Reviews (27)

Doris Day: Greatest Pop Vocalist, Great Actress & Person !
In the annals of pop music, musical films and outstanding entertainment careers few can match that of Doris Day, either in longevity or quality.Her naturally superb vocal talents were honed at a very early age (17) singing with top territorial big bands and ultimately with the great Les Brown Band of Renown with whom she had her first hit record, "Sentimental Journey", in 1945.That experience helped her develop the power, depth, phrasing and lyrical vocal style that made her the finest pop vocalist of all time.Nowhere is that talent more evident than in this Academy Award nominated film on the life of songstress Ruth Etting.Music wise the songs are incomparable as are the orchestrations and Doris' renditions.One need only to listen to the emotion and purity of "Never Look Back", "It All Depends On You" and "I'll Never Stop Loving You" with just piano accompaniment to hear how she had no rivals then, and especially now, in the vocal arena.

The film takes some liberties with facts and characterizations as all bio films do but who cares?The acting is first rate with Jimmy Cagney as the controlling minor league thug, Marty Snyder, Cameron Michell as her real love and musical director, Johnny, and veteran character actor, Robert Keith, as the faithful supporting booking agent.It is said that Cagney, who was nominated for his third Oscar as Snyder, had no qualms about getting second billing to the much younger Day.

As film bios go, this one is hard to beat.Outstnding talent, a great script, incredible music and outstanding musical performances puts "Love Me Or Leave Me" at the top of all music biographies.I first viewed this film in 1955 as a very young and impressionable kid.It has not lost a thing over time, especially when weighed against the tripe and fluff that eminates from Hollywood now.I recently got the soundtrack CD and it is outstanding in sound quality.Miss Day recently turned 81 and is still beautiful and active in Carmel California.This performance and her equally great 1951 performance in "Young Man With A Horn" remain my favorite Doris Day films.

No Tacky Virgin in This One!
I'd seen clips of Doris' more "known" movies and never thought I'd be purchasing a Doris Day flick.Then, I saw Doris' interpretation of "Shakin' the Blues Away" on "That's Entertainment III."Amazing.Had to buy the DVD "Love Me or Leave Me."

The film showcases an awesome vocal performer and surprisingly good acting on the part of Ms. Day. It made me feel that most of the other films of her career were a waste of her obvious talent. Let's put it this way--at many points of the film, she convinced me to be more sympathetic to her gangster husband than her.She was that convincing.James Cagney turns in a blistering performance with great subtlety.His obsession and misguided love for Ruth Etting (Ms. Day) are convincingly portrayed.

The DVD is in gorgeous Dolby Surround that will blow you away if you have a good system.The print is clear and clean--dripping in saturated Eastmancolor.Add this one to your collection of treasured DVDs and turn a friend on to Doris in a role suitable to her talent--if you can part with it!

DVD extras
DVD special features include: Soundtrack remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1, Three vintage shorts, the first two with Ruth Etting (A Modern Cinderella, Roseland, A Salute to the Theatres)

"Love Me or Leave Me" is a great movie!
I can't wait to see this movie on DVD.I first saw it about 15 years ago after taping it on TNT.This movie contains what I think is Doris Day's greatest performance---and what a shame she didn't get an Oscar nomination for it.This role showcases all of her talents and hints at the truly great acting ability she had and rarely had the opportunity to show.So many of her roles were lightweight.Nevertheless, she was one of the greats of her generation.I hope the Academy rewards her with an Honorary Oscar one of these days.If you're on the Board of Governors, think about it.

"Love Me or Leave Me" is one ofDay's crowning achievements
Doris Day can do ANYTHING!And in this film, she is cast against type as a woman who "makes a pact with the devil" to get the career she so strongly desires.Well, it isn't "Faust",
but our Doris certainly makes you think it is. Doris Day and James Cagney both give complex performances that enrich this
film so much, and Doris Sings a wonderful batch of standards
that rival ANYTHING she has ever done.If all you got was the songs, you would have more than your money's worth...but you get a fascinating movie about a real woman and the mistakes she made.And for those of you who think Doris can only play the coy virgin...I assure you...our beloved Doris is neither coy nor virginal in this film.SHE will knock your socks off!!!
THANK YOU DORIS...for ALL your wonderful performances...you can do anything and everything...and if proof were needed this is it. ... Read more

Description

A nostalgic view of the golden era of show business and the man who made it glitter--George M. Cohan. His early days, triumphs, songs, musicals and romances. ... Read more

Reviews (43)

Lots of Singing and Dancing
YANKEE DOODLE DANDY was released just before the legendary George M. Cohan died from cancer. It was a patriotic movie made during the first year after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in World War II. The movie was also a musical with lots of singing and dancing - especially by James Cagney. YANKEE DOODLE DANDY should be respected mostly for its music and dancing and not for its story which was about the life of Cohan. Nobody ever credited the film with much accuracy - including Cohan himself.

Cagney considered his role as Cohan to be one of his favorites. It should have been since Cagney began his own show business career as a young hoofer in New York City.

The supporting cast of Walter Huston, Joan Leslie, Irene Manning and Rosemary DeCamp was very strong. Cagney's sister Jeanne played the part of Josie Cohan and Frances Langford appeared as a singer. Eddie Foy Jr. made a brief showing as his own real life father, Eddie Foy.

YANKEE DOODLE DANDY won Academy Awards for Best Actor (James Cagney), Scoring of a Musical Picture and Sound Recording. It was also nominated for Best Picture, Director (Michael Curtiz), Supporting Actor (Walter Huston), Original Story and Editing. The main competition for Oscars in 1942 came from MRS. MINIVER. Director Michael Curtiz won an Academy Award for CASABLANCA in 1943.

Give My Regards To Cagney
Only 1942 Hollywood could show an aging songwriter stepping in with a parade and being challenged to sing a patriotic song which he wrote. And George M. Cohan wrote quite a few.

James Cagney's Best Actor performance takes place in flashback in the White House as he is summoned to receive a Medal of Honor for his body of work. He tells his bio to President Franklin Roosevelt, whom he is portraying in his show, "I'd Rather Be Right."

Cohan describes his early life in Vaudeville, travelling America with his parents and sister, and how he matures and partners with producer Sam Harris. His ups, downs and true loves weave the well-explained circumstances of many of his 80 plays and 500 hit songs. In particular, "I'm A Yankee Doodle Dandy," "Give My Regards To Broadway," "Mary," "You're A Grand Old Flag," and of course, the rousing WWI anthem, "Over There."

Although Cagney's character is a bit glib and constantly wisecracking, his relationships with family, business associates and competitors are well-defined. And of course, his superb dancing and physical movement may come as a surprise to gangster-movie purists. This is particularly evident in a scene he admittedly ad-libbed near the film's end.

Perhaps with America again at war, a classic film like "Yankee Doodle Dandy" is just what we need to enjoy.

