City for Conquest
by Anatole Litvak, B. Reeves Eason, Chuck Jones, Jean Negulesco
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Ann Sheridan, Donald Crisp, Frank Craven, Frank McHugh, James CagneyDirector: Anatole Litvak, B. Reeves Eason, Chuck Jones, Jean Negulesco
Brand: Warner Brothers
Writer: Aben Kandel
Writer: John Wexley
Writer: Owen Crump
Writer: Rich Hogan
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Closed-captioned, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 104 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-07-18
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Warner Home Video
Movie Reviews of City for Conquest
Movie Review: Cagney scores a KO
Summary: 5 Stars
"City of Conquest" is a 1940 Warner Brothers film starring Jimmy Cagney and Ann Sheridan with dozens of excellent supporting actors including Arthur Kennedy, Donald Crisp, Elia Kazan (that's right, Elia Kazan), Frank McHugh, Frank Craven, Anthony Quinn, Ward Bond, Bob Steele, and George Tobias.
Cagney was one of the biggest stars of the 30s, was nominated for an Oscar for his work in "Angels with Dirty Faces" in 1938 and won for his 1942 portrayal of George M Cohan "Yankee Doodle Dandy". While he is best known for his gangster roles, the majority of Cagney's screen appearances were not as a gangster - he played an insurance salesman ("The Millionaire", 1931), engineer ("Other Men's Women", 1931), boxer ("Winner Take All", 1932), auto racer ("The Crowd Roars", 1932), Broadway producer ("Footlight Parade", 1933), etc. Indeed, Cagney often appeared in comedies (e.g., "Here Comes the Navy", "Hard to Handle", "Jimmy the Gent"), although it was his gangster films that earned the really big bucks. Here in 1940 he plays a truck driver turned boxer. Cagney's boxing scenes are convincing because Cagney himself was a runner up for the New York State boxing lightweight championship.
Anne Sheridan is Cagney's girl friend who is compelled to look for fame as a dancer, forsaking her relationship with Cagney. Sheridan appeared in more than 50 films, mostly in the late 30s and 40s, where she earned the nickname of the "Oomph Girl", before she made a move to TV. She appeared with Jimmy Cagney in `Angels with Dirty Faces" (1938), with Errol Flynn in "Dodge City" (1939), with Bogart in "They Drive By Night" (1940), with Ronald Reagan in "Kings Row" (1942), and with Cary Grant in "I Was a Male War Bride" (1949).
Arthur Kennedy plays Cagney's younger brother; a composer whom Cagney supports and who ultimately produces a symphony called "City of Conquest" that gives the film its name. This was Kennedy's film debut, and he went on to receive 5 Oscar nominations ("Champion", "Bright Victory", "Trial", "Peyton Place", "Some Came Running") although he never won (tying Claude Reins' record). He won a Golden Globe in 1955 for "The Trial" and the NY Film Critics Award in 1951 for "Bright Victory". He was one of the finest supporting actors in film history, appearing opposite Bogart in "High Sierra" (1941), Errol Flynn in "They Died with Their Boots On" (1941), Kirk Douglas in "Champion" (1949), and his good friend Anthony Quinn in "Lawrence of Arabia" (1962).
Anthony Quinn appears in the film as a dancer who tries to seduce Sheridan. In 1940 he was still a bit player although he had been in more than 20 films. His big break wouldn't come until 1952 opposite Marlon Brando in "Viva Zapata". Quinn, of course, left us a great legacy of more than 100 roles, with films like "Zorba the Greek" (1961), "Lust for Life" (1956), and "Wild is the Wind" (1957). He was nominated for an Oscar 4 times, winning twice for Best Supporting Actor.
Frank McHugh provided comic relief in over 100 films. He was part of the original "Irish Mafia" and appeared in a dozen films with fellow mafia member Jimmy Cagney and 13 films with mafia member Pat O'Brien. McHugh plays Cagney's lifelong friend.
Donald Crisp plays a good hearted fight promoter. He appeared in more than 150 films from 1908 through 1963. He won Best Supporting Actor for "How Green was My Valley" (1941) and gave memorable performances in films such as "Mutiny on the Bounty" (1935), "The Charge of the Light Brigade" (1936), "Jezebel" (1938), "National Velvet" (1944), and "The Long Gray Line" (1955).
