{"id":51792,"date":"2020-09-24T12:19:35","date_gmt":"2020-09-24T19:19:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=51792"},"modified":"2020-12-18T23:46:36","modified_gmt":"2020-12-19T06:46:36","slug":"angels-with-dirty-faces-1938","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=51792","title":{"rendered":"Angels With Dirty Faces (1938)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;Whadda ya hear, whadda ya say?&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Poster-154x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"154\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-51793\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Poster-154x300.jpg 154w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Poster-66x128.jpg 66w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Poster-138x270.jpg 138w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Poster.jpg 262w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 154px) 100vw, 154px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nAfter rescuing his friend Jerry (William Tracy) from being run over by a train they&#8217;ve just tried to rob, young Rocky (Frankie Burke) is sent to reform school and embarks on a life of crime. When Rocky (James Cagney) emerges from prison years later, Jerry (Pat O&#8217;Brien) has become a priest caring for a group of juvenile delinquents (<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dead_End_Kids\">The Dead End Kids<\/a>) who idolize Rocky as a notorious gangster. After demanding and being denied money from his former partner-in-crime (Humphrey Bogart) and Bogart&#8217;s business partner (George Bancroft), Cagney vows revenge, and soon becomes caught up in an elaborate new criminal scheme. Can Cagney&#8217;s loyal friend (O&#8217;Brien) and sweetheart (Ann Sheridan) convince him to change his ways before it&#8217;s too late?\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Ann Sheridan Films<\/li>\n<li>Ex-Cons<\/li>\n<li>Friendship<\/li>\n<li>Gangsters<\/li>\n<li>George Bancroft Films<\/li>\n<li>Humphrey Bogart Films<\/li>\n<li>James Cagney Films<\/li>\n<li>Juvenile Delinquents<\/li>\n<li>Michael Curtiz Films<\/li>\n<li>New York City<\/li>\n<li>Pat O&#8217;Brien Films<\/li>\n<li>Priests and Ministers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary is a big fan of this &#8220;standout gangster film that has often been copied but never equaled.&#8221; He argues it remains &#8220;exciting&#8221; and &#8220;funny, too; with surefire direction by Michael Curtiz and a terrific performance by James Cagney in one of his best roles.&#8221; Unfortunately, Peary gives away a major spoiler early in his review and stays focused on the ramifications of the film&#8217;s ending in his analysis, so I won&#8217;t say more except to note that &#8220;the script was written by the notorious Rowland Brown (<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=1370\"><em>Blood Money<\/em><\/a>), who, it was rumored, had underworld connections.&#8221; Peary discusses the film a bit more in <em>Alternate Oscars<\/em>, where he nominates it as one of the best Movies of the Year and names Cagney Best Actor of the Year. He writes that in this film, Cagney&#8217;s &#8220;mouth works nonstop, grinning, laughing, shooting tough talk&#8230; and street slang as fast as machine gun bullets&#8221; while he &#8220;races back and forth across the screen, lifting his shoulders and bringing his arms to his sides before doing any rough stuff.&#8221; He adds that while &#8220;gangster movies were often criticized for glorifying their crime-breaking protagonists&#8221;, &#8220;in this case the criticism may have had validity&#8221; given that Cagney&#8217;s Rocky Sullivan &#8220;is truly appealing&#8221;: &#8220;He&#8217;s a tough guy but we are taken by his infectious grin, even in the face of danger, his sense of humor, his touch of conceit&#8230;, and his humility.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Cagney2-1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Cagney2-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-58458\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Cagney2-1.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Cagney2-1-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Cagney2-1-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Cagney2-1-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s1488gang.html\">DVD Savant<\/a> is less enamored by the film, referring to it as &#8220;a sanitized rehash of gangster themes tailored to appeal to all audiences&#8221;, coming &#8220;complete with sermons and a foundation of strict moral values [to] underpin every plot point&#8221;. My own sentiment lies somewhere in between Peary and Savant&#8217;s. <em>Angels With Dirty Faces<\/em> remains a powerfully made film, masterfully directed and shot by Curtiz and DP Sol Polito, and featuring a truly stand-out performance by Cagney &#8212; but the antics of the &#8220;Dead End Kids&#8221; quickly wear thin:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Dead-End-Kids.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Dead-End-Kids.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-58452\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Dead-End-Kids.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Dead-End-Kids-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Dead-End-Kids-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Dead-End-Kids-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; and O&#8217;Brien&#8217;s sanctimonious priest is terribly one-note. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-OBrien.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-OBrien.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-58453\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-OBrien.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-OBrien-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-OBrien-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-OBrien-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>With that said, Sheridan is fine in an underutilized role, Bogart is notably smarmy as Cagney&#8217;s duplicitous counterpart: <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Bogart.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Bogart.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-58456\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Bogart.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Bogart-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Bogart-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Bogart-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>and Cagney&#8217;s energized performance continuously holds the film afloat. The final scenes are indeed memorable, and viewers unfamiliar with the story should stay away from any reviews before watching it; the last close-up of Cagney says more in one shot than can quite be described. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>James Cagney as Rocky<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Cagney.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Cagney.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-51797\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Cagney.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Cagney-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Cagney-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Cagney-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Ann Sheridan as Laury<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Sheridan.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Sheridan.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-51798\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Sheridan.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Sheridan-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Sheridan-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Sheridan-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Fine direction by Curtiz<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Cinematography.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-51799\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Cinematography.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Cinematography-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Cinematography-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Cinematography-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Sol Polito&#8217;s atmospheric cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Cinematography2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Cinematography2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-51800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Cinematography2.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Cinematography2-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Cinematography2-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Angels-With-Dirty-Faces-Cinematography2-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, for Cagney&#8217;s performance and as a mostly-effective classic. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Genuine Classic<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/1001Movies.htm\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0029870\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s1488gang.html\">DVD Savant Review (scroll down to fourth review)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.filmsite.org\/ange.html\">FilmSite Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/585\/angels-with-dirty-faces#articles-reviews?articleId=18627\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Whadda ya hear, whadda ya say?&#8221; Synopsis: After rescuing his friend Jerry (William Tracy) from being run over by a train they&#8217;ve just tried to rob, young Rocky (Frankie Burke) is sent to reform school and embarks on a life of crime. When Rocky (James Cagney) emerges from prison years later, Jerry (Pat O&#8217;Brien) has become a priest caring for a group of juvenile delinquents (The Dead End Kids) who idolize Rocky as a notorious gangster. After demanding and being&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=51792\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-51792","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51792","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=51792"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51792\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58460,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51792\/revisions\/58460"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=51792"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=51792"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=51792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}