What a disappointment. After a terrific opening 15 minutes or so, this film went downhill fast. However, it is one of the better examples of documentary commentary and footage used in a film to help set the stage/background and tell the story. The documentary portions were very good, purposeful and effective (if slightly hysterical in their well-meaningness). For this, the film cannot be faulted, and this is definitely its strong point.
If only the rest of the movie lived up to this aspect, The Roaring Twenties would be a great film. Instead, it is riddled with problems.
As a whole, the film was slow and drawn out, and could have used lots of cutting, especially the musical sequences and shootouts.
There was too much heavy-handed obviousness in portraying Panama Smith's (Gladys George) love for Eddie Bartlett (James Cagney), even to the point of repeating closeup shots of their hand-holding (then cut to a sad George, with a wistful look on her face) three times within a matter of 20 minutes! We get it, already!!!!
I wished that Jeffrey Lynn and Humphrey Bogart had had more screen time. Bogie was in the first 10 minutes, then disappeared until much later in the film. He should have returned somewhat earlier, even for just a moment or two, as I'm sure I was not the only viewer distracted by wondering when Bogie would return to the story. Subsequently, I could not enjoy this part of the film, as I sat there waiting for him to show up again.
Frank McHugh's character was much more annoying than amusing this time around, and was mostly superfluous to the action.
Both the speakeasy customers and the guys who ran the bootleg liquor operations were too low-key. While the great documentary footage illustrated the industry rather excitingly, the on-screen portrayals of the set-up looked downright boring. I've seen better nightclub brawls in Doris Day films, never mind any others with Cagney or Bogart!
Many reviewers seemed to idolize the film's ending. What was so spectacular there? Sure, it was ironic, but it wasn't particularly great by any means. In fact, the ending was copied in 1942's Johnny Eager, with Robert Taylor in the Cagney role and Van Heflin (!) in the Gladys George role. This same ending was much more effective in that film than it is here. And poor Jimmy Cagney didn't even get any `famous last words' to speak in this one. What a rip-off!
Bogart's George Hally character was more interesting than Cagney's Eddie Bartlett, yet Cagney's character monopolizes much of the story.
Now that I've gotten all that off my chest, I will say that the acting was very good all around, and there are some enjoyable moments to be found (too bad they are few and far between).
CAST/PERFORMANCES: Humphrey Bogart did well with is relatively small bad-guy role. I loved his early scenes taking place during the war George Hally was obviously a guy with a bone to pick, and a real live wire, and who better to play him than Bogie?
James Cagney was good as always, yet I found his Eddie Bartlett character to be a bit annoying. Still his scenes with the ladies were good, especially his drunk scene (with Gladys George) late in the film. He was excellent at playing drunk, especially by the way he held and or moved his head, as though trying extra hard to focus, just like when one is really intoxicated. Excellent! I read in a Cagney biography that he improvised the `Well, is it OK if I honk my horn as I drive by?' line when asking Jean out for a date after many rejections. What a guy!
Priscilla Lane was great as Cagney's love interest, Jean Sherman. The juxtaposition between the sultry, adult photo she sent to Cagney in the mail versus her true fresh-faced schoolgirl image was very amusing. (She confesses, `that photo was from a school play.') While only 22 at the time of making this film, Lane gave a strong, versatile performance. See her also in the 4 Daughters series of films with her sisters Lola and Rosemary Lane, plus Claude Rains and Gale Page. You will not be disappointed.
Gladys George (Panama Smith) A well-written and performed role, George was extremely convincing as the underground hard-nosed yet quite vulnerable Ms. Smith. She played all of her scenes with much heart and realism, and I now would like to track down some more of her work.
If only the rest of the movie lived up to this aspect, The Roaring Twenties would be a great film. Instead, it is riddled with problems.
As a whole, the film was slow and drawn out, and could have used lots of cutting, especially the musical sequences and shootouts.
There was too much heavy-handed obviousness in portraying Panama Smith's (Gladys George) love for Eddie Bartlett (James Cagney), even to the point of repeating closeup shots of their hand-holding (then cut to a sad George, with a wistful look on her face) three times within a matter of 20 minutes! We get it, already!!!!
I wished that Jeffrey Lynn and Humphrey Bogart had had more screen time. Bogie was in the first 10 minutes, then disappeared until much later in the film. He should have returned somewhat earlier, even for just a moment or two, as I'm sure I was not the only viewer distracted by wondering when Bogie would return to the story. Subsequently, I could not enjoy this part of the film, as I sat there waiting for him to show up again.
Frank McHugh's character was much more annoying than amusing this time around, and was mostly superfluous to the action.
Both the speakeasy customers and the guys who ran the bootleg liquor operations were too low-key. While the great documentary footage illustrated the industry rather excitingly, the on-screen portrayals of the set-up looked downright boring. I've seen better nightclub brawls in Doris Day films, never mind any others with Cagney or Bogart!
Many reviewers seemed to idolize the film's ending. What was so spectacular there? Sure, it was ironic, but it wasn't particularly great by any means. In fact, the ending was copied in 1942's Johnny Eager, with Robert Taylor in the Cagney role and Van Heflin (!) in the Gladys George role. This same ending was much more effective in that film than it is here. And poor Jimmy Cagney didn't even get any `famous last words' to speak in this one. What a rip-off!
Bogart's George Hally character was more interesting than Cagney's Eddie Bartlett, yet Cagney's character monopolizes much of the story.
Now that I've gotten all that off my chest, I will say that the acting was very good all around, and there are some enjoyable moments to be found (too bad they are few and far between).
CAST/PERFORMANCES: Humphrey Bogart did well with is relatively small bad-guy role. I loved his early scenes taking place during the war George Hally was obviously a guy with a bone to pick, and a real live wire, and who better to play him than Bogie?
James Cagney was good as always, yet I found his Eddie Bartlett character to be a bit annoying. Still his scenes with the ladies were good, especially his drunk scene (with Gladys George) late in the film. He was excellent at playing drunk, especially by the way he held and or moved his head, as though trying extra hard to focus, just like when one is really intoxicated. Excellent! I read in a Cagney biography that he improvised the `Well, is it OK if I honk my horn as I drive by?' line when asking Jean out for a date after many rejections. What a guy!
Priscilla Lane was great as Cagney's love interest, Jean Sherman. The juxtaposition between the sultry, adult photo she sent to Cagney in the mail versus her true fresh-faced schoolgirl image was very amusing. (She confesses, `that photo was from a school play.') While only 22 at the time of making this film, Lane gave a strong, versatile performance. See her also in the 4 Daughters series of films with her sisters Lola and Rosemary Lane, plus Claude Rains and Gale Page. You will not be disappointed.
Gladys George (Panama Smith) A well-written and performed role, George was extremely convincing as the underground hard-nosed yet quite vulnerable Ms. Smith. She played all of her scenes with much heart and realism, and I now would like to track down some more of her work.