Search - The Public Enemy on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Content Advisory: Violence, Adult Situations, Not For Children Movie Release: 1931 DVD Release: 01/25/2005 Format: DVD - Black and White - Closed Captioned Edition: Dual Layered,Special Collection Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English, French, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 24 mins Studio: Warner Home Video Members Wishing: 16 Genres: Crime, Crime Drama, Gangster Film

William Wellman's landmark gangster movie traces the rise and fall of prohibition-era mobster Tom Powers. We are first shown various episodes of Tom's childhood with the corrupting influences of the beer hall, pool parlor, and false friends like minor-league fence Putty Nose. As young adults, Tom (James Cagney) and his pal, Matt Doyle (Edward Woods), are hired by ruthless but innately decent bootlegger Paddy Ryan (Robert Emmett O'Connor). The boys quickly rise to the top of the heap, with all the accoutrements of success: custom-tailored tuxedoes, fancy cars, and gorgeous girls. All the while, Tom's loving (and somewhat addlepated) mother (Beryl Mercer) is kept in the dark, believing Tommy to be a good boy, a façade easily seen through by his older brother Mike (Donald Cook). Tommy's degeneration from brash kid to vicious lowlife is brought home in a famous scene in which he smashes a grapefruit in the face of his latest mistress (Mae Clarke). Some dated elements aside, The Public Enemy is as powerful as when it was first released, and it is far superior to the like-vintage Little Caesar. James Cagney is so dynamic in his first starring role that he practically bursts off the screen; he makes the audience pull for a character with no redeeming qualities. The film is blessed with a superior supporting cast: Joan Blondell is somewhat wasted as Matt's girl, Mamie; Jean Harlow is better served as Tom's main squeeze, Gwen (though some of her line readings are a bit awkward); and Murray Kinnell is slime personified as the deceitful Putty Nose, who "gets his" in unforgettable fashion. Despite a tacked-on opening disclaimer, most of the characters in The Public Enemy are based on actual people, a fact not lost on audiences of the period. Current prints are struck from the 1949 reissue, which was shortened from 92 to 83 minutes (among the deletions was the character of real-life hoodlum Bugs Moran). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

James Cagney - Tom Powers
Edward Woods - Matt Doyle
Donald Cook - Mike Powers
Joan Blondell - Mamie
Jean Harlow - Gwen Allen

Warner Home Video has scored big with this DVD release of The Public Enemy. For starters, the 1931 movie has been newly transferred from an archival print that contains three scenes that were deleted from all showings subsequent to the year of release -- thus, just watching the disc will be a new experience for virtually any fan of the movie or of James Cagney's work. The 85-minute movie has been given a generous 23 chapters, and the full-screen (1.33:1) image puts even the late '80s laserdisc edition to shame. Additionally, it comes with a commentary track by Robert Sklar that's a thorough, enjoyable, and informative account of the movie's production and background, and its influence on Hollywood and popular culture. The documentary featurette "Beer and Blood: Enemies of the Public," which includes extensive commentary by Martin Scorsese, among others, makes a perfect companion to the commentary track. And the disc has been filled out with chronologically and thematically related short subjects, cartoons (the very Disney-like "Smile, Darn Ya, Smile"), and newsreels from the Warner Bros. library, all of which -- including the trailer for the Cagney vehicle Blonde Crazy -- are more entertaining than the usual filler of this sort. The disc opens automatically on an easy-to-use multi-layer menu, with the "play" option for the movie in the default position. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide