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I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang is one of the toughest and most uncompromising movies to evercome out of Hollywood. Paul Muni stars as a regular Joe, just back from World War I, who is unjustly convicted of a crime and sentenced to 10 years of bruisingly unfair treatment on a chain gang. Even a successful escape can't shake the spectre of the chains, nor the amazingly fatalistic twists the screenplay has in store. This picture could only have been made at Warner Bros., where social-justice movies flourished in the 1930s and criticism of judicial systems and prisons was sanctioned. Muni's weird acting style (he was recently off Scarface) somehow fits the film's furious tone, and director Mervyn LeRoy--as in his earlier Little Caesar--was dexterous enough to build the action to an unforgettable ending. It's a film that filters the American Dream through Depression realities and noirish pessimism (with a streak of pre-Code sexual frankness--note the one-night "friend" Muni makes the night of his escape). This one holds up, folks; it's a stunner. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Effective Thirties Diatribe About Penal Abuse
"I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang" can be forgiven for lapses of melodrama and some plot contrivances because this film has a point of view and it conveys what it wants to say about abuses in the penal system very effectively.Essentially the question this film raises is if the correction system is designed to rehabilitate the offender or punish them for their alleged crimes against society.Another question this film raises is that does this very same system create criminals out of individuals who are not predisposed to crime.Interesting questions that we are still debating to this day which ultimately make this film timeless.Credit director Mervyn LeRoy and writer Robert Burns for concocting an entertainment that also provides food for thought.The film also benefits from a solid performance by Paul Muni as the returning World War I veteran who gets trapped in the hellish prison camp through unfortunate circumstance.The film pulls no punches and the depiction of the camps is harrowing.A must see.

True Story & Great Example of 1930s Social Conscience Films.
"I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang" is one of the most respected Depression-era "social conscience" pictures. The story was adapted from Robert Burns' autobiography "I Am a Fugitive from a Georgia Chain Gang", and Burns was an advisor on the film even though he was a wanted man at the time it was made. The film was released to great popular success less than a year after Burns' book was published. The story is essentially true, although some details have been changed. The real Robert Burns was perhaps a little less a victim than his character, James Allen, in the movie, and he was a magazine editor, not an engineer. Allen is a man who is consistently wronged in spite of trying to do right, and Depression-era audiences identified with his victimhood. Robert Burns was a crusader against the inhumanities of chain gangs, on which he was twice forced to serve. Instead of confining its themes to one cause, filmmakers made "I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang" into a platform for a host of social issues of the time, including unemployment, veterans' rights, the penal system, and the criminal justice system. Although most of the events of the film take place in the 1920s, the economic circumstances depicted in the film have been altered to reflect the hardships of the 1930s, when the film was made.

James Allen (Paul Muni) is a World War I veteran returning home with high hopes of putting the engineering skills he learned in the Army to civilian use. He takes a factory job, but is reluctant to replace the routine of the military with that of the factory. So he travels the country in search of construction work but has trouble making ends meet. One evening, he accompanies an acquaintance to a lunch wagon for a hamburger. His friend tries to rob the proprietor, and James is sentenced to 10 years hard labor on a chain gang as his accomplice. On the chain gang. prisoners are beaten, starved, and sleep deprived, and James makes a successful escape. He ends up in Chicago, where his landlady, Marie (Glenda Farrell), blackmails him into marrying her with threats of exposure. But James works his way up from a laborer on a bridge project all the way to engineer and becomes a honored and affluent citizen of the city. When he threatens the free-spending and philandering Marie with divorce, she exposes James to the police. And things begin to repeat themselves.

The social agenda of "I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang" is heavy-handed, but there is no denying the film's impact on audiences in 1932. And this film isn't nearly as political as some of the New Deal movies that would follow later in the decade, as it was made during the Hoover administration. It's just a very good example of "social conscience" filmmaking of the 1930s, made all the more interesting because the story is essentially true. Paul Muni gives a sympathetic performance as a bright, hardworking man who is trying to build America into a better nation as America keeps tearing him down. I have to mention Edward Ellis, a wonderful character actor of the 1930s who is memorable here as James' friend on the chain gang, Bomber. "I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang" was critically acclaimed, popular, and timely in the 1930s. It's also a very good film that fans of 1930s cinema won't want to miss.