Where has our patriotism gone?
I saw this movie for the first time last night w/ my father. He wanted me to see this movie to see the contrast of what people were like in the 40's-50's and how society is today. I'm 23 years old and to be honest with you, I thought that I wouldn't like this movie. As it turns out, I greatly enjoyed it. It was a wonderful story, full of patriotism - it just makes you proud to be in this country. What movies are out that are like this today? None. And that makes me incredibly sad to see such anti-Americanism. For what? If you want to see a movie that puts a fire in your belly and gets your spirit going, go see this movie - you will not be disappointed!

This is a MUST Own
There aren't too many movies that I'd say are pretty near perfect...but this is one of them!

I've seen it a dozen times, and I'm always amazed at how the movie doesn't fail to hold your interest the entire time. It's rousing, it's stirring, it's high energy, all the time!

I've not seen the colorized version, but the black and white is so appropriate to its time, I'm satisfied with the movie as it.

As many reviewers have mentioned, James Cagney is so perfect in this role, you can't imagine anyone else in it! He always considered himself a song-and-dance man, though you wouldn't know it if you were a fan of his many gangster flicks. Fred Astaire turned down the role, if you believe the many stories. And, as much as I love Astaire, the film would have suffered for it. The manic energy Cagney displays in the highlight musical numbers just brings his role to perfection.

If you are looking for a classic, never-to-be-topped movie about a songwriter, Broadway, great, rousing music, 'Yankee Doodle Dandy' is your film.

VERY HIGHLY Recommended! One of the top films of all time. (The American Film Institute lists it at 100th place, but it should be moved up much higher!)

Excellent Musical
With gloriously entertaining numbers and top notch direction. Among the best biopics of all time. A great, amazing, brilliant performance from Cagney; and excellent jobs from Walter Huston (Tresure of the Sierra Madre) and Michael Curtiz (Casablanca) who got help in the musical numbers by George M. Cohan himself. Watch for the marvellous performance from Cagney; but the musical numbers are great too. This is a good edition; Warner has been earning great merit in the DVD world lately. ... Read more

Reviews (39)

So Many Favourites In One Film!!
Henry Fonda stars in one of his most famous roles as Mr. Roberts, an officer on board a cargo ship, a man who underestimates his importance and the respect he is shown by an appreciative crew. The reason they admire him so much is because he stands up to their dictatorial captain, played ferociously by James Cagney. Fonda brings a lot of dignity and quiet strength to his character. The great William Powell is Fonda's confidant and ship's doctor, and Powell plays him with wisdom and class. Jack Lemmon, as Ensign Pulver, gets many of the film's best laughs, as he broadly plays the officer who is a lot of talk, but not much action. Mister Roberts combines humour, honesty, and drama very well, giving the viewer a real sense of the camaraderie onboard the ship. We also see how the human spirit can triumph under difficult conditions. And it's also a great chance to see four of Hollywood's greatest actors in one film, each one showing what they did so well. This is one to watch.

Thank you, Mr. Roberts
When Henry Fonda received the Kennedy Center honors in the late 70's, as part of his tribute, the Naval Academy glee club sang. Red River Valley saluted Grapes of Wrath, but the highlight was Anchors Away, when the Midshipman director of the glee club turned about face, saluted and said "Thank you, Mr. Roberts." As each Middie left the stage, he saluted and former Lt (jg) Fonda returned each one. Mr. Fonda was reported to have said that that was the greatest honor he received in a truly distinguished career.

This movie has that impact--it is a salute to "all those brave men who sailed from Apathy to Tedium, with an occasional side trip to Monotony" (I hope I have this right). When he died, the network news tribute was a dark screen and the sound track as Dolan and the others, having learned just what Mr. Roberts had done for them, each repeated those magic words "Good night, Mr. Roberts."

This is my favorite movie, one which I have watched at least 100 times. With marvelous performances by William Powell (Doc), James Cagney (the Captain), and Jack Lemmon (Ensign Pulver), as well as a fine supporting cast, this is a "must have" selection.

Review is of DVD - Not the movie
Given the "classic" status of this movie, it seems meaningless to discuss the content for this review. Thus, I will stick to reviewing Warner Brothers DVD release of the film.

First, I commend them for the inclusion of the excerpt of an Ed Sullivan "Toast of the Town" (1948) tribute episode featuring the movie's stars. This was really interesting viewing.

However, for the movie itself....this is the worst Warner release I have seen since "National Velvet". The picture frequently becomes out of focus, and the picture is often very undefined throughout the whole movie. There are a couple of places in the movie where the picture jumps, as if the film from which the transfer was taken "skipped a sprocket".

Overall, this is an embarassing release of a classic movie....despite the great extras which are included. Warner needs to go back to the drawing board on this one.

I love this movie!
The film "Mister Roberts" has everything.

Great Story, great cast, great meaning. If I had my choice of only a dozen movies to recommend to anyone, this would be one of them.

After fifty years, it's still an inspiring story of how sometimes small, seemingly insignificant details and the consideration of the human factor contribute to effective leadership.

In fact, this film is still in use as a motivational tool in the U.S. Naval Services.

I highly recommend this movie.

One of my favorite movies
I loved this movie when I saw it many years ago, it's timeless and still funny after all these years. I'm so glad it's available on DVD and now part of my movie collection. ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Underrated Classic
A complex, engaging, colorful, masterpiece. Milos Forman has never disappointed as a director. Typical of him, he captures America better than just about any American director. The cast is superb. Howard Rollins, Jr. is nothing short of amazing as Coalhouse Walker, Jr. Elizabeth McGovern, Mary Steenburgen, James Olson and Brad Dourif also give great performances.

I have admittedly not read the book, nor have I seen the Broadway musical. I don't know what EL Doctorow thinks about the movie of his book (I gather he is not crazy about it). But the film has a wonderful pace and the soundtrack is stunning as well.

I think it is a crime that the soundtrack is not available on cd and the movie not available on DVD!

The ignored classic.
RAGTIME was one of Milos Forman's three great literary adaptations of the 80's, the others being AMADEUS and VALMONT. AMADEUS was a hit, but RAGTIME, which was largely ignored by the public and the critics, who badly wanted to show off the fact that they read the book, was a flop. Too bad. The original novel is like "Forrest Gump" in the early 1900's. A sketchy work in which the members of one upper class family meet with every possible type of person, real or imagined, including every famous person that you can find from that period in the encyclopedia. Forman's film, however, is a genuine masterpiece and one of the very best films ever made about America. He fleshed out the characters, eliminated the unnecessary, and concentrated basically on three main story lines. Unfortunately, the film was deemed too long, and Forman was forced to cut one of the story lines. I hope that when the DVD is released, the missing storyline is put back. Of the film as it stands now, Film Critic David Thomson said " it is a much underrated film. Complex about the time and its ideas." The only possibly distracting thing about the film is the amount of soon to be famous actors appearing in small parts, including Jeff Daniels, Samuel L. Jackson, Fran Drescher, etc.

A Milos Forman Classic
If you missed seeing "Ragtime" back in 1981, it wasn't your fault because you probably didn't even know it existed. Much like Terry Gilliam's "Adventures of Baron Munchausen", this truly great movie was poorly distributed and miserably publicized and advertised when it was released. This is too bad because both films deserved much better. Anyway...

