MovieChat Forums > Little Caesar (1931) Discussion > Must have been great in 1931

Must have been great in 1931

posted 16 years ago by brucedgo
3 replies | jump to latest

The quality of this film comes through now, even though a lot of the acting and dialog and attitudes are so dated and primative by today's standards. The Sam Vetorri character, in particular, is so incredibly non-subtle.

I suppose most of that is simply due to the stage of development that movie-making was in in the early 1930's. It's almost impossible to "see" the film the way it was back then.

Just five years later, in The Petrified Forest, we see another step in the evolution of the gangster. Bogart's performance was great in that and showed much more nuance of character. I don't mean that as anything to take away from Robinson's great performance in Little Caesar.

Someday, if I ever have the time and patience it might be interesting to take a certain period, say 1931, and watch a lot of movies from that time, and not just the best ones. Maybe then, I could get somewhat acquainted with the frame of reference for the audiences of those times.

"The more you drive, the less intelligent you are"
-- Repo Man

[–] Bogart91 16 years ago

I like these but i think you should see scarface 1932 its faster paced and has higher production vaules also white heat and the public enemey but scarface 1932 is my fav i hat the awful remake with al phoneychino

I AM FROM LOTS OF DIFFERENT PLACES...

EVERY MAN DIES NOT EVERY MAN REAllY LIVEES

[–] liscarkat (16968) a year ago

The more you watch, and the more you are able to put yourself in the time the movie was made, the more you will enjoy them.

[–] palehorse864 16 years ago

I think a lot of what you are noticing has to do with camera angles, fades, and the like. Old films tend to have numerous fades to black which can make them look dated. Also, the close up of Rico's face as he approached menacingly towards the camera, although a great performance by Robinson, reminded me a little of silent movies like Nosferatu.

A few moments in the film though look very modern (spoilers ahead). The scene where Tom is shot on the steps still looks like something you might see in any modern movie. The final scene at the billboard still looks like it was handled in a very modern way. One of my favorite scenes in the movie has a dated camera angle, but looks fresh due to Robinson's performance. The scene where he tries to shoot Joe but then backs away with a sad look in his eyes works so well. The ultra-tight framing looks strange, but it did a good job to really capture the emotion Rico felt.