Leap to death
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Leap to death |
| Original title | White heat |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1949 |
| length | 114 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Raoul Walsh |
| script |
Virginia Kellogg Ivan Goff Ben Roberts |
| production |
Louis F. Edelman for Warner Brothers |
| music | Max Steiner |
| camera | Sid Hickox |
| cut | Owen Marks |
| occupation | |
| |
Leap to death (Original title: White Heat ) is an American gangster film directed by Raoul Walsh from 1949 . In Germany it is also known under the cinema title machine guns .
action
Arthur Cody Jarrett is a notorious gangster and feared for his cold bloodedness. He has a very close and loving relationship with his old, also criminal mother. She is his most important caregiver and the only person he really trusts. On the other hand, he is suspicious of his younger wife, the beautiful Verna. When Cody and his gang rob a mail train, killing four people, he is targeted by the police, who suspect him of the perpetrator. To forestall possible murder charges, he instead confesses to a less serious crime - hotel robbery, which he never committed and uses as an alibi .
Jarrett is sentenced to at least one year in prison. The responsible investigator Evans suspects, however, that his confession was false and smuggles the undercover agent Hank Fallon under the code name "Vic Pardo" in the prison. He is supposed to listen to Cody and prove that he is responsible for the mail robbery. In addition, Fallon is supposed to find out the identity of a powerful henchman for whom Cody undertakes the raids. While Cody is in prison, loudmouthed gang member Big Ed Somers declares himself to be Cody's successor and begins an affair with his wife Verna. To get rid of his rival, Big Ed assigns prisoner friend Roy Parker to kill Cody. The assassination attempt is foiled at the last moment by Hank Fallon, who wins Cody's trust and friendship. This soon treats him like a brother. Together they plan an outbreak.
Before it even happens, Cody receives news of his mother's death. She knew about Big Ed's plans and was shot from behind by Verna when she wanted revenge on Big Ed. Cody has a nervous breakdown and the prison doctors decide to send him to an asylum. But he gets ahead of them and breaks out with some other prisoners, including Hank. Hardly in freedom Cody kills only his assassin Roy Parker and Big Ed, said of the Verna, he was responsible for his mother's death. Cody returns to his old gang and plans a large-scale break-in into a chemical factory with them. On the day of the attack, Fallon informed his colleagues at the police, who then surrounded the area. Meanwhile, to his horror, he discovers that a safe cracker named Bo Creel, whom he knows from a previous assignment as an undercover agent, also takes part in the break-in. He tells the shocked Cody that "Vic Pardo" is actually a police officer.
When there is an exchange of fire between the gangsters and the police, Fallon escapes. Most of the members of Cody's gang are shot by police while trying to escape. Cody takes refuge on top of a huge oil tank. When he realizes that he is in a hopeless situation, he shoots wildly and shouts “I did it, Ma! Now I'm at the top! ”( Made it, Ma! Top of the world! ). Immediately afterwards the tank blows up.
background
Leap to Death is one of the classic American gangster films of the 1930s and 1940s. As in The Public Enemy or Chicago - Angels with Dirty Faces , James Cagney can also be seen here in his prime role as a cold-blooded killer. One of the most memorable scenes - Cody's emotional outburst upon learning of his mother's death - was completely improvised by Cagney.
Stylistically, the film takes up several elements of film noir , for example through the effective use of shadows and the classic femme fatale in the form of the scheming Verna Jarrett. Cody's characterization is also interesting. The depiction of a gangster with a Freudian mother complex, who also suffers from regular migraine attacks , was extremely unusual for the time.
The character of Cody Jarrett is based in large part on the New York murderer Francis Crowley. His last words before his execution in 1932 were Send my love to my mother . The notorious bank robber Kate Barker served as a model for Cody's mother .
In 2008, the American Film Institute voted the film # 4 of the ten best US gangster films of all time. One of the last lines of the film, Made it Ma! Top of the World! , ranked 18th on the Top 100 Movie Quotes list , and Cody Jarrett made it to 26th of the 50 greatest villains .
In her song White Heat , Madonna used two text sequences from the film.
synchronization
The German dubbed version was created in 1966 at Berliner Synchron under dialogue direction by Klaus von Wahl based on a dialogue book by Fritz A. Koeniger .
| role | actor | German Voice actor |
|---|---|---|
| Arthur Cody Jarrett | James Cagney | Wolfgang Draeger |
| Verna Jarrett | Virginia Mayo | Brigitte Grothum |
| Hank Fallon / Vic Pardo | Edmond O'Brien | Horst Niendorf |
| Ma Jarrett | Margaret Wycherly | Ursula War |
| Big Ed Summers | Steve Cochran | Rainer Brandt |
| Phillip Evans | John Archer | Heinz Petruo |
criticism
“Classic film noir from the post-war period; laconic, with sophisticated action scenes and an intense atmosphere. James Cagney plays his role with disgusting brilliance. "
“After ten years of abstinence, James Cagney slips back into his image of the hardened criminal. “Jump in death” once closes the circle to Cagey's earlier gangster films, which provided him with wages and salaries throughout the 30s, and in keeping with the spirit of the times, presents itself as film noir and, at the latest in the action-packed finale, post-classic like the blockbusters of the future. "
Awards
- 1950: Oscar nomination for Virginia Kellogg for Best Screenplay
- 1950: Edgar Allan Poe Award for Ivan Goff, Ben Roberts and Virginia Kellogg for Best Screenplay
- 2003: Entry into the National Film Registry
Web links
- Jump to their deaths in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Review on Filmzentrale.com
Individual evidence
- ↑ jump to his death ( memento of the original dated 5 November 2017 Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link is automatically inserted and not yet tested. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. at the synchronous database
- ^ Lexicon of International Films at Two Thousand and One
- ↑ "Leap into death" at the film headquarters