The DVD ( Warner Brothers 2005 release): This is a good print of the film, but it does not appear to be a restored print. There is an occasional white speck on the image, but picture and sound quality are basically good. Bonus features include a short film, a theatrical trailer, and an audio commentary. The short film is "20,000 Cheers for the Chain Gang" (20 minutes), which is a comedic spoof of "I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang". A zany group of convicts escape the chain gang only to try to return because the conditions have become luxurious in preparation for a review by the Governor's Committee. The audio commentary is by USC film professor RichardB. Jewell. Jewell talks about the actors, making the film, the film's reception, and compares the life of the real Robert Burns to his fictional counterpart in the film. This is an informative, generally well-organized commentary that I recommend if you enjoyed the film. Subtitles of the film are available in English, French, and Spanish.

Stark And Compelling View Into Our Quite Recent History,
I always find a viewing of "I Am A Fugitive From A Chain Gang" a soul wrenching experience and it never fails to leave me stunned and slightly uneasy that man could be so incredibly cruel to their fellow man.

The film without a doubt is one of the most significant and brutally honest depictions of life on the chain gangs of the 1920's and 1930's. I'm glad the film was made by Warner Bros in the early thirties bacause not only was the topic still fresh but Warners were expert at portraying gritty and emotional situations with all the surface verneer stripped off. Indeed "I Am A Fugitive From A Chain Gang" never glamourises the story of one man wrongly convited of a crime he didn't commit and who finds himself sentenced to the living hell of life in one of America's notorious chain gangs. Not only the lack of justice offered is explored but also the almost unspeakable brutality that all the prisoners are subjected to. The film never flinches from displaying the soul destroying and totally degrading de- personalisation that the men go through in the course of their backbreaking work on the mountains and highways they are clearing.

Paul Muni is nothing short of brilliant in the lead role of James Allen the man wrongly accused on a petty crime who experiences the unendurable nightmare of life on the gangs and who seeks to escape, seeing any existence as better than that he is living. Rarely has Muni been more suited to a role and his progression from naive innocent to a hardened member of the chain gang is both compelling and brilliantly portrayed. Muni had a way of actually getting under the skin of most of the characters that he played and here he expertly conveys the anguish of a man wrongly accused who seeks proper justice only to find that system betray him and sentence him to a second term on the gangs.

There are so many memorable and thought provoking moments in "I Am A Fugitive From A Chain Gang". Notable scenes include the muster first thing in the morning of all the prisoners, the miserable rotten food they are forced to eat, the back breaking work that they perform day in day out, the ongoing cruelty by the guards towards the men, and the scenes during Muni's illfated attempts to escape and make a new life for himself.

So many other performers also shine in this production as well. Notable among them are Glanda Farrell as Marie who plays the conniving wife of Muni who eventually betrays him to the authorities after he has built a new life for himself. Hers is a vicious and despicable performance and indeed was one of the best Farrell ever did. Allen Jenkins also shines in the role of Muni's elderly pal on the chain gang Barney, a character that has seen it all and has basically resigned himself to a life time of suffering. His performance is tragic yet brutally honest at the same time and his eventual death is a heart wrenching experience to witness on screen.

As stated previously the movie has a harsh and gritty look and feel to it. Any sentiment is stripped to the bone and the production benefits greatly from the terrific on location photography that was employed, in particular in the scenes of the chain gangs working on the highways and on sides of mountains. It gives the film a dull and honest feel, as though we were almost there with the men. Theawe inspiring scope of the story really fills the viewer with a feeling of the awesome sense of hopelessness that these unfortunate men must have experienced.

I often wonder if such a confronting film as this released at the time it was did any good in getting the running of these gangs reviewed. One would certainly hope so as it shows quite clearly that it only brulaised men and didn't help to reform them and send them back to society as useful citizens.