Frank Craven plays a narrator who appears throughout the film, often telegraphing future scenes. Craven was primarily a Broadway actor, but he did manage to appear in more than 30 films. He's best known for his role as the stage manager in "Our Town" (1940) and as the narrator in "The Horn Blows at Midnight" (1945).
Bob Steele makes a brief appearance as a boxer. Steele appeared In more than 200 films, and was a major western star for Republic in the silent and early sound era. He gave memorable performances as Curly in "Of Mice and Men" (1939) and as Lash Casino in "The Big Sleep" (1946), but he's perhaps best known as Trooper Duffy from "F Troop" (1965-7).
Elia Kazan appears as a hoodlum and long time friend of Cagney. This was one of only 6 films that Kazan appeared in as an actor, turning instead to directing ("A Tree Grows in Brooklyn", "Gentlemen's Agreement") and producing ("East of Eden", "A Face in the Crowd"). His otherwise distinguished career was spoiled by his role as an informer during the McCarthy era.
The film was directed by Anatole Litvak, a Ukranian born Jew. Litvak made several films with Edward G Robinson (e.g., "The Sisters", "The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse", "Confessions of a Nazi Spy") and is best known for his work on "The Snake Pit" (1948) for which he was nominated for an Oscar and a DGA (he lost to John Huston for "Treasure of the Sierra Madre"). He was nominated for a second time for "Decision Before Dawn" (1951). Litvak directed several anti-Nazi films in his career (e.g., "Divide and Conquer", "The Nazis Strike", "The Battle of Russia", "War Comes to America", "Night of the Generals").
The film was produced by Bill Cagney, Jimmy's brother. This was Cagney's second film as a producer, and he would do a total of 13 films including "Yankee Doodle Dandy" (1942), "Blood on the Sun" (1945), and "A Lion is in the Streets" (1953). Brother Jimmy appeared, and on occasions, other members of the family.
The language in this film is superlative. Frank Craven's narration and many of the comments between actors are examples of the spoken word at its best. Truly poetic.
This same level of excellent in the script is translated into the photography by James Wong Howe, which is exceptional. Howe filmed more than 100 films and received 9 Oscar nominations and 2 wins ("Hud" and "The Rose Tatoo"), making him one of the most acknowledged cinematographers in film history. He often worked with Cagney on films such as "The Oklahoma Kid" (1939), "The Strawberry Blonde" (1941), and "Yankee Doodle Dandy" (1942).
The music is terrific. Since Ann Sheridan is a dancer and Arthur Kennedy is a composer, we get to listen to several numbers throughout the film. Each one is compelling and serves to act as a musical score for the film as a whole. Austrian composer Max Steiner is responsible. Between 1935 and 1956 he was nominated for an Oscar 19 times, and won for "Since You Went Away" (1944), "Now Voyager" (1942), and "The Informer" (1935). He was so well known that he appeared on a 33 cent stamp (1999) along with Dimitri Tiomkin and Alfred Newman.
The film has everything. Great performances, great photography, a literate script with a profound message, and great music. What moré can you ask for?
Summary of City for Conquest
Ex-Golden Gloves fighter Danny Kenny has it all worked out. He'll turn pro to bankroll his brother's dream of writing a symphonic paean to the teeming city where they both live: New York. But life pulls the sidewalk out from under Danny when he's blinded during a brutal 15-round welterweight title bout. James Cagney plays Danny in this heart-tugging melodrama co-starring Ann Sheridan Anthony Quinn film-debuting Arthur Kennedy and in a rare acting turn before becoming a director Elia Kazan. Among familiar studio players there's an unbilled one: a vivid backlot and rear-screen Manhattan. "Sometimes we wonder" The New York Times' Bosley Crowther wrote "whether it wasn't really the Warner brothers who got New York from the Indians so diligent and devoted have they been in feeling the great city's pulse."Running Time: 104 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA UPC: 012569791770 Manufacturer No: 79177Similar DVD Movies
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