Angels with Dirty Faces

"The saga of America’s dirty faced kids... and the breaks that life won’t give them!"

1938 1h 37m EN

🙌

7.5

BANGER

★7.5TMDB · 369

CrimeDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Childhood chums Rocky Sullivan and Jerry Connelly grow up on opposite sides of the fence: Rocky matures into a prominent gangster, while Jerry becomes a priest, tending to the needs of his old tenement neighborhood.

“The saga of America’s dirty faced kids... and the breaks that life won’t give them!”

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Cast

James Cagney
Rocky Sullivan
Pat O'Brien
Jerry Connolly
Humphrey Bogart
James Frazier
Ann Sheridan
Laury Ferguson
George Bancroft
Mac Keefer
Billy Halop
Soapy
Bobby Jordan
Swing
Leo Gorcey
Bim

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Michael Curtiz
Writers: John Wexley, Warren Duff, Rowland Brown
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.6M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

88 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Michael Curtiz, shot by Sol Polito. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Max Steiner. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Owen Marks shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

James Cagney and Pat O'Brien and Humphrey Bogart carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

AWARDS

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The saga of America’s dirty faced kids... and the breaks that life won’t give them!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0029870 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Michael Curtiz directs. Sol Polito behind the camera. Max Steiner scores. Owen Marks cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $0.6M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
288 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Michael Curtiz, shot by Sol Polito. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Max Steiner. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Owen Marks shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6James Cagney and Pat O'Brien and Humphrey Bogart carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "The saga of America’s dirty faced kids... and the breaks that life won’t give them!".
8IMDB entry: tt0029870 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 10 themes, including "casino", "based on novel or book", "gangster", "film noir".

The technical file

Cinematography: Sol Polito
Original score: Max Steiner
Editing: Owen Marks
Costume design: Orry-Kelly
Makeup / hair: Perc Westmore
Runtime: 97 min · 1h 37m
Status: Released
Budget: $633,000
Box office: $1,700,000
Return: 269% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Angels with Dirty Faces (1938)

Also by

Michael Curtiz

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

talisencrw2016-01-10
★ 10/10
A simply outstanding unique take on the tried-and-true gangster yarn by the incredible team of James Cagney, Pat O'Brien and Ann Sheridan. Another masterpiece by the little-heralded director Michael Curtiz.

Production companies