Milos Forman has time and again proven that he is not only one of the world's best directors but also one of the sharpest viewers of American culture and history. "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", "The People vs. Larry Flint", and, to an extent, "Man on the Moon" have at their core an indictment of American society: its racism, its hypocrisy, its perversity, its corruption, and its insanity. However, Forman is by no means anti-American. In fact, these movies also have at their hearts a deep fascination with America and a yearning to make it better. And like few directors can do, he doesn't create a manifesto disguised as a film. His characters and dialogue are believeable, and his filming is gorgeous to watch.

Of all his films--and that includes "Amadeus"--"Ragtime" is perhaps his best, in my opinion. Its complex narratives are logically, fluidly and masterfully meshed together. But what I find fascinating about the movie is that all the complicated, volatile emotional reactions the characters experience--sometimes ending in violence--all start from simple wants. Coalhouse Walker, Jr. (powerfully played by the late Howard Rollins) wants the racists who vandalized his car to repair it. Harry Thaw (played by the underrated Robert Joy) is an erratic millionaire who simply wants a nude statue of his wife taken out of public view. A father (movingly played James Olson) simply wants to keep his family together. His brother-in-law (Brad Dourif in an extraordinary performance) simply wants the girl he loves to love him back. And a Jewish immigrant (a wonderfully manic Mandy Patinkin) simply wants to make it in America. It's when all these desires collide that the fireworks of "Ragtime" begin. And like the great American tradition of 4th of July fireworks, "Ragtime" is dazzling to watch.

From a boy to a Man
I saw this film for the first time as a junior and have always thought it was a masterpiece. So, I decided to purchase the film on DVD, but to my surprise, it's not available on DVD, VHS it is. I have since watched this film a number of times and my appreciation for this work of art has continued to grow. This film is truly one of the best films ever made and is more than deserving of its place on Digital Versatile Disc b.k.a DVD...

fantastic movie
What a terrific movie. The music is just wonderful and fits the movie to a 'T'. I recently bought the CD at Borders, Books and Music (Dec 21, 03), because years ago I owned the LP!!! I was disappointed to find that the movie is only available on VHS though. Guess I'll reluctantly buy it because I'd love to laugh and cry all over again. Can't even rent this anymore, it's a shame. The good movies go and the junk is always rentable. ... Read more

Reviews (34)

2nd Funniest Movie by the Great Billy...
Billy Wilder made the great comedy "Some Like it Hot" in 1959. The following year, he broke Academy records by winning THREE Oscars for "The Apartment" (Writer, Director, Producer); his next film brought James Cagney his (almost) last role, a role that exhausted him (& the audience) so much he said he'd never make another film (1981's RAGTIME brought him out of retirement for a small role). It's almost impossible to imagine that he was having nothing but fun. Truth is, Cagney was having problems remembering lines, Wilder was pushing him (not unlike Monroe) and wringing out of him the most energetic performance I've ever seen. Subtlety, social comment, outrageous events--all staples of a Wilder film--were wrought with the complete insanity taken way over the top. The plot, involving Coca Cola's executive in Berlin in 1961, revolved around family life and corporate BS, and has to be one of the most frantic & enjoyable experiences, not to mention, breathless. Brilliant black & white Panavision photography by Daniel L. Fapp was Oscar nominated, but the rapid-fire, (often improvised) screenplay by Wilder & regular collaborator, I.A.L. Diamond was ignored by the Academy, as well as Cagney's incredible performance. The acting, besides Cagney, is acceptable; Pamela Tiffen & Horst Buchholz only had to look pretty and very affected, in which case their over-acting was appropriate. Arlene Francis seemed to be the "grounded force", keeping things a bit down to earth with droll humor. But the real acting support came from the lovely & wonderful Lilo Pulver and the agile Hanns Lothar. Leon Askin, a character actor so often in unrecognizable roles, is again brilliant here. The scenes at the Grand Hotel Potemkin are hilarious, and seeing Hanns Lothar in drag is something to behold! This film is so very important, on so many levels. Wilder laughed directly in the face of East German officials and methods; it was made because of the building of the Berlin wall; it showed Capitalism as a pleasant alternative to what was going on there; family crises were dealt wit seriously; extra-marital nonsense was treated as just that; Cagney's junior-Megalomania is treated justly; and the bottom line is that love conquers all, and, as Cagney/Wilder says "It's what makes our system work...everybody owes everybody..." A treat for all. If you haven't seen this, TREAT YOURSELF!! There's also a running gag, "Totally unacceptable...full of holes", which I still haven't figured out, and I've seen this film at least 50 times.

Put Yer Pants on, Spartacus........
I have always loved this movie for two reasons: James Cagney and James Cagney. A lesser-known Billy Wilder comedy gem, this film moves like greased lightning. An out and out farce, the modern audience may not appreciate some of the Cold War jokes, but the movie is still well-worth anyone's while to see Cagney's brilliant performance and the non-stop machine-gun delivery of one-liners and asides.

The head of Coca Cola in Cold War divided Berlin (but before the Wall), is saddled with the twit daughter (she of the over-active hormones), of one of his Coke Atlanta Office superiors. She becomes involved with an East German communist bohemian/activist, the parents from Atlanta are on the way, and all the fun begins.

The jokes are rapid fire and non-stop. The cast impeccable. I can't imagine anyone other than Cagney doing his role (its that indelible). In its own way a daring little picture, the world was incredibly tense when this movie came out, much like it is today but for different reasons. Berlin was one of the world's "hot spots" and a face-off point with the Soviet Union and a possible spark for Armageddan. Wilder found humor in that tension and the laughs that resulted were relief at the discovery of the human comedy within the Cold War. He put a human face on the communists and found in their foibles the same age-old human weaknesses of greed & lust & envy. In other words, they were the same as us. That meant there was hope.

But the heck with that, its funny as hell. Take the ride.

Full of Stereotypes and Spoofs of Stereotypes
This movie is built on the crass stereotyping of national, regional, and personal characteristics: all Germans are heal-clicking former Nazis; Communists on the surface are dedicated ideologists but really crave a life of Western decadence; American southerners (men) are right-wing imbeciles navigating the complexities of life on a few cherished prejudices; young American (southern) women are insatiable nymphomaniacs (is that redundant?); and James Cagney is a one-dimensional actor. Such an underpinning for a movie would not seem, at first glance, to offer much promise. But the one-dimensional acting style of Cagney, which ruined Love Me or Leave Me (the movie with Doris Day based on the life of Ruth Etting), is perfect for this manic-paced farce. For nearly the entire movie, Cagney unleashes a barrage of breathless monologues, simultaneously exhausting and amazing the viewer.

That the movie is a farce does not mean it lacks a serious side. The stereotypes are so rigid, and played so extravagantly, that it is hard to escape the conclusion that the movie is designed to outrage those insulted (especially southerners) and mock anyone who agrees with the stereotypes. Cagney himself is mocked by an MP who does a Cagney imitation in response to one of Cagney's imperious orders. On another level, the movie can be seen as a critique of censorship. In the Soviet Union, all film had to toe the Communist ideological line. If the same standard were applied to US movies by US censors, the result might well be something like One, Two, Three. And indeed, to ideological purists the world is as simple as one, two, three.

