elvircorhodzic
THE ROARING TWENTIES certainly not a classic gangster movie of the thirties of the last century. This fact can be confirmed by the title of the film and the dose of nostalgia that is present in the story. All dramatic changes are presented from the perspective of several protagonists. The story is the rise and fall of organized crime. Changes to the system of values and standards of living of certain groups of society.It was recorded at the end of the decade, when many movie-watchers have already begun to fade memories of the world disappeared with the collapse of the New York Stock Exchange and which is a representation of a carefree, flamboyant life that many of them were enjoying looked fantastic.The Roaring Twenties are not fascinating movie, but the movie is important from a cultural, economic and political context. Acting is not bad. Some actors, like Cagney, were very good. It is interesting to watch Bogart in the role of villain. Gladys Gorge excellently did her and her character is a kind of indication of how the changes affect the system on women in the criminal underworld. Lane and Lynn are the characters of the new system. They are positive and very boring.Deserves a special combination of fiction and documentary footage which the narrator comments on the most important historical events - actions that would later become standard in many similar movies.
jacabiya
This might be the biggest WB gangster production of the 30's, and have Cagney and Bogart in it, but it is one corny and dated movie with cardboard characters and an inept script. The WWI scenes are ludicrous. After the first hour mark it gets better but not enough. Cagney when annoyed punches people while Bogart draws his gun. This style of filming might have worked in the early 30's but by 1939 seemed outdated, even though I can understand this film marks the end of an era and should be seen with sympathetic and nostalgic eyes. Lane does not belong here, and I couldn't wait for her to leave, which she doesn't since I later find out she is an integral part of the story. Why she is such an attraction as a singer is beyond me, and we get at least 2 musical numbers from her. The shootout at the Italian restaurant is also ridiculous: Cagney and his people go in looking for the foe, wide open, no strategy. This movie however did something for me: after watching the dining scene I went to the kitchen and made me a big plate of spaghetti with extra cheese.
lugonian
THE ROARING TWENTIES (Warner Brothers, 1939), directed by Raoul Walsh, is a nostalgic look back into an era recollected by New York City columnist, Mark Hellinger. Taken from his original story, Hellinger introduces THE ROARING TWENTIES with this forward message: "It may come to past that at some distant date, we will be confronted with another period similar to the one depicted in this photo-play. If that happens, I pray that the events, as dramatized here, will be remembered. In this film the characters are composites of people I knew and the situations are those that actually occurred. Bitter or sweet, most memories become precious as the years move one." The story gets underway as Hellinger's treasured memories are presented in documentary style with voice-over narration by John Deering depicting the decade fondly known as "The Roaring Twenties."1918: The Great War (World War I), Eddie Bartlett (James Cagney), an American soldier on a battlefield falls into a shell hole where he encounters George Hally (Humphrey Bogart), followed by another soldier, Lloyd Hart (Jeffrey Lynn) who also drops in on them. After the Armistace is signed, ending the war, the men return to the United States, going on their separate ways. 1919: Time marches on. Soldiers return home to find the world has changed and are unable to return where they left off. George returns to his saloon business; Lloyd studies to become a lawyer; and Eddie, unable to get his old job at the garage, earns his living driving a taxi during off hours for his pal, Danny Green (Frank McHugh). Eddie comes to Minneola, Long Island, to meet Jean Sherman, the girl to whom he's been corresponding by mail during his days at war, only to become disappointed when Jean (Priscilla Lane) turns out to be a teenager attending high school. 1920: Prohibition begins, speakeasy's form with crime on the rise. Eddie, still driving a taxi, delivers a package for a passenger to hostess, Panama Smith (Gladys George), of the Henderson Club. He gets arrested when detectives find the package to be liquor. Upon his release, Eddie joins forces with Panama in the bootlegging racket. 1922: With his huge profits, Eddie buys his fleet of cabs. He becomes reacquainted with Jean Sherman, now an attractive young woman working as a chorus girl. Through his connections, Eddie gets her a job as a night club singer (somewhat inspired by popular vocalist, Ruth Etting). 1924: Bootlegging and crime are at its peak. The Panama Club, owned by Panama Smith, is established. Eddie teams up with George Hally. Jean falls in love with Lloyd, Eddie's personal lawyer. 1929: Black Tuesday, October 29th, Stock Market Crash. Jean becomes Lloyd's wife; Eddie and Panama, like everyone else, face financial ruin while George becomes head of a syndicate. 1932-33: Franklin Roosevelt becomes the president of the United States; Prohibition ends; Mark Hellinger's character study unfolds with big climatic finish.To help the story along, selected old-time popular songs from the roaring twenties era are selected, including "Carolina in the Morning" (dance number); "My Melancholy Baby," "I'm Just Wild About Harry," "It Had to Be You," "My Melancholy Baby" (all sung by Priscilla Lane); and "In a Shanty in Old Shanty Town" (sung by Gladys George). Other members of the cast include Paul Kelly (Nick Brown); Joseph Sawyer (Sergeant Pete Jones); Elisabeth Risdon (Jean's Mother); and John Hamilton (The Judge). As much as Cagney and Bogart make a great pair of friendly rivals, THE ROARING TWENTIES proved to be their third and final collaboration together, their second being a western, THE OKLAHOMA KID (1939). A well-crafted screenplay with memorable scenes, newsreels, realistic gun-plays, authentic costumes and hairstyles reflecting the roaring twenties are an added plus here. While Cagney and Lane share equal billing above the glittering title, and Cagney being the central character throughout, by film's end, it's Gladys George, whose excellent portrayal in the Texas Guinan style, who literally steals it from the rest of the cast. She even has the now famous closing line. No doubt her performance was deserving for an Academy Award nomination (Best Supporting Actress category), which, sadly, she did not get. Regardless, she makes the movie the true classic it's become. Along with Cagney and Bogart's ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES, THE ROARING TWENTIES was one of their most revived movies on broadcast television in the 1970s. In 1974 alone, THE ROARING TWENTIES had five broadcasts from New York City television within a span of a few months/or weeks. Its continued popularity had led THE ROARING TWENTIES onto home video (later DVD) and finally cable television where it turns up regularly on Turner Classic Movies. THE ROARING TWENTIES simplifies a bygone era while Warner Brothers simplifies its grand style in crime themes that continues to be looked back with great admiration as one of the studio's finest accomplishments of its time. (***)
