning. From Time To Time He Dragged Out A Huge Gold Watch And Looked At It With Raised Eyebrows And Pursed Lips.