Not that funny
I was told this is one of the funniest movies of all time, I had a sinking feeling that it wasn't. But hey I gave it a shot. The movie was very well done and moved along at a rapid pace with one liners flying so fast that i probably missed most of them, considering half the time i was trying to figure out what they were referring to. Most of the jokes I could imagine my grandfather laughing at, thinking back I 'm not sure if I laughed once. I did get a kick out of Cagneys wife tho. Id say if your under 40 this movie is not going to cause you to pass out from laughter.

Captures the age & entertains
I first saw this movie in a US Army theater in Germany in 1961. It was the first time I'd seen a movie audience applaud at the end of a movie...and for good reason. We were over there, and we knew that this film accurately depicted the times in spite of being a satiric farce. The dialogue is extemely witty, and the pacing is breath-taking. I don't buy a lot of movies, but this was at the top of my list of all-time favorite films. ... Read more

Reviews (22)

Influential and powerful, and still compelling.
The most powerful of all the Warners gangster films, 'Public Enemy' is still gripping viewing today. It may be an obvious point, but it can't be stated enough how so much of the film's force comes from being made in the actual era it depicts (NB Prohibition lasted until 1933) with all the conviction and urgency that brings. The film is an acknowledged influence on 'Goodfellas' in that the story is told 'straight' with no moral bromide being forced through the criminal charcters' mouths - they lead their lives without time or need for apology or introspection. What moral conclusion there is to be drawn is all too implicit in the resolution of their story. 'Goodfellas' though depicting historical events, drew on a uniquely candid first hand account, as well as the director's own experiences, which gives the film a similar 'truth' to 'Public Enemy'. Scorcese also picked up on William Wellman's use of source, rather than soundtrack music ('I'm For Ever Blowing Bubbles'), as seen to virtuoso effect in 'Raging Bull'. As for Cagney himself, well, let's just say it was the performance that made him a star. That's all that need be said. The famous ending is still one of the most shocking in all cinema.

The greatest of the great
Paul Muni in Scarface; Edward G. Robinson in Little Caesar - these are now interesting but dated performances in interesting but dated movies. Almost seventy years later, Cagney's performance is truly fresh, as is the movie. Public Enemy is the one unmissable gangster movie from the early thirties: its violence is always suggested rather than stated (always more effective); most of the acting seems strikingly contemporary (Sara Algood is of another age, but Jean Harlow could saunter onto a contemporary screen and not seem in any way anachronistic); and there is no mood music: what music there is on the soundtrack can be explained by way of live bands or the presence of a radio. This fact contributes to one of the most chilling endings of any American movie I've ever seen. Above all, there is Cagney! What a great actor! Today there is Russell Crowe: even in the old days, only Spencer Tracy came close to this kind of ease and naturalness. Enough! About James Cagney I have said - and can say - nothing. Rent it, and see for yourself!

cagney unleashed on world
the most explosive debut in movie history was made by james cagney. little caesar was a better movie, but cagney epitomizes the depression era movie mobster in this movie. jean harlow gives the worst performance of her career in this movie, which is naturally something of a mystery. a year later she was great in red-headed woman, red dust and later bombshell. wellman was a great director but surely not with harlow. this is best known movie of mae clarke because if features the famed scene where cagney shoves a grapefruit in her kisser. this is totally unjust because clarke was a wonderful actress, especially in waterloo bridge. anyway, she is in only two brief scenes. the only good performance besides cageny is that of leslie fenton as nails nathan. despite public enemy's shortcomings it's one of the movies you have to see.

Just one historical note...
James Cagney has always been my great favorite and this seminal performance is nonpareil. I did want to add one thing to the excellent reviews already here: Edward Woods had originally been cast in the role of Tom Powers (I believe he was engaged to a studio honcho), but Cagney was so overwhelming in the secondary role, he was recast after only a couple of days. It's interesting to note that the children who played the characters as youngsters were clearly cast with the roles reversed.

An Unforgettable Final Scene
There is very little waste in PUBLIC ENEMY and it is easy to see why this film caused such a sensation in 1931. The movie is about the steady rise of a professional criminal (James Cagney) from before World War I through the early years of Prohibition. The acting by Cagney, Joan Blondell and Mae Clarke is excellent. The strong supporting cast includes Beryl Mercer, Edward Woods and Jean Harlow.

PUBLIC ENEMY received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Story (John Bright and Kubec Glasmon). The film has certainly stood the test of time and the final scene has remained unforgettable. William Wellman also directed BEAU GESTE, WINGS and THE STORY OF G.I. JOE. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

All the Way Up, and All the Way Down
That's the symbolism at the end of "The Roaring Twenties", my all-time favorite James Cagney movie. What a joy to watch Cagney as he plays Eddie Bartlett, a doughboy who can't get a job after WWI, and who stumbles into the racketeering world by accident. It's a world about tuxedo clad toughs who pack heaters and gats, and speakeasies raided by cops on the make, two-timing ingenues and shady ladies with hearts of gold. And ultimately, a world set right by truth, justice, and the repeal of Prohibition. Supporting Cagney's gangster protagonist is a wonderful ensemble cast. Gladys George has been around the block, but gets stuck on Eddie; Priscilla Lane is the baby face that Eddie's ga-ga about, who sings "Melancholy Baby", "It Had to Be You" and other great songs of the period; Frank McHugh is Eddie's sidekick from the trenches to the big time; and Humphrey Bogart is the rat fink who chisels and kills with very little effort or remorse. "The Roaring Twenties" is a great movie about a good boy who fell in with the wrong crowd, expertly put over by that prince of the gangster movies, James Cagney. Take it out for a little ride back to your VCR.

Big Shots
The Roaring Twenties came at the end of the gangster cycle of movies in the Thirties, and it's a fitting end. The film takes sort of a documentary approach to the era of Prohibition, from its beginning to its finish after fourteen years. At the same time, it chronicles the rise and fall of a gangster played by James Cagney, who becomes a big shot, only to lose it all. Cagney is, as usual, riveting in his role, with some great scenes at the end of the movie. Priscilla Lane is the idealized love of his life who can never return his love because of her dislike for his lifestyle. Gladys George is excellent as Panama Smith, a speakeasy hostess who really is Cagney's soulmate, even though he doesn't realize it. Humphrey Bogart has another one of the bad guy gangster roles that he had a lot of in the Thirties. The movie is well directed and moves along quickly, and although it doesn't really offer anything new to the gangster film genre, it does give the viewer a good overall look at the era, with a finale that is truly memorable. It's worth seeing.

