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4.0 out of 5 stars
Great intro to Cagney, July 17, 2006
This review is from: Great Guy/ Blood on the Sun/ Something to Sing About (DVD)
These are the first films I've seen starring James Cagney. This triple-feature DVD gives a good cross section of his versatility.
In "Great Guy," Cagney plays a weights and measures inspector who runs afoul of a local crime boss, who happens to be the employer of his girlfriend. Cagney shines as the unshakable tough guy do-gooder, sticking to his guns when it would be easier to look the other way. The film is interesting and well-acted overall.
"Blood on the Sun" was the only film of the three that I didn't particularly like. Cagney plays a tough reporter in pre-war Japan who learns of secret Japanese military plans to invade China and the United States. Of course this puts him in conflict with the Imperial powers-that-be. The film had great potential that fails to pan out. There are a few good judo fight scenes and Cagney plays his role well. Filmed near the end of World War II, when anti-Japanese sentiments were high, I found the "get 'em" mentality a little tiresome (especially the final line of the film).
"Something to Sing About" was my favorite of the three films. Cagney plays a night club singer/dancer (or "hoofer" in the language of the day) who gets his shot at the big time in Hollywood. Filled with sarcasm and poking fun at "Hollywood types," this film would be a hit if it came out today. Ridiculous people, complicated contracts, and selling out to make a buck are all fair targets! The romance is sweet, the female lead (Evelyn Daw) attractive, the music and dancing good.
The source film used was of okay quality. There are a few damaged areas but the sound is good and little of the dialogue is damaged.
There is a special feature on the DVD called "About James Cagney" that is a few text screens with a short biography and filmography. However, it uses an almost unreadable typeface and contains factual errors (it says Cagney was born in 1922, which would have made him 14 years old when Great Guy came out! He was born in 1899 - unless the unreadability of the text was supposed to say 1899 and it just looks like 1922).
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