Director: William Wyler
Distributor: United Artists
Top Billed Actors: Sylvia Sidney, Joel McCrea, Humphrey Bogart
Won 0 Oscars
Nominated for 4 more:
Outstanding Production - Samuel Goldwyn Productions
Best Supporting Actress - Claire Trevor
Best Art Direction - Richard Day
Best Cinematography - Gregg Toland
Plot: A bunch of kids make trouble in a New York slum when they beat up a rich kid. Spit almost gets the 'mark of a squealor.' Humphrey Bogart tries to rekindle an old relationship with his "sick" ex-dame.
Distributor: United Artists
Top Billed Actors: Sylvia Sidney, Joel McCrea, Humphrey Bogart
Won 0 Oscars
Nominated for 4 more:
Outstanding Production - Samuel Goldwyn Productions
Best Supporting Actress - Claire Trevor
Best Art Direction - Richard Day
Best Cinematography - Gregg Toland
Plot: A bunch of kids make trouble in a New York slum when they beat up a rich kid. Spit almost gets the 'mark of a squealor.' Humphrey Bogart tries to rekindle an old relationship with his "sick" ex-dame.
I'm starting to see a pattern here. With Dead End (1937), this is William Wyler's second film in a row to be nominated for Best Picture. Looking ahead, the pattern continues as his films are among seven years in a row of the Best Picture crops. With my selection for what should have won the 9th Best Picture as Dodsworth (1936), this was an easy film to be excited for. Humphrey Bogart in an earlier role as a gangster and something called the Dead End Kids (this is their debut film) also fed into the hype. The screenplay is adapted from the 1935 play of the same name. A lot of the kids starring in the movie are reprising their roles from the stage. The setting of a slum on the banks of a river with a luxury apartment looking down on the tenement is entirely a recreation from art director Richard Day, a deserved Oscar nomination to say the least. Its said that Samuel Goldwyn didn't like the real trash on set so he cleaned up after each day of shooting. Whoever heard of a clean slum, Sam?
Another deserved Oscar nomination is the cinematography nod. Wyler and cinematographer Gregg Toland do a fantastic job of using the camera to tell the story. The parallel shots of descending into the slum at the film's opening and ascending out of it at the film's conclusion is perfect. The scene in which Baby Face (Bogart) gets disowned by his mother is classic shooting, with the higher angle on Bogart as he gets shamed and downtrodden. The moment Baby Face confronts his former flame, Claire Trevor, is also aided by the camera. As she comes out of the shadow into the light, Baby Face sees her skin maligned with a sexually-transmitted disease. The reverse shot onto the expertly-lit Bogart shows his reaction - one of horror and disgust. The film is chock full of these moments. Something else the film is not liking is the dichotomy between the rich and poor. When the luxurious apartment's entrance on the other side of the street is unavailable, the inhabitants have to enter and exit via the servant's door. This way leads right to our gang of kids in this detailed set. This dichotomy is explored through a somewhat stilted romantic subplot, everyday life portrayed by kids, and the way cops act around the people they serve. The movie has a lot to say and its no wonder why the stage play was adapted.
On the subject of the kids, it took a while to get used to their performances. They all have the 1930s exaggerated New York accent and somewhat whiny voices. They act like they're wise guys and try to be tough. Its annoying at first but gradually becomes endearing and somewhat pitiful considering their circumstances. When the kids' storyline disappears for a bit so we could focus on Bogart, I breathed a sigh of relief. But when they come back into the mix, I welcomed them back with open arms. One performance that never made its way to me is Wendie Barrie as the rich love interest to Joel McCrea. I like what the story is doing here but she is so bland and wooden, it hurts.
Overall, a confined crime drama that explores the differences between the rich and the poor in such a detailed setting makes for an entertaining flick. Although it took a while to warm up to the Dead End Kids, I soon became sympathetic to their circumstances and got a lot out of the story.
My Score: 7/10
Another deserved Oscar nomination is the cinematography nod. Wyler and cinematographer Gregg Toland do a fantastic job of using the camera to tell the story. The parallel shots of descending into the slum at the film's opening and ascending out of it at the film's conclusion is perfect. The scene in which Baby Face (Bogart) gets disowned by his mother is classic shooting, with the higher angle on Bogart as he gets shamed and downtrodden. The moment Baby Face confronts his former flame, Claire Trevor, is also aided by the camera. As she comes out of the shadow into the light, Baby Face sees her skin maligned with a sexually-transmitted disease. The reverse shot onto the expertly-lit Bogart shows his reaction - one of horror and disgust. The film is chock full of these moments. Something else the film is not liking is the dichotomy between the rich and poor. When the luxurious apartment's entrance on the other side of the street is unavailable, the inhabitants have to enter and exit via the servant's door. This way leads right to our gang of kids in this detailed set. This dichotomy is explored through a somewhat stilted romantic subplot, everyday life portrayed by kids, and the way cops act around the people they serve. The movie has a lot to say and its no wonder why the stage play was adapted.
On the subject of the kids, it took a while to get used to their performances. They all have the 1930s exaggerated New York accent and somewhat whiny voices. They act like they're wise guys and try to be tough. Its annoying at first but gradually becomes endearing and somewhat pitiful considering their circumstances. When the kids' storyline disappears for a bit so we could focus on Bogart, I breathed a sigh of relief. But when they come back into the mix, I welcomed them back with open arms. One performance that never made its way to me is Wendie Barrie as the rich love interest to Joel McCrea. I like what the story is doing here but she is so bland and wooden, it hurts.
Overall, a confined crime drama that explores the differences between the rich and the poor in such a detailed setting makes for an entertaining flick. Although it took a while to warm up to the Dead End Kids, I soon became sympathetic to their circumstances and got a lot out of the story.
My Score: 7/10