How about a DVD???
I caught this most poignant of gangster films on TV a few weeks ago, and I was so moved by James Cagney's performance...it is a cryng shame that only a handful of his movies have been released on DVD. Please, Warner Brothers, how about giving this gem a shot at the big-time?

we won't honor them on Veterans Day
This Movie is about three World WarI veterans who come back forgotten. One becomes a lawyer, the two others Gangsters. This movie stars James Cagney as Eddie Bartlett, and Humphrey Bogart as some guy named George. It takes place in April, 1918,7 monthes before the World WarI armistace. In the beginning it shows Bogart in a foxhole, and then Cagney jumps in. Cagney lights 2 cigars for both of them and then another main character(Lloyd)jumps in. After the war Eddie is forgotten. He lives with his friend Danny Green, (Frank McHugh) and he can't seem to find a job. Then Danny lets him drive his taxi cab at night. One night Eddie takes a bag to a bar. He does not know what it is but it really is liquor. The police find it and throw him in jail. A woman named Panama, who he met in the bar where the cops got him, bails him out of jail. After that Eddie changes from a taxi driver to a boot legger. Later in the movie he meets up with George. At first they are buddies, then George plots to get Eddie killed, but Eddie kills him. Then when Eddie is running down the street he is shot. Panama is there. When a cop asks her what his job was she said: "HE USED TO BE A BIG SHOT"

A Great Final Scene
THE ROARING TWENTIES is a gangster film about life in New York City during the Prohibition years after World War I. James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart star as two former army buddies who turn to crime during lean times. A strong supporting cast includes Priscilla Lane, Gladys George, Frank McHugh and Paul Kelly.

The climatic scene is perhaps one of the most famous ones directed by Raoul Walsh. He also directed THE STRAWBERRY BLONDE, THEY DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS ON and HIGH SIERRA. ... Read more

Amazon.com

A neat World War II thriller, 13 Rue Madeleine benefits from the postwar craze for shooting outside the studio. With Quebec doubling for occupied France, this is a spy movie with a sense of open air. James Cagney plays an OSS agent, training his recruits for an important pre-D-Day mission. When one of them turns out to be a Nazi spy, Cagney must parachute into France himself and straighten things out. Director Henry Hathaway and producer Louis de Rochemont pioneered the docu-drama approach with The House on 92nd Street, and they again use newsreel footage and stentorian narrator here, blended into the fictional story. The script is slightly muddled, but there are a fistful of suspenseful situations and a gangbusters ending--as well as the typically wired-up Cagney, who is exactly the guy you want on your side if D-Day is hanging in the balance. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (6)

A lamb is ready ....
This isn't a great movie. It is however, a good movie. THe potential is there for it to be great, but it doesn't rise to the occasion.

The story might have been more engaging if it weren't done documentary style. Small things, such as the French and German characters speaking with the appropriate accents, would have improved the films quality.

I do however like the fact that there are no cheesy romantic subplots. It is also nice to see the Axis powers (in this case the Germans) being portrayed as competent individuals, rather than buffoons as so many other movies of the era do.

Ultimately, this movie is a must addition to my collection because of my love of Cagney. Originally, I had only seen the final scene of this movie when it was on AMC. I will not give it away, but I was so engaged by Cagney's laugh and the look on his face given the circumstances in the last minute of the film, I bought the film. If you're a Cagney fan, I don't think you'll be dissapointed. His performance is quite good. If you're not, then I think I'd skip this one.

A potentially good story goes nowhere
13 Rue Madeleine started out with potential. It opens at a British spy school (where everybody seems to be Americans or French) and the man in charge of schooling this batch of students (Cagney) is told one of the students is a spy and it's up to him to determine who. Some quick scenes of spy training are shown depicting some of the training techniques employed by such schools. This was probably the most interesting part of the film.

From there, the film jumps to graduation day and Cagney has determined who the spy is and is told to send this spy on a mission intended to decoy the Germans from the true date and location of the impending invasion of Europe. Things go wrong on this mission from the start and Cagney has to go in to clean up the mess.

The acting is only 'OK' by all but the mayor of a small French town and American actors play the German officers. They even speak English when speaking amongst themselves. While having 'Germans' speaking English detracts from the film, at least they spared us and didn't try to fake German accents. Furthermore, the Germans are depicted as being competent with their duties instead of bumbling idiots. For these reasons, the film rates two stars instead of only one.

However, this story missed out on so many chances to be a lot better. The spy is discovered from the start of the film and there are no tense moments at all. They could have written the film so that it appeared this one person was the spy but still left the possibility open for it to be somebody else. Furthermore, there are no tense moments in this film at all. There's no suspense and there's no action. It's just a bunch of actors going about living their lives.

Even when the German intellegence agents are onto what's going on the movie just jumps right to the plot point. There's a scene where the Germans are using radio direction finding equipment to triangulate the position of a British agent's broadcast and they find the agent within 10 seconds of the opening of the scene. Again, a lot of cat-and-mouse scenes could have been written into this story but as it is it's too flat - too linear. There's no drama, no suspense, and very little action. Not much to see here.

It's all about Cagney
13 Rue Madeleine gets off to a horrible start with a painfully dated newsreel-style introduction replete with corny voiceover. If you can bear with that for five or ten minutes, the movie mercifully starts to grow more interesting as you watch would-be spies go through a secret training program that tests them physically and--even more so--mentally. From there, it's off to France for some well-paced, yet underdeveloped, cloak-and-dagger action centering on a German double agent, the opening of the Allied second front in western Europe, and the V-2 rockets.

Mercifully, the film mostly avoids cheap or unrealistic sentimentality (outside the opening narration), gratuitous love interests, and the like, and the Germans are shown to be quite competent at their jobs, instead of faceless buffoons. For a 40's war film, 13 Rue Madeleine is actually on the gritty and dark side, and the violence is a bit more fierce and graphic than you might expect. (The broken necks and knifings, not the implausibly bloodless shootings.) The actors generally acquit themselves decently, though they would have been far more engaging if more of them at least attempted the appropriate accents or--better still--spoke German or French where appropriate.

Ultimately, how much you enjoy this film will probably depend on how much you enjoy Cagney. He gives a fine performance here, not particularly nuanced, but full of vigor and seriousness. You can really feel the confidence and daring spirit of his character. Check out the scene where he signs into the hotel room to see how ably he conveys an air of authority. As enjoyable as Cagney can be here, he can't make 13 Rue Madeleine rise above being a merely decent, second-rank war film.

13 Rue Madeleine
One of the few DVD's I regret buying. This film demonstrates clearly that Cagney was one of the worst actors of all time. He is so wooden. He even walks stiffly. The others characters are so sterotypic that it is comic. The only good acting jobs are the German spy and French mayor. In addition, there is an off screen narrator with a strident, metallic voice who makes a bad movie even worse.

Cloak and Cagney go together . . .
13 RUE MADELEINE is one of Hollywood's last stand against the Axis--a post WWII film that explains our cloak and dagger OSS effort which helped whip those sneaky Nazis. The Cloak and Cagney go well together in this film. Cagney captured my pleasant attention since for once he was acting and not making a bully of himself. 13 must be measured against its' historical contribution to movies. It does help explain the American fear of Nazi and Japanese spies at the onset of WWII. We, in fact, had no credible military intelligence until the OSS. As Hollywood's attempt through this film to continue WWII should have rated only 4 stars, however I gave it the extra 5th star because the German soldiers were not portrayed as inept morons. This is a very entertaining film viewed in an historical context. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Corny premise, but worth the time
I am NOT a fan of Bob Hope's movies. I really never watch him as a comic but this movie was very enjoyable! Great musical numbers and the kids are dolls. Rags to riches. With the combination of music, kids, Hope not playing Hope...you will spend an delightful evening renting or buying this movie.