I cannot recommend "I Am A Fugitive From A Chain Gang" highly enough. It is a splendid motion picture that really makes you think and stuns with its superb central performance by Paul Muni. It is one of the very best social justice films of the 1930's or of any decade for that matter.For Paul Muni's work alone in this film, of which he is the heart and soul, it is worth having in your film collection and it deserves multiple viewings.

The Cruel Hand of Fate
You will never see a more powerful film in American cinema than "I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang." Nor will you find a more effective performance than Paul Muni's as James Allen. Mervin Leroy was given a chance to direct by WB Vitaphone and proved himself more than capable. This film is as fresh and powerful today as it was in 1932, thanks in part to the pre-Hay's office frankness of its subject matter. It is a film about the role destiny and fate play in our lives. You will never look at the life you have in the same way after seeing this film.

James Allen, returns from WWI a changed man. Working as an engineer in the military has given him dreams for something more than his brother expects from him. Only his mother understands and gives him her blessing to go out into the world and find himself. So he sets off to work in construction to build, traveling all across the country from job to job.

Times are lean in the depression and when Preston Foster offers to mooch a hamburger for him he can not refuse. But Foster pulls a gun and forces Allen to help him rob the diner. He is killed during the robbery by the police and Allen is unjustly sentenced to 10 years in the chain gangs of the deep south. The brutality and demoralization of the human spirit is more than he can bear and with a little help from his friend (nicely played by Edward Ellis) he plans a successful escape. He manages to avoid the police and changes his name to Allen James.

In her brief screen time, Noel Francis as Linda, a speakeasy girl, gives a touching performance, offering a little humanity and love back to James. He seems to have a fresh start and slowly works his way up in consruction to become a prominent and respected member of the community, helping Chicago become a great city.

But fate forms a dark cloud once more in the form of Marie (Glenda Farrel), a self absorbed girl who blackmails him into marriage when she accidently learns his secret. Her hard drinking and free spending lifestyle and her free loving ways are only made bearable when he meets the wonderful Helen, played nicely by the lovely Helen Vinson. In Helen, he finds the love that has been missing in his life and asks for a divorce so they can be together. He calls Marie's bluff only to find it was not a bluff.

His prominence in the community keeps him from jail for a time and he lashes out publicly against the brutality of the chain gangs of the deep south. This film changed public opinion about the chain gangs and was the impetus for its demise in the deep south.

James finally strikes a deal where he will return for 90 days and then receive a pardon. He accepts so he and Helen can live free from the cloud that has been hanging over him. But the state reneges on its deal and offers one year as a model prisoner before his release.

He has no choice but to accept and it is a quietly powerful scene when that deal also is taken away after the year is up and it breaks Allen's spirit. He plans another escape from the chain gang and is once more successful, but his friend is killed this time. Allen's last stint in the chain gang has changed him, however, and he must now live a life on the run, barren of love and devoid of humanity.

Robert E. Burns wrote this powerful story and Paul Muni gives an unforgettable performance. The final scene is as powerful as any you will ever see, as he hunts down his beloved Helen just to see her one last time and say goodbye. Her desperate words as they embrace embody this entire film: "It was all going to be so different." As Allen backs away into the darkness and she asks him how he survives, you will never forget Muni's heartbreaking response.

Don't be turned off by this film, thinking it is just a prison movie from the past. It is about fate and destiny, and our own humanity. You will not see anything else like it in American cinema. A Must Own.

Tough Social Drama
Paul Muni is terrific in this story of a returned WWI soldier unable to find the kind of work he wants to do.When he is accidentally mixed up in a hold-up, he ends up being sentenced to ten years in a brutal chain gang.He escapes and starts a new life for himself, but can the hunted man ever really escape his past?There are a number of reasons for recommending this fine film.Muni, not always the most subtle of actors, really delivers with this performance.His wordless response to finding out he will not be pardoned is unforgettable.The story and dialogue are presented in a very frank way, not attempting to gloss over anything.The scenes in the chain gang and prison camp are riveting and disturbing.This is not a feel-good movie, but a tough social drama and character study that will involve you every step of the way.Muni is an Everyman, trapped by circumstance and driven by necessity, and his struggle is not one you will soon forget. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

The hugely successful collaboration between Jerry Lewis and director Frank Tashlin (including Artists and Models and The Geisha Boy) came to an end with this knockabout hospital comedy, which contains a raft of Tashlin's patented sight gags. Jerry plays an orderly with a strange fixation on a depressed patient (Susan Oliver), but the point of the movie is watching Lewis wrestle with laundry bags or contorting with agony as he empathizes with the intestinal maladies of patients. This is one of Lewis's funniest movies for babbling, too ("Oh, friction--burning"). Meanwhile, Tashlin brings his cartoon sensibility to freestanding bits, such as the montage of wind chimes that ends with a skeleton chattering in the breeze, or the inordinately loud crunch of an apple in a hospital quiet zone. All in all, a good laugh-per-minute ratio in the slapstick realm. Plus Sammy Davis Jr. sings the title song, a weirdly Rat Packish number. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Laughter Is The Best Medicine!
Jerry Lewis is Jerome Littlefield, an orderly at a mental institution who acts crazier than the patients. Since Frank Tashlin directed this movie, Jerry is free to concentrate solely on his performance, which he does to perfection. Once again Jerry is the lovable loser, who was thrown out of medical school because he felt the symptoms of every patient he diagnosed. This movie features a lot of great sight gags. Jerry fixes a television set in a patient's room that has poor reception, also known as snow. When he takes out the front of the TV, snow comes flying out of the set and soon fills the room! A patient is in a full body cast from head to toe, looking like a plastered mummy. Jerry accidentally knocks him over, the patient goes rolling down a hill and crashes into a tree. There's pieces of broken plaster everywhere, but no body! Jerry declares, "I lost a patient!" The movie concludes with one of the craziest chase scenes in movie history, as a wheeled stretcher with an injured man on it rolls out of the back of an ambulance and continues to roll down hills, while first one, then two ambulances chase him. This movie features more LPMs (laughs per minute) than most modern comedies, and is one of Jerry's funniest films.

Calling Dr. Jerry Funnybone, stat!
This is a hilarious nuthouse romp (although) Jerry makes everywhere a nuthouse.

The common Lewis flaw of getting carried away with a pathos-driven subplot (this time Susan Oliver trying to bump herself off) bogs things down a bit, but the sight gag totals serve to mellow it out in general.

The only real mistake happens at the tail end of the flick, when a wild chase ensues, ending with Jerry's boss rolling on a stretcher down the street, along a pier and into the ocean.

But right before that happens, two ambulances collide on either side of Jerry - one with Jerry's girlfriend in it and the other... shows no driver!

In fact, right before the crash, the movie's director Frank Tashlin even goes to all the trouble of showing us in a closeup that the ambulance's cab is empty, except that someone is still somehow turning the steering wheel.

What's up with THAT?!

A One Laugh Comedy!
I remember watching Jerry Lewis in a movie when I was a kid and liking it, I think it was called Cinderfella but I watched The Disorderly Orderly recently and since I love slapstick humor I thought I would love this movie but really it wasn't all that funny and when Jerry Lewis would use that loud voice for his character that gave the head nurse headaches it just kind of got on my nerves too.

I laughed once during this movie and that was when he was outside and the psychiatric patient tied him up in the straight jacket and he very slowly was trying to make his way back to the inside of the hospital and a snail passed him moving faster then he was.

superb
I loved this when I was a kid and I'm glad to say I still do now at 42! This is one of Jerry Lewis's finest with some really clever visual gags and an inspired use of sound(look out for the apple scene.)Kathleen Freeman is also great as the long suffering head nurse.The whole cast is excellent really and Everett Sloane is on fine form as the very un-pc director of the hospital.
A great film and very nearly up there with Lewis's(not Eddie Murphy's!) The Nutty Professor.

Great Comedy
This movie starts out kind of stupid, but about fifteen minutes into it you will be laughing on the floor. It as a great movie that the whole family can enjoy and will have you wanting to see other JL movies too! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Based on a story by Damon Runyon, this Frank Capra film was nominated for several Oscars® after it was released in 1933 (it was remade by Capra as Pocketful of Miracles in 1961). A tenderhearted Depression-era comedy, it tells the story of Apple Annie (May Robson), a panhandling street vendor who has kept her real identity hidden from a daughter being reared in Europe. When the grown-up daughter comes to New York for a visit, Annie turns to gambler Dave the Dude (Warren William) for help. He transforms her--temporarily--into a high-society grande dame, but not without complications. The film is nearly stolen by Guy Kibbee, as a judge posing as Annie's husband, but Warren William, a John Barrymore lookalike, and dour Ned Sparks get laughs too.--Marshall Fine ... Read more

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The screwball comedy was the definitive genre of the Depression, but as America edged toward war in the early '40s, it suffered some strange and wonderful mutations--none stranger than The Talk of the Town, directed by George Stevens from a script by novelist Irwin Shaw and frequent Capra collaborator (and future blacklist victim) Sidney Buchman. Cary Grant, awkwardly cast, is a small-town political agitator who is framed for the burning of a local factory; he takes refuge in the attic of a country cottage that landlady Jean Arthur is preparing to rent out to a celebrated law professor (silver-tongued Ronald Colman, perhaps the only actor in Hollywood who could make Grant look like a proletarian). Stevens, suspended between his light '30s style (Swing Time) and his heavy postwar manner (A Place in the Sun), struggles to balance a charming, surprisingly suspenseful romantic triangle with the heavy, debating-society tone of the screenplay, which pits Grant, the representative of a compassionate, emotional sense of justice, against the cool, abstract application of the law advocated by Colman. Caught between these two highly verbal characters, Jean Arthur doesn't have much to do but be adorable and provide the occasional quizzical reaction shot--two things she does with exquisite skill. Stevens and Arthur teamed up again one year later for another strange-bedfellows farce, the marvelous The More the Merrier; in 1953 Arthur made her final film appearance in Stevens's Shane. --Dave Kehr ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Pretty good mix of a serious topic and comedy...
Sometimes I am tempted to describe this movie as having split personality disorder. On one level, it seems to be a lighthearted comedy with a love triangle between Cary Grant, Ronald Coleman, and Jean Arthur. And on another level, it aims to deal with deeper issues like the role of the law in society, etc, etc. But, actually, I think a more accurate way to describe this movie would be as a late screwball comedy. During the WWII years, screwball comedy, which had been so carefree in the depression, began to take on more serious issues, leading to movies like this one - strange mixes of the screwball spirit and deeper concerns.

Regardless of its strange synthesis of screwball and serious issues, however, The Talk of the Town is a classic, and a great movie! Essentially, it is about a small town rebel (Cary Grant, in an uncharacteristic role) who escapes from prision after being wrongly accused of arson and murder. He comes across a former friend (Jean Arthur) and stays with her, posing as the gardener when a law professor (Ronald Coleman) comes to rent her house. There are many hilarious situations in the house, but the movie also discussed the role of the law in society and whether law should be interpreted coldly and to the letter or have a more personal application.

The acting is very good. Cary Grant, though in a strange role, proves his talent as a more dramatic actor (and also shows off his incredible comedic skills). Even though he was ignored by the Oscars for years, Grant really was a spectacular actor - he just wasn't given enough credit because he tended to make it all look so easy. Ronald Coleman is also good as his urbane, cold rival, and Jean Arthur is great - her reactions steal scene after scene!

Anyhow, this movie is very good. Although it is somewhat of a strange mix, it is quite enjoyable and typical of the semi-screwball comedies from the war years. Get this and enjoy!

