Product Description

Humphrey Bogart is "outstanding" (Variety) as a vicious gangster on the run in this "masterful gripping drama" (Motion Picture Daily) directed by William Wyler (Ben-Hur) and written by Lillian Hellman (The Little Foxes). Nominated* for four Academy AwardsÂ(r), including Best Picture, Dead End is powerful, entertaining and a true landmark in moviemaking. On the mean streets of New York's Lower East Side, Drina (Sylvia Sidney) hopes to save herbrother from a life of crime. But notorious hoodlum Baby Face Martin (Bogart) has come back to his old haunts looking for trouble and threatening to drag the boy down with him. Drina turns to her childhood friend Dave (Joel McCrea) for help. But can he stop Martin without becoming just like him? *1937: Best Picture, Supporting Actress (Claire Trevor), Cinematography, Art Direction

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14823 in DVD
• Brand: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT
• Released on: 2005-03-08
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Dubbed, DVD, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Dubbed in: Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 93 minutes

Customer Reviews

"Yeah, she was my goile when we was kids"
This is a wonderful film about the life of people living in a Manhattan ghetto in the 30's. Their life is starkly juxtaposed against that of an upper class family living in a posh residence in the same neighborhood--moving there for a desirable view of the river. From their terrace, the rich folks are insulated from, and can look down upon, the poor people living in tenements.

The film has a very theatrical feel; most of the action happens right on the street in the neigborhood. The dialouge, written by Lillian Hellman, is snappy and excellent.

The kids of the Dead End are young adolescent boys on the verge of growing up. Their choices in life are constrasted by the characters of Joel McCrea and Humphrey Bogart: adults who were also once Dead End kids. McCrea, who still lives in the neigborhood, has been to college but is now is looking for work. Bogart, who is returning to the neighborhood after many years away, is the nortorious gangster, Baby-faced Martin; he has killed eight men.

The adults are facing tough choices too: McCrea is torn beween two women: Sylvia Sidney, a neighborhood friend who is trying to raise her younger brother (one of the Kids) on her own, and Wendy Barrie, a member of the rich family (her father is brother to a Judge). Sidney, when her brother gets in trouble, contemplates helping him run away. Barrie is apparently engaged but wants to go with McCrea--if a prospective job for him comes through.

Bogart has come back to the neighborhood for something...he's not sure. Perhaps he wants some stability in his life so he seeks out an former girlfriend, Clair Trevor, leading to a memorable scene:

Bogart (reminiscing): "Remember that night on the roof?"
Trevor: "The night was full of stars and I was full of dreamy ideas."

He makes a pitch for her to come away with him but she tells him to take a closer look at her... Bogart feels betrayed--and this comes shortly after being rejected by his own mother--whom he hasn't seen for years. Trevor, like other characters here, feels as if her life is at a dead end. What hope? But this film is not depressing. There is a glimmer of hope offered through the characters of McCrea and Sylvia; and, of course, in the boys.

This is a very enjoyable film, well written and executed. And the dilemmas portrayed are still with us today.

Park Ave. it ain't!
In the film Dead End, the murky waters of Manhattan's East River served as an appropriate backdrop for the squalor that manifested itself within the conefines of tenament housing. City streets that offered little hope for the jobless, poor, and oppressed were truely "dead ends". Written by Lillian Hellman and directed by William Wyler, Dead End exposed the stark social and economic divisions between the affluent and the underpriveledged. Logistically, the film was easily adapted from Sidney Kingsley's stage play, as most of the scenes are shot within the shadows of Manhattan's East 53rd street highrises. Dead End is essentially about people and their relationship with the neighborhood that spawned them. Gangster Baby Face Martin ( Humphrey Bogart) returns to his old block seeking glorified acceptance from his mother, only to be rudely rebuffed. Plastic surgery may conceal Martin's outward identity, but his crimminal persona is clearly defined through his street wise and violent attitude towards survival. At first Martin basks in the limelight; preening with sharp suit, hat, and polished shoes. As if to make a social statement exclaiming the virtues and rewards of crime, Martin becomes an icon for a teenage street gang (The Dead End Kids). When Martin is shocked by his mother's repulsive behavior, he seeks out his old flame (Clair Trevor). When she reveals that she is now a prostitute, Martin once again becomes tormented that his homecoming is a lonely one. Sylvia Sydney plays Drina, a young unemployed woman struggling to forge an identity of her own while raising her teenage brother. Drina can only dream about escaping the confines of her depressing neighborhood, since her childhood beau ( Joel McCrea) has been enticed by a society girl ( Wendy Barrie) who resides in an exclusive penthouse overlooking the shoddy apartments that define Dead End. Huntz Hall, Gabriel Dell, Leo Gorcey, and the rest of the Dead End kids provide enough street talk to make an English teacher cringe with embarrassment. Is there a way out of Dead End? Most street toughs assumed a life of crime would free them from poverty. Others set up businesses relying on the patronage of tenanment residents to keep the bills paid. Others relied on marriage in hopes of "marrying up". Still others sought education as a way out. The year is 2000, and if you visit the streets of Manhattan above 110th street not much has changed since Wyler's 1937 film Dead End.

THE BEST BOGART MOVIE YOU'VE NEVER SEEN
I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS FINALLY ON DVD!! Growing up in the 60's, I must have seen this flick a million times on TV on my local Saturday Afternoon Matinee. This was my favorite movie as a kid. Needless to say, when I saw this had recently been released on DVD, I snatched it up. I hadn't seen it in years and it's still as good as ever. The story is great and it has wonderful production values. For a film made in 1937, it's remarkable how good this looks. THE TRANSFER IS GREAT!! Now that I'm a full grown Bogart fan, I have to say, this is my third favorite Bogart flick of all time, following CASABLANCA and THE MALTESE FALCON. Even though Bogie shares the lead with a wonderful ensemble cast, his performance as Baby Face Martin is just as compelling as Rick, Sam Spade, or Phillip Marlowe. After having plastic surgery, it's amazing how much Baby Face looks like Humphrey Bogart. Imagine that. I also love the campy New York street dialogue of the Dead End Kids. My favorite line of dialogue: "The mark o' the squeala." Great stuