Member since:
September 2002
I just now finished watching the film. What a great classic. I would have rated it a 9. Cagney looks so menacing. Can't wait for the 2nd wave. John do you know if there is going be Vol 2 in this collection? Great review.. especially the last dialogue - about heart. Classic..
--Ranjan.
Member since:
March 2002
Thanks for your kind words, Ranjan.
At the moment, Warner Bros. have not announced any further box sets of gangster movies. Although WB made a ton of such films in the 30s and 40s, it may be that they feel they've already included the best of the lot in their present set, and other big titles like "High Sierra" are currently available singly. We'll have to wait and see.
John
Member since:
January 2004
*SPOILER (maybe)*
So, John, you think perhaps that Rocky decided to go along with Pat O'Brien's wishes? I've always felt that the ending was purposely ambiguous as to whether Rocky turned yellow or not. To me, that's what makes the ending so classic.
Member since:
January 2004
BTW, I probably would have rated it a 9, but hey, part of that is probably my nostalgic view of a longtime favorite of mine.
Member since:
March 2002
"...you think perhaps that Rocky decided to go along with Pat O'Brien's wishes?" --Kilgore
***SPOILER, MAYBE***
I first saw "Angels" in maybe the late fifties or so, at which time I was convinced that Rocky was putting up a show at the end for the sake of his best friend and the kids. I've never changed my mind about that in close to fifty years, but maybe I'm just an soft old sentimentalist at heart. The ending was probably meant to be ambiguous, but for me there's never been a shadow of a doubt.
John
Member since:
January 2004
*SPOILER ALERT*
I've always likened the ending to the ending of Chaplin's City Lights in a way. Will the Tramp and the blind girl stay together? Will they go their separate ways romantically? Could she still love him in spite of his deceit? There is no real way to tell from the very open ended ending.
With Angels With Dirty Faces, I think the ending is just as ambiguous. You could look at it either way, since you never really know what Rocky was really thinking at the end. Either, underneath it all, when faced with his own execution, he really did turn yellow, and finally realized what a waste his entire life was, ...or... in spite of the fact that he would live his entire crooked life the same way again with no regrets, he would let the whole world see him as dying as a coward in the end, just so he can help his lifelong save some bad boys from a life of crime.
Either way you look at it, I think either version of the ending works. Either way, Father Jerry gets to tell the boys Rocky turned yellow. That's what I've always felt was the genius of the ending.
