Dead End (1937)
Picture: B-
Sound: C+ Extras: C Film: B+
One of the more serious crime dramas from the 1930’s is
William Wyler’s adapted version of Dead
End, which was originally a play.
This film version still has the feel of a play with the sets and
dialogue, but thanks to brilliant photography from Gregg Toland (who would
later work on such classics as Citizen
Kane) the film has a realistic feel.
The film also serves as a social commentary set in the docks near New York City
where the rich penthouses overlook the slums.
There does not seem to be much of a middle class, which allows for
tension to arise in the streets. The
‘dead end’ kids are a bunch of hoodlums with nothing to do all day but mess
with people walking the streets and getting into various mischiefs. They even pick on each other or the newer
kids to the neighborhood. Here we meet
Dave Connell (Joel McCrea), an educated architect who helps out around the
neighborhood and has dreams of building a better future. He is torn between his fascination with a
richer woman and a hard working Drina Gordon (Sylvia Sidney), who is infatuated
with him. While both women care about
him, there motives are on opposite poles.
Throw into this melting pot are two gangsters, one of whom
is Baby Face Martin (Humphrey Bogart in one of his darkest roles), he is
lurking around this neighborhood, which used to be his stomping ground. He has changed his face to keep away from
the cops, but some still recognize him.
He has come back to see his old dame as well as his mother, both are
reluctant to see him again. William
Wyler certainly manages to get all sorts of great performances on many levels
from those involved, which bring tension and realism to a high level seldom
seen today.
MGM has dug into the Samuel Goldwyn section of their
catalog to bring Dead End to DVD and
while the DVD contains no extras aside from the trailer, just having the film
available is worthwhile. Besides, the
film retails at a nice low price sure to make the consumer happy. Audio and video quality is pretty good
considering age. Some scenes look
better than other, but overall the 1.33 X 1 full frame image looks pretty
stunning. Detail is above average and
softness is kept to a minimum. I have
seen better, but I have also seen a lot worse.
It would take a large restoration to really get the film to look much
better, but I would suspect that the original negative or source for this
transfer was in very good condition.
The audio is Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono and gets the job done with some hiss
still on the soundtrack, but nothing too bothersome.
As mentioned above Gregg Toland gave this film its luster
and shine and that reason alone is good enough for anyone to seriously consider
seeing this film at least once, if not owning it. You can identify here how his use of angles, lenses, close-ups,
and various camera moves would help him be later equipped and qualified to give
Orson Welles the look he wanted for his masterpiece Citizen Kane.
Crime seems to always fester between classes and this film
takes place right at the crux of such things.
Captured here in a mesmerizing, accurate and detailed version, Dead End is among one of the finer
pictures to capture the essence of the pits of society. Not only capture, but also offer insight
into how thing never change if you never attempt to change them. Dead End is like Do the Right Thing only substitutes racial tension with social
tension, both of which are uncompromising and unforgettable!
- Nate Goss
