Tag: James Cagney

My Week in Film: May 20 to May 26

Here is what I watched last week.

Continue reading “My Week in Film: May 20 to May 26”

The Roaring Twenties (1939)

The Roaring Twenties, directed by Raoul Walsh, is widely considered one of the greatest gangster films and is an homage to early gangster films of the 1930s. It stars James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart in their third and final film together. This is also Cagney’s last gangster film until he appeared in White Heat in 1949.

The film begins at the end of World War One, when three friends Lloyd (Jeffrey Lynn), George (Bogart) and Eddie (Cagney) attempt to return to normal life. Lloyd becomes a lawyer, George becomes a bootlegger and Eddie becomes a cab driver. Since it is the era of prohibition, Eddie builds a business that delivers bootleg alcohol. When George becomes his second in command, tensions build and a power struggle results. over power and romance.

The Roaring Twenties is part-gangster film, part-documentary. It utilizes newsreels, which provide historical context and pleasantly recreate the Jazz Age. Like other classic gangster films, The Roaring Twenties shows the fatalistic rise and fall of a manwho is bound to die in a final act of heroism.

Happy 4th!

There are tons of great movies to enjoy today. My personal favorite is Yankee Doodle Dandy. But if you are in the mood for something different check out the “Birthplace of America” on TCM. The four movies being broadcast are Rocky, 1776, The Philadelphia Story and Kitty Foyle. This is probably the only time you will see these four movies broadcast in one evening so be sure to check them out.
Have a great day!