That's Entertainment!
A rarely seen Bob Hope gem, "The Seven Little Foys" is well worth seeking out. The film is based on the true story of Eddie Foy, a vaudvillian who, after the unexpected death of his wife, decides to make his seven children into a stage act in order to keep on eye on them while on the road. That his children are one and all completely deviod of any talent whatsoever doesn't faze him much. After all, famous for being dreadfully untalented is still famous.

The first half of the movie drags a bit while detailing the courtship of Eddie Foy and his long-suffering wife, but the second half has Bob playing off of seven terrific child actors and the results are very entertaining. (For example, racking his brain on how to get his kids on stage, Bob asks them what they can do. His littlest replies cheerfully, "I can dance!" and proceeds to careen around the room in a drunken manner. "Keep your opinions to yourself", Bob observes.)

To Eddie's surprise, the kids are so bad they're a huge hit, and though dysfunctional, the Foys are ultimately a loving and tightknit bunch. Bob and the kids have a great chemistry, and he also has a great foil in the Italian actress that plays the children's aunt. (At one point she grouses that the house Eddie has bought is "falling apart", "Nobody complains about you", Bob shoots back. )

And of course, there is the famous scene when Bob and Jimmy Cagney do a wondeful softshoe atop a banquet table; this scene alone is worth the price of the DVD.

If you're a fan of Bob Hope or like turn of the century period films , be sure not to miss "The Seven Little Foys".

Beautiful Brentwood DVD color musical
This Brentwood Bob Hope DVD has beautiful color and a razor sharp image. The movie is aimed more at music than comedy, and comedy fans may be a little disappointed. But Bob Hope fans and musical fans will be amused.

Great costumes, wonderful dancing, and a few laughs
I'd read the previous reviews of this movies and saw it this weekend. While it was entertaining, it wasn't as funny as I'd anticipated. The story line was pretty weak too.

On the other hand... The costumes were spectacular, and it was worth seeing the movie just for that!

I was amazed as how great a dancer Bob Hope was! The table top dance duet with James Cagney was absolutely brilliant!

This isn't really a musical in the sense that people don't suddenly burst into song. But, there is a lot of music, dance, and vaudvillian routines.

Great costumes, sonderful dancing, and a few laughs
I'd read the previous reviews of this movies and saw it this weekend. While it was entertaining, it wasn't as funny as I'd anticipated. The story line was pretty weak too.

On the other hand... The costumes were spectacular, and it was worth seeing the movie just for that!

I was amazed as how great a dancer Bob Hope was! The table top dance duet with James Cagney was absolutely brilliant!

This isn't really a musical in the sense that people don't suddenly burst into song. But, there is a lot of music, dance, and vaudvillian routines. ... Read more

Description

The 12 Chilling Classic Movies features hours of chilling entertainment digitally re-mastered on three double-sided DVDs.Begin a library of Classic Feature Films with stars like Bela Lugosi, Rex Lease, Ginger Rogers, Boris Karlof, George Zucco, Tamio Kawaji, Don Sullivan and The Ritz Brother.Including features:The Monster Walks,Monster from a Prehistoric Planet,The Gorilla,A Shriek in the Night,The Giant Gila Monster,The Fatal Hour,Dead Men Walk,The MadMonster,Black Dragons, Invisible Ghost, One Body Too Many & White Zombie. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

A nation without shame
Admittedly this film is propaganda produced during an occupation by fascist Germany, but it is very educational in explaining why more Americans were probably killed by the French during WWII than were saved by them. Including the Northern Africa campaign of serious battles where Allied forces were attacked by French military loyal to Petain's Vichy government, as well as the millions of Frenchmen who assisted the Nazi war machine in their munitions factories, there is no question that the French were more the enemy of the Allies than they would ever be willing to admit today. For anyone who thinks that French diplomatic treachery is a new phenomenon in the war against Islamofascism, they should see this film. No wonder Chabrol was widely condemned in France for shining the light on this ugly chapter in French history. It is something any nation should be ashamed of. But unfortunately they have learned nothing from their ignominy as well documented by their own propagandists.

Disappointing, tendentious hash of newsreel clips
I can't imagine what Claude Chabrol's involvement with this project amounted to. Did he stand around and chat while others edited at the movieola? Did he look at an assortment of newsreels and pick out a few to give the compilation a narrative structure? Whatever, it wasn't much of a contribution. I suspect his name is on the package to give it credibility.

This is a predictably anti-Petainist, anti-collabo montage of newsreel clips from the early 1940s. The original footage was produced by the German occupiers and French collaborationists, so it would seem that both sides get to have their say. Actually we are given only one point of view--the Gaullist one.

Great film for French class
This is a great video to show in advanced or AP French classes. It helps students better understand what life was like under Nazi occupation in France, and it affords a glimpse into everyday French life as it was in the 1940's.
The only problem I encountered with this video was that the audio track was malfunctionning - there was such an echo at times that it was impossible to understand what was being said - I had to return my copy of the video because of that. But I was so impressed with the film that I'll reorder another copy, and hope that it was just a problem with that particular videocassette that I had.

I would recommend this film to anyone interested in French life, in WWII historical data or in Nazi occupation of France.

I was there
I was only 7 years old when the Germans occupied my city in 1940, but I remember many of the events depicted in this documentary. This film is great, especially for those interested in the history of France during the war years, and a reminder of what it was like for those who were there.

German and its French ally's propaganda against the Allies
I saw this film for extra credit for a college French class. It was wonderful to see so much old news footage and speeches from the 1940s in Europe. It was interesting to see how successfully the Nazis and their French collaborators (some of the French) manipulated their own peoples into thinking a unified Europe under Germany was the only answer. That is all this film is: a collection of newsreels and speeches given by both French and Germans with an English subtitle. Yet it is a wonderfully put together 'documentary'. ... Read more

Description

Hollywood favorites James Cagney (Yankee Doodle Dandy), William Frawley (I Love Lucy), and Gene Lockhart (Miracle on 34th Street) star in this delightful musical comedy about a New York bandleader and hoofer, Terry Rooney, whose wife joins him for a trip to Hollywood where the star system gets turned upside down in a series of hilarious complications. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Musical fun for those who still believe love conquers all
Dance, dance, dance! Sing, sing, sing! Throw in a few costume and set changes and you have the winning formula for a musical. To make it charming, though, you need a decent story and charismatic actors -- both of which are in ample supply in the classic musical Something to Sing About.

Jimmy Cagney boisterously portrays a "hoofer, not an actor" in this cheesy but still undeniably loveable musical. Having just gotten his big break in Hollywood, Cagney must leave behind the loves of his life -- his beautiful songbird fiancee and his job as the orchestra leader at a hoppin' New York club -- to pursue his dream of singing and dancing his way to stardom in a major motion picture. The plotline is more or less predictable but Cagney fans won't be disappointed by the smile-inducing fancy footwork and surprisingly lovely songs that make up for any bits of story telling that could use refinement.