VINTAGE HOLLYWOOD COMEDY
THE TALK OF THE TOWN manages with equal ease to deal with love and law. As the principal object of love, Jean Arthur unexpectedly finds herself hiding an escaped arsonist in her attic. As the principal object of the law, Cary Grant plays the alleged arsonist. On neutral ground, at the start, stands Ronald Colman as a distinguished dean of a law school. But before the film is over, the dean loses his detatched academic attitude towards both love and law, and even gets involved with a blonde manicurist. Grant meets his comeuppance throught his peculiar taste for a Polish soup made with eggs and beets. Jean Arthur had the unique distinction of playing her final love scenes in the U.S. Supreme Court Building! Bright and literate, this Columbia comedy from 1942 has its head in the clouds & its feet on the ground. According to a 1942 report done in VARIETY, Grade "A" movies were beating box-office records since 1927. This was partly due to the fact that better movies were now being made and a natural wartime desire for escapist entertainment (in the thirties, the reason being the Great Depression, naturally). Most of Hollywood's extra profits, however, were going up the river in extra war taxes.

Great Stars, Great movie!
This movie includes three of my very favourite movie stars, Cary Grant, Jean Arthur and Ronald Colman.

The basic story is that Cary Grant is an innocent prisoner who escapes from prison. He hides out at his friends house (Jean Arthur) because he has been hurt from his escape. He then has to hide from Ronald Colman who is renting the house for the summer. Colman is a Supreme Court candidate. Cary wants to prove his innocence, but instead of hiding away from Colman forever, he pretends he is the gardener. I wont give away the rest.

It really is a fantastic movie. One of the best. The acting is brilliant and with three top stars like these, you couldnt ask for much more. But you do get more! Its directed by one of the greatest, George Stevens.

The print on this DVD is nice too and it has very clear sound throughout the film.

A perfect combination of stars here, and a really great story. Well directed, well written, and one you can watch over and over again.

Highly recommended to anybody who has any taste in movies at all. Brilliant!

PLEASE NOTE: Owner of the Region 2 DVD. However, this one appears to be no different.

I would have given it five, but for one little detail...
If you don't want to know the ending, read no further.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, at least the first hour and fifty-seven minutes of it. The last minute was the most tragic thing I've seen since A Tale of Two Cities. Why, why, why did Nora go off with a loser like Dilg? Obviously, he was not a man to settle down and behave himself. He didn't even have a vision or dream that made his strangeness admirable. I thought he looked very dark and sinister most of the time and there was absolutely nothing about him that made me want her to end up with him.

Ronald, on the other hand, was everything she needed, and if she was smart, she would have snapped him up. I certainly would have. He was intelligent, stable, and madly in love with her.

Anyway, you get the idea of my feelings about the two main fellers - Nora Shelley was cute, if a little silly at times (and very idiotic in the last couple minutes of the film).

As for the film itself: It was full of great moments. The egg-falling-on-the-newspaper scene was hilarious. The borscht with egg in it was also amusing. It was over all good story, filmed well, told well. I also enjoyed the part when Lightcap was trying to get information out of Miss Bush. He was so artless about it, as well he might be - he probably never went out with a woman before in his life. Which is why he was an awfully stiff dancer, too.

So anyway, I'm sure by now you've figured the little detail that cost my rating of this film one star - JEAN WENT OFF WITH THE WRONG MAN IN THE END!!

I expect this probably isn't the best review ever and that I'll receive lots of flak from Cary Grant fans, and that is O-K. I still like Ronnie better.

The Talk of The Town!
I saw this movie on TCM, it was on very late and I wound up staying up really late to watch it. It is a good movie and I think Cary Grant, Ronald Colman and Jean Arthur were very good. The Talk of the Town is definitely a classic movie I could buy for my DVD collection and I highly recommend it to any fans of these actors! ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Little Story
This is a fairly decent performance by Edward G. Robinson and the rest the cast but the story is not that compelling and the sets, music, and direction don't stand out. I recommend "Key Largo" over this one. Both Edward G. Robinson and Humphrey Bogart put in great performances. Not only that you have a better story, music, and direction. Besides you can get "Key Largo" on DVD for less than this movie.

Even fans of this movie should consider the fact it is expensive for VHS. I wouldn't buy "Little Caesar" on VHS anyway, I would wait for it on DVD if you like it.

