City for Conquest: Difference between revisions
ShelfSkewed (talk | contribs) Dab link |
mNo edit summary |
||
Line 88: | Line 88: | ||
[[Category:American crime drama films]] |
[[Category:American crime drama films]] |
||
[[Category:American boxing films]] |
[[Category:American boxing films]] |
||
[[Category:American epic films]] |
|||
[[Category:1940s English-language films]] |
[[Category:1940s English-language films]] |
||
[[Category:Films directed by Anatole Litvak]] |
[[Category:Films directed by Anatole Litvak]] |
Revision as of 23:46, 30 September 2023
City for Conquest | |
---|---|
Directed by | Anatole Litvak Jean Negulesco (uncredited) |
Screenplay by | John Wexley |
Based on | City for Conquest 1936 novel by Aben Kandel |
Produced by | Anatole Litvak Hal B. Wallis (uncredited) |
Starring | James Cagney Ann Sheridan Arthur Kennedy Frank Craven Anthony Quinn Elia Kazan |
Cinematography | James Wong Howe Sol Polito |
Edited by | William Holmes |
Music by | Max Steiner |
Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 104 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $920,000[1] |
Box office | $1,794,000[1] |
City for Conquest is a 1940 American epic drama film directed by Anatole Litvak and starring James Cagney, Ann Sheridan and Arthur Kennedy.[2][3] The picture is based on the 1936 novel of the same name by Aben Kandel. The supporting cast features Elia Kazan, Anthony Quinn, Donald Crisp, Frank McHugh, Frank Craven and Lee Patrick.
Plot
A vagabond arrives at New York City and is instantly enamored with it. Traveling through the poorer side of town, he meets some of the local children. Among them is Danny Kenny, who shows a talent for boxing. His girlfriend, Peggy, is a skilled dancer. While Danny enjoys the sport, he does not aspire to become a professional boxer. Peggy, on the other hand, dreams of being a star.
Years later, despite once having won a New York Golden Gloves title, Danny decides to work as a truck driver. To help put his brother Eddie through music school, Danny starts to box professionally under the name of Young Samson. He quickly rises through the welterweight ranks to become a title contender.
One night, while at a dance club with Danny, Peggy is swayed by Murray Burns, a local dancing champion. Murray asks Peggy to become his professional dance partner, insulting Danny in the process. Nevertheless, Peggy agrees and quickly learns how domineering Murray is. He constantly tries to control Peggy's life and even sexually abuses her. The arrangement was supposed to be short-term, but just as she is about to marry Danny, Peggy rejects his proposal in a letter as her dancing career is advancing rapidly. Embittered by Peggy's change of mind, Danny continues to thrive in the ring and gets a chance to fight for the world welterweight title.
Danny gains the upper during the title fight, but the champion cheats by deliberately blinding him with rosin-dusted gloves. Peggy listens to the fight on the radio, in which Danny loses and takes a severe beating, and becomes so distraught that she cannot go onstage that night. Her career as a big-time dancer ends, and she is reduced to dancing in local New York City shows for small wages.
Danny quits boxing due to his damaged eyesight and opens a newsstand with help from his manager, gaining many regular customers. Eddie becomes a successful composer of Broadway songs, but his true love is instrumental music. Danny persuades Eddie to pursue his true calling and continue to work on creating a symphony about New York City. Eddie dedicates his first major symphony at Carnegie Hall to Danny, who proudly listens to the performance on the radio from his newsstand. Sensing Danny's soul in the music, Peggy decides to talk to him, despite believing he is still mad at her. At the newsstand, the two tearfully profess their love for each other and decide to resume their relationship.
Cast
- James Cagney as Danny Kenny
- Ann Sheridan as Peggy 'Peg' Nash
- Arthur Kennedy as Eddie Kenny
- Frank Craven as Old Timer
- Anthony Quinn as Murray Burns
- Elia Kazan as Googi Zucco
- Donald Crisp as Scotty MacPherson
- Frank McHugh as Mutt
- George Tobias as Pinky
- Jerome Cowan as Dutch
- Lee Patrick as Gladys
- Blanche Yurka as Mrs. Nash
- George Lloyd as Goldie
- Joyce Compton as Lilly
- Thurston Hall as Max Leonard
- Ben Welden as Cobb
- John Arledge as Salesman
- Ed Keane as Gaul
- Selmer Jackson as Doctor 1
- Joseph Crehan as Doctor 2
- Ward Bond as First Policeman (uncredited)
- Charles Lane as Al, the theatrical booking agent (uncredited)
Production
George Raft was meant to appear opposite Cagney but was unable due to either scheduling reasons or Raft's reluctance to play such an unsympathetic role.[4] Anthony Quinn played his part.[5]
The tramp who appears and narrates the film is portrayed by Frank Craven as a sort of urban parody of his role as The Stage Manager in Our Town, which he had filmed just prior to this picture.
Box office
According to Warner Bros records the film earned $1,156,000 domestically and $638,000 foreign.[1]
Home media
City for Conquest was released to DVD by Warner Home Videhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Copyright_violationso on July 18, 2006 as a Region 1 fullscreen DVD and also on October 12, 2010 as a part of the 'TCM Greatest Gangster Films Collection: James Cagney' with City for Conquest on the first disc of a four-disc set.
See also
References
- ^ a b c Warner Bros financial information in The William Shaefer Ledger. See Appendix 1, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, (1995) 15:sup1, 1-31 p 21 DOI: 10.1080/01439689508604551
- ^ Variety film review; September 11, 1940, page 14.
- ^ Harrison's Reports film review; September 28, 1940, page 154.
- ^ Schallert, Edwin (May 27, 1940). "Timely 'I Wanted Wings' Set for Early Shooting: Retrenchment Urge On Quinn Tested for 'City' Dual Ouspenskaya Duty Bancroft in 'Daltons' 'Deerslayer' Hastened". Los Angeles Times. p. A10.
- ^ Vagg, Stephen (February 9, 2020). "Why Stars Stop Being Stars: George Raft". Filmink.
External links
- City for Conquest at IMDb
- City for Conquest at the TCM Movie Database
- Template:Amg movie
- City for Conquest at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- City for Conquest on YouTube, "fair use" compilation (definition) from film scenes
- 1940 films
- 1940 crime drama films
- American crime drama films
- American boxing films
- American epic films
- 1940s English-language films
- Films directed by Anatole Litvak
- Films directed by Jean Negulesco
- Films scored by Max Steiner
- American black-and-white films
- Films about brothers
- Films based on American novels
- Films set in New York City
- Warner Bros. films
- 1940s American films