Seen: July 6th, 2008
Format: DVD
Rating: 9
If you've read the entries for The Roaring Twenties or The Public Enemy then you know that I'm pretty impressed by James Cagney. Mo had a reverse of my experience. She first knew Cagney as George M. Cohan, the focus of this film. She had great difficulty reconciling this character with the ones she encountered when she sought out his other films.
Talk about shattering youthful delusions.
Basically, this film is a Cagney tour de force. He had a great reputation as a vaudeville man, and he pulls out all the stops in his interpretation of Cohan. He's a dance machine. It's simply stunning to watch the control that he has over his body, and the utter confidence with which he moves. I'm left lacking superlatives. His singing, while hardly iconic, is rich, committed and suits the character well.
Put his amazing performance together with very capable performances from supporting actors, with a thoroughly American tale told in a straightforward manner and you've got the makings of a classic.
What's remarkable about the writing is how unsentimental it is. While it's not completely devoid of nostalgia, it walks a fine line between presenting the story and becoming too involved in it. This is true as well with it's patriotic nature. This is not a patriotic film, but it is the screen biography of a very patriotic man living in patriotic times.
It's a very honest effort which doesn't work to win us over, instead letting the characters tell us their story.If we have any heart at all, we'll do the winning ourselves at that point.
See this film. See it with your family, with your friends, prehaps an immigrant. See it and remember what it is means to really become and be an American, instead of just wearing the label.
The Good: A heartwarming, true, All-American tale with an incredible performance.
The Bad: Being framed
The Ugly: How far we've fallen from this tree
No comments:
Post a Comment