Sorry but i dont think this is a great gangster film
all the critics always rave as this is the all time gangster film, i disagree. I think it is slow moving without much to hold interest. Personally i love the oldies, i like other work by Edward G Robinson as well as the Bogart and Cagney gangster films but little ceaser is not worth all the hype. Maybe it inspired other films but the other films are better. Instead of this film i recomend Brother Orchard with Robinson & Bogart, Angels with dirty faces with Cagney , and Bullets and Ballots with Bogie.

It has aged tremendously
This film was a direct ideological intervention in the debate about prohibition, or exactly for the repealing of the famous amendment that had introduced prohibition. The argument was that prohibition gave gangsters a tremendous field of development and thriving. As such it was an important film. But nowadays it does not work at all on this level. The acting is cold and very stiff. The plot is reduced to a caricature of anything it deals with. It is definitely neither thrilling, not exciting, nor even entertaining. Too slow, too trite, too superficial. And, what's more, Little Caesar is no Al Capone. It is not with mediocre characters that we can make a great film. Note yet one important conclusion we can draw from the film: crime, for those mostly Italian poor immigrants, was a compensation for their poverty and alienation. The film tried to show that it was an illusion: one can start from the gutter and get to the top thanks to crime, but one will necessarily end up in the gutter again, and most of the time with a few slugs of lead in his flesh. The morality of the police guns that look after our welfare, even when the crime considered is created by an absurd constitutional and legislative decision.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University of Perpignan

Little Caesar: Little in Height Only
It is too easy to view LITTLE CAESAR and to laugh at the often caricatured voice of Edward G. Robinson as the small time hood who clawed a rapid rise to the top of Chicago's underworld only to tumble equally fast. What the modern viewer may fail to grasp is that when LITTLE CAESAR was released in 1930 Robinson was no star and the gangster movie did not exist as a genre. With his menacing voice and tough guy attitude, Robinson changed all that. It is because of him that later cinema gangsters like Pacino and Brando could strut their stuff.

At the beginning of the film, Robinson is Rico Bandello, the 'Little Caesar.' He drifts into Chicago and invites himself as a member of the ruling gang. Even then, with nothing but his gravitas and physical presence, he could take words that were meant to be conciliating and twist them into a snarl laden with menace. What I found interesting was that whenever Robinson went face to face with an adversary, Robinson forced him to look down at his own diminutive height as if to say, 'Your size means nothing, fool.' It becomes soon clear that the mob boss will surrender his place through default. Rico Bandello manages to cram into little more than an hour a case study in the ephemerality of the solitary gangster who relies more on his brutal personality than on some hired brains to run his criminal enterprise.

On a technical note, the sound track was at times incomprehensible, an excusable flaw since sound engineering had just begun the year before. Further, the dialogue sounds incredibly cliched, but again, to the audience of 1930, Rico's words were jarringly original. When a gasping, dying, Little Caesar spits out as a last snarl of defiance, 'Is this the end of Rico?', Edward G. could not have known that his ending of this gangster film was but the prologue of a series of crime movies that are as popular today as when Rico Bandello lay on a filthy street, shocking America with his surprisingly emotional epitaph.

193O GANGSTER EPIC.
The rise and fall of a vicious gangster. This is the landmark film that launched the gangster movie cycle, a powerful movie that chronicled for the first time in talkies the sleazy and slick underworld, epitomised by a snarling and ambitious creature with no redeeming virtues, Robinson, in the role which was forever identified with him. Eddie is a dedicated killer and thief as seen from the very beginning of the film: viewing him over 6O years later, the viewer can't help but to wonder at his incredibly perceptive performance. Rico has a pseudo homosexual relationship with Joe Massara (Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.) and the scene where Rico pays an old harridan (Lucille LaVerne) practically his entire fortune to hide him out in a secret back room of her store is memorable: boy, does she take advantage of the situation! The ending line was originally "Mother of God, is this the end of Rico?" In order to soften the tone for American Bible belt audiences, the line was changed to "Mother of mercy". The film was a huge smash in it's day and films such as THE PUBLIC ENEMY, SMART MONEY, THE FINGER POINTS & SCARFACE were soon to follow. ... Read more