QUICK TAKE: $$$$$ Fair price
Considering this movie was made in the 30s, the quality is pretty darn good. But compared to modern films, this dvd doesn't have all the usual bells and whistles which is why I gave it only four stars. Had the studio gone to the trouble of adding at least a smattering of goodies, I certainly would have been tempted to raise it five stars.

VERDICT: ***** Buy it!
If you're a Cagney fan -- or simply a fan of old school musicals -- it's definitely worth every penny to add it to your collection.

Forget Maltin's review
If you appreciate James Cagney for the quality and spunk of his dancing, this film is for you!

Sure, the plot is nothing to sing about, but this film is to be watched for Cagney alone.

He has several hilarious episodes as he enters Hollywood as a small time bandleader from NY. He is measured, analyzed and critiqued by a voice coach, hair dresser and tailor, and his reactions to all the poking and prodding show him as one of the underrated but awesome comedic actors. (Anyone who doesn't recognize Cagney as a great comedic actor hasn't seen enough of his films.)

Another great scene is when he does some great Vaudevillian slapstick facial pantomimes of "the take, the double take, and the double take with the fade-away."

Now the dancing! Cagney, who always billed himself as a song and dance man, never danced enough in his movies. But this has four great scenes of him him at his best -- a combination of down-to-earth hoofing and ballet. He does one scene with Johnny Boyle and Harland Dixon, the former who danced for George M. Cohan and helped Cag choreograph dancing sequences for "Yankee Doodle Dandy." Much of Cagney's dancing style is taken from Boyle.

No one could say that Cagney is the greatest dancer, but he injected a street attitude into his dancing along with exquisite grace that made him incomparable.

A must see! ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Cagney is bad to the bone!
I've always loved watching film noirs & of course I'm a huge James Cagney fan. I must confess that when I bought this the other day I'd never even heard of it. Along with White Heat, Cagney proved he was truly a screen villian to be feared. He had already established his reputation with his great gangster roles of the 30's, but never did he play a more evil character than in Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye. A comparison to Al Pacino's "Tony Montana" character in Scarface is not far off, believe me! Other reviewers have gone over the plot, so I won't waste your time. Without a doubt this is one of Cagney's finest performances, & no Cagney fan should be without this classic or White Heat, his only other film noir role.

Cagney: A Hood Who Rules With Personality Not Logic
When James Cagney was offered the role of criminal Bruce Cutter in KISS TOMORROW GOODBYE, he thought that he had long since finished playing gangsters. He changed his mind though, and his role as the psychopathic killer was the last that he would play. What stamps his performance as the opportunistic killer in this film is that he hearkens back to the sort of prohibition type thugs that he immortalized in the 30's, but unlike those roles in which he combined immorality with a certain likeableness, here he is totally feral. More than a few supporting characters note that he insane with ambition.

KISS TOMORROW GOODBYE is not the kind of crime film in which believability ranks highly. The impetus of audience reaction is carried solely through the kinetic force of Cagney's over the top performance. From the opening scene in which he escapes a prison work farm with the help of girlfriend Holliday (Barbara Payton) to every scene that ought to drown in illogic, the flow of plot runs so smoothly that the audience can't help but overlook the extraordinary concatenation of coincidence. As soon as Cutter rolls into town, no cops recognize him, even when he strolls leisurely into and out of the town's police station. He pulls a stickup and when apprehended by the police, he is let go by a crooked cop (Ward Bond), who promptly implicates himself on a recording device. To further complicate matters, Cutter starts an affair with Margaret (Helena Carter), the daughter of the town's most powerful citizen. Considering that Cagney was 50 years old at the time, the implausibility of a pair of pretty twenty somethings falling for him is breathtaking. Finally, the blatant use of police corruption adds to the feeling that you have seen this movie at least 20 years before. Several critics have pointed to it by paying homage to its origins as a 30's type gangster B movie. This, I think, is being a little too kind. It is no such thing. Instead, it stands as the swan song of a gifted actor who tried once too often to reprise the role of a ruthless thug that made him famous in the first place.

Original Tough Guy
Cagney along with a fine cast of co-stars portrays a mentally disturbed, escaped convict with high aspirations. Betrayal, greed and unrestrained ambition are the key ingredients to this underated film noir masterpiece. The DVD plays clean and clear with good sound quality.

Tough Guy Cagney Does It Again
When socialite Margaret Dobson (Helena Carter)attempts to scare gangster Ralph Cotter ( James Cagney) with a high speed joy ride in her expensive convertible, Cagney's darting eyes and slight smile alerts viewers that this high society mistress has made a grave mistake. No celluloid dame ever put fear into the heart of a James Cagney character, and Cagney as escaped convict Ralph Cotter in Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye doesn't disappoint his male legion of fans. With the speedometer needle already bouncing at the 90 mph. mark, Cotter calmly places his shoe on top of Miss Dobson's foot and mashes the accelerator pedal down even further. In one of the most revealing female/male test of wills ever captured on screen, the two characters battle a mind game that Cotter eventually wins. Just when we thought we have seen every James Cagney gangster persona , scenes such as the convertible ride command our attention once again. Cagney is ruthless in Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye in which he portrays an escaped convict who courts two girlfriends, blackmails two police detectives, robs a supermarket payroll, murders three mob bagmen and pilfers the daily gambling bankroll. Although Cagney wasn't always amused at how studios continually pushed gangster scripts his way, he seems to have had fun in the role of Cotter. Especially when his other girlfriend Holiday (Barbara Payton)throws everything but the kitchen sink at him during an on screen spat. The film does contain flaws which challenge the believability of viewers, such as Cotter's miraculous escape from a chain gang, the use a dictaphone to frame a police inspector, and Cotter not being reckognized as an escaped convict. These shortcomings aside, Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye is watchable because of Cagney's commanding performance. Cagney leads the holdup of Hartford's Supermarket with coolness, his beating and disposal of a garage mechanic is violent, and his towel smacking of girfriend Holiday and her reaction are memorable. The film also boasts fine performances from Luther Adler, who plays shrewd and influential lawyer Cherokee Mandon. Ward Bond who portrays the corrupt police inspector, Weber. Barton Maclane who later gained TV fame as General Peterson on I Dream of Jeannie, also gives a fine supporting role as Weber's sidekick. Overall the film does make a statement about crime and corruption that slowly creeped back into America's consciousness after WWII. With graft, corruption, bribes, and scandals shocking the nation, filmmakers once again drew fine lines between crimminal characters and the characters that represented law and order. For fans of crime, noir, gangster, or just James Cagney, Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye is a great way to spend an hour and fifty minutes.

A misogynistic predator
James Cagney is ruthless as Ralph Cotter, a murderous crazed hood who blackmails cops and everyone else in his path after a break from chain gang.

Made after "White Heat," and while preparing dancing scenes for his next film "West Point Story," Cagney abhorred doing another gangster flick, but you can't tell it here. He throws himself into the role, and does the best with what he has.

