Angels With Dirty Faces

Warner Bros. Pictures presents "ANGEL WITH DIRTY FACES" (1938) (95 min/B&W) (Fully Restored/Dolby Digitally Remastered) -- Starring James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, Humphrey Bogart, Ann Sheridan, George Bancroft, Billy Halop, Bobby Jordan & Leo Gorcey

Directed by Michael Curtiz

Childhood chums Rocky Sullivan (James Cagney) and Jerry Connelly (Pat O'Brien) grow up on opposite sides of the fence: Rocky matures into a prominent gangster, while Jerry becomes a priest, tending to the needs of his old tenement neighborhood. Rocky becomes a hero to a gang of teenaged boys (played by Dead End Kids Billy Halop, Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Gabriel Dell, Bobby Jordan and Bernard Punsley). Father Jerry despairs at this, asking Rocky leave them alone so he can keep the kids on the straight and narrow. Then Rocky's crooked business associates Mac Keefer (George Bancroft) and James Frazier (Humphrey Bogart) attempt to end Father Jerry's radio campaign against the rackets by killing the priest. Rocky whose cynical outlook on life has been softened by his romance with true-blue Laury Ferguson (Anne Sheridan) decides its time to challenge his associates and safe-guard Jerry.

Oscar Nominations for Best Actor (Cagney), Best Director (Michael Curtiz) & Best Writing

Humphrey Bogart meets The Dead End Kids again, after a similar tough-guy role opposed to the boys in "Dead End" (1937)

BIOS:
1. Michael Curtiz [aka: Manó Kertész Kaminer] [Director]
Date of Birth: 24 December 1886 - Budapest, Austria-Hungary (now Hungary)
Date of Death: 10 April 1962 - Hollywood, California

2. James Cagney [aka: James Francis Cagney]
Date of Birth: 17 July 1899 - New York City, New York
Date of Death: 30 March 1986 - Stanfordville, New York

3. Pat O'Brien
Date of Birth: 11 November 1899 - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Date of Death: 15 October 1983 - Santa Monica, California

4. Humphrey Bogart
Date of Birth: 25 December 1899 - New York City, New York
Date of Death: 14 January 1957 - Los Angeles, California

5. Ann Sheridan
Date of Birth: 21 February 1915 - Denton, Texas
Date of Death: 21 January 1967 - Los Angeles, California

Mr. Jim's Ratings:
Quality of Picture & Sound: 5 Stars
Performance: 5 Stars
Story & Screenplay: 5 Stars
Overall: 5 Stars [Original Music, Cinematography & Film Editing]

Total Time: 95 min on DVD ~ Warner Bros. Pictures ~ (01/25/2005)

A couple of Hell's Kitchen hell raisers - Rocky Sullivan (James Cagney) and Jerry Connolly (Pat O'Brien) part company after being sent to reform school in Michael Curtiz's classic "Angels With Dirty Faces" (1938). For Rocky, the years of meditation transform him into a first class criminal with a bitter grudge and destiny to fulfill. For Jerry, the prospect of becoming a career criminal is enough to scare him straight into the priesthood.

The years pass and Rocky and Jerry are once more reunited; this time in their old neighborhood but on opposite sides of the law. In a sort of Father Flannigan twist, Jerry desires to have a positive impact on the lives of children who, like his former self, are on the fast track to nowhere. Rocky resurfaces as a ghetto gangster, exploiting Jerry's acquired goodness to suit his own end. Ann Sheridan surfaces thrillingly and to great effect as Rocky's wickedly playful girl Friday, Laury Ferguson.

The Dead End Kids, a troop of street urchins who became model citizens through celluloid worship and pop culture are in this one to - playing themselves for either saintly salvation or sinful self-destruction. Rapid and gunfire results. Director, Curtiz is in top form with this meshing of the light and the terrorized, inserting a winning combination of action and comedy that is engaging throughout.

Warner's DVD is not as successful. The gray scale is often dark or seemingly underexposed. Though it is, at times, nicely balanced, the image quality is rather inconsistent. Film grain and age related artifacts are spread throughout the print material which shows signs of various source materials being incorporated. Fine details are often lost in darker scenes. Whites are generally not clean, though at times they can be. Flickering and shimmering occurs during several key scenes. The audio is adequately balanced in mono. A featurette, commentary by historian Dana Polan and Leonard Maltin's hosting of "Warner's A Night At The Movies" are the extras you'll find. Polan's audio is a bit flat and disengaged from the material. Maltin's segment seems somewhat more rushed than on other Warner discs. This film comes highly recommended for content. The video presentation is better than average but far from perfect.

Humphrey Bogart's part is minor. ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES is a Cagney movie. Sure, it does seem dated. See it for the old boys' gymnasium, the boys playing basketball in their gym clothes, the trapezes hanging from the gymnasium ceiling above the basketball court. See it for Cagney helping the priest by refereeing a game, and punching the kids around when they commit fouls.

Cagney looks good as Rocky Sullivan, famous gangster put away for years, only to return to the streets. Doublecrossed by two former allies, he guns them down, only to be hunted down by police. Cagney's the real McCoy.

This is classic Cagney and not to be missed by fans of gangster movies. ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES: 5 stars