Terrific performances and an excellent atmosphere guide this period drama about 1860's San Francisco to become a memorable vehicle for its Stars Edward G. Robinson, Miriam Hopkins and Joel McCrea. It's 40 years before the earthquake (and Gable and Tracy and MacDonald) so there's no Blackie Norton or singing in the ruins. But there is EGR as Luis Chamalis, the leader of the waterfront and completely ruthless in getting what he wants, and what he wants is Hopkins. She's moving there from the more civilized city of New York, and has no idea the rough time she's going to have as one of the first white women to settle there.
We see instantly how rough The city is at this point with the cities moral leader, Frank Craven giving a speech and realizing that he is stuck in the mud, probably where Market Street is now. Craven is anxious to reveal the corruption in the Barbary Coast and pays dearly. Along comes McCrea whom Hopkins can't stand at first, but it's only a matter of time since she has reluctantly become Robinson's mistress, running his crap tables. Betraying Robinson though is a death sentence, and when she finally accepts her feelings for McCrea, it may be too late.
I have mixed feelings about the performance of Walter Brennan, moving up from extra to minor player to supporting in this film. While his character definitely crudely reveals the type of characters you might have encountered in the west coast of this period, he sometimes began to grate on my nerves here. He certainly a character that you can't forget, but he's far from subtle, nothing like he would be the following year in his Oscar winning performance in "Come and Get It".
The direction of Howard Hawks is very good, and the lavishness of Samuel Goldwyn's production is epic without the color. I can see this being a big hit at the time because it is a definite crowd-pleaser, and the three stars are dynamic. Anyone who doubts why Robinson became a leading actor only has to see his emotional breakdown of his revealing his feelings for Hopkins to understand. Hopkins too is great, and McCrea is a very good romantic hero even if his part is not as showy. You may not recognize the San Francisco of today (let alone anytime in the 20th Century), but that's the case with any great city.
We see instantly how rough The city is at this point with the cities moral leader, Frank Craven giving a speech and realizing that he is stuck in the mud, probably where Market Street is now. Craven is anxious to reveal the corruption in the Barbary Coast and pays dearly. Along comes McCrea whom Hopkins can't stand at first, but it's only a matter of time since she has reluctantly become Robinson's mistress, running his crap tables. Betraying Robinson though is a death sentence, and when she finally accepts her feelings for McCrea, it may be too late.
I have mixed feelings about the performance of Walter Brennan, moving up from extra to minor player to supporting in this film. While his character definitely crudely reveals the type of characters you might have encountered in the west coast of this period, he sometimes began to grate on my nerves here. He certainly a character that you can't forget, but he's far from subtle, nothing like he would be the following year in his Oscar winning performance in "Come and Get It".
The direction of Howard Hawks is very good, and the lavishness of Samuel Goldwyn's production is epic without the color. I can see this being a big hit at the time because it is a definite crowd-pleaser, and the three stars are dynamic. Anyone who doubts why Robinson became a leading actor only has to see his emotional breakdown of his revealing his feelings for Hopkins to understand. Hopkins too is great, and McCrea is a very good romantic hero even if his part is not as showy. You may not recognize the San Francisco of today (let alone anytime in the 20th Century), but that's the case with any great city.