Cagney is the whole show, and his evil is more pronounced than ever. Not only is he a murderous thug, but a sexual predator, seducing and coercing women to doing his bidding along the way.

Cagney -- a gentleman in real life -- played a lot of misogynistic characters, and he is no less in this -- savagely beating a moll with a rolled up, wet towel, then seducing her as she falls weeping and hysterical into his arms.

One could say, if you reviewed his gangster flicks as a whole, that Cagney hadn't made a whole lot of cinematic progress from grapefruit squashing and dragging chicks across the floor by the hair (as he did with Mae Clarke in previous films). Seen without that hindsight, he is brutal and effective.

While he played other bad guys in subsequent films, this is the last true gangster that he played, and he was relieved to call it quits.

It was poorly reviewed at the time -- a well made bomb -- but it's worth viewing for Cagney's savagery. You need to suspend belief just a little bit in certain scenes -- not a whole lot of visible planning goes into big stakes heists, so his gangster comes off more ruthless than smart. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

For Cagney fans only
(Please note that of the eight DVD versions of BLOOD ON THE SUN that are currently listed on Amazon.com, I am reviewing the Laserlight "Special Edition" release. That's the one that comes with a documentary on the film career of James Cagney and a goofier-than-thou introduction by Tony Curtis.)

To be honest, I didn't find the feature film on this DVD to be all that exciting. The plot is coherent and without any obvious flaws, and the characters have a lot of promise. It just isn't terribly enthralling. There's a fairly good fight sequence near the end, if that sort of thing interests you. Unfortunately, that sort of thing doesn't usually interest me, and nothing leading up to that had given me any emotional investment in either of the factions. James Cagney's acting is quite good, and, as always, he commands quite a presence on the screen. It's unfortunate that he's one of the only interesting things to watch in this film.

The picture quality is actually fairly good which is a bonus when you consider how cheap the disc is. The picture is the tiniest bit fuzzy at points, but for the most part it's ahead of many other budget DVDs. The sound quality is certainly acceptable, if not the clearest thing you'll ever hear. If you've already seen and enjoyed this movie and are wondering which DVD version you should buy, know that you could do a lot worse than the Laserlight edition.

The included documentary JAMES CAGNEY ON FILM runs 36 minutes long and is a fairly formulaic piece, very similar to the other such programs that Laserlight has included on their DVDs. It's a fairly tame short piece, made up primarily of an uninspired voice-over speaking while the camera pans over numerous black and white publicity shots of Cagney. A few film trailers make up the rest of the action. I didn't know much of anything about James Cagney before, so I found the information to be interesting, albeit a bit dry. I speculate that any real Cagney fans would probably know much, if not everything that this documentary covers.

Tony Curtis' introduction here sees the man in one of his most bizarre spots yet. The short, black, leather gloves from his other Laserlight DVD comments are back with a vengeance here, and they help turn what would otherwise be a short, forgettable James Cagney impersonation into good old-fashioned nightmare fuel. He gives a brief history of James Cagney's career that manages to be utterly divergent from the story that the documentary gave. I can only assume that someone held the wrong cue-cards that day.

All in all, I didn't care much for this DVD. If you're a huge fan of James Cagney's work, then it might be worth your while to pick up, but if not, I'd recommend trying something else. The documentary isn't bad, but it's not something that makes the disc attractive by itself.

Overlooked Cagney Gem
Blood on the Sun is a rousing post war film, a true product of its time. One minor fault with the movie is that it takes place in the 1930's, and everyone is wearing post war fashions. The supporting cast has a few surprises, Hugh Beaumont(Ward Cleaver) and Robert Armstrong (King Kong) as Col. Tojo. Sylvia Sydney is very alluring as Ms. Hilliard, she brings a sophistication to the movie that is usually absent in a Cagney thriller. The climactic battle with Oshima has been described in other reviews here as corny and outdated, but I think they have missed the mark. Judo is a sport, and is not Jujitsu, Judo is mostly throws and locks which the combatants in this movie do quite well. It may not be flashy like todays martial arts, but that is the stuff that I think is corny, defying gravity, impossible moves, and so on. when the battles seem believable, then it is more exciting, Bruce Lee for instance, I think there is no doubt that he could have executed all the moves in his movies in a street fight. That is one of the reasons he will always be the remembered as the best. Another interesting point, the actor who plays Oshima (Jack Halloran) was a LA cop and a master of Judo, Cagney was his student and became a black belt, hollywood's first! Cagney would go on to showcase more martial arts in the movies 13 Rue Madelaine, and White Heat, where he uses a forward choke on Virginia Mayo.

America will be crushed, never to rise again
Based on a true story, BLOOD ON THE SUN is an entertaining little stewpot of a movie.
James Cagney plays Nick Condon, managing editor of the Tokyo Chronicle. It's 1920-something and the United States and Japan share an uneasy peace. That peace threatens to be broken violently when the "Tanaka Plan," a Japanese government document outlining a blueprint for world domination, falls into Condon's possession. Condon has to get the document out of Japan and announce its contents to the world, the Japanese have to stop him.
When I first saw BLOOD ON THE SUN I shrugged it off as a piece of late-war propaganda. There ARE a lot of stereotypical portrayals and attitudes coursing through this one- the Japanese are portrayed for the most part as buck toothed, diabolical schemers. Cagney is attacked from behind twice in this movie. The officials present trumped up charges in their attempt to stop his muck-raking ways. The outrageousness of a foreign correspondent stealing and threatening to publish a secret state paper seems lost on this movie. Then I did a computer search of "Tanaka Memorial" and had a chance to read the document in question. If it's not a forgery (the Japanese government claimed it was), it dwarfs the movie's presumptions. As a side note, the web site I visited informs us that the Chinese, and not a crusading American editor, originally released the document.
As usual, Cagney is a bundle of energy and is great fun to watch. I've read that he took judo classes in preparation for this part, and it seems he's doing a lot of his own stunt work. Sylvia Sydney plays Iris Hilliard, Cagney's love interest and someone interested in the document as well. Soon after her character is introduced we learn she is half-Chinese, which should alert us to the fact that she isn't quite as sinister as she appears. The Chinese were our allies during to the war. They were the good Asians. Another fun character in this one is Capt. Oshima (John Halloran), one of many Caucasian actors partially hidden behind false teeth and taped eyelids. Oshima is a menacing, murderous, towering brute of a cop. Symbolically he's the first to attack the American Cagney with a karate chop from behind, a blow that knocks Cagney out. Later, when the gloves are off and the two square off against each other in a fair fight the results are decidedly different.
Wiard Ihnen & A. Roland Fields won a little statuette for Best Art Direction for their work on BLOOD ON THE SUN. The sets do look pretty good.
BLOOD ON THE SUN is in the public domain, so anyone can copy and sell it. If you get the Delta version be warned that their logo will appear periodically in the lower-right hand corner. They've included a short documentary (still photos with a voice over narration- yawn) and an intro and outro by Tony Curtis. Unforgivably, Curtis tells us in the intro that Cagney plays a newspaperman "right after World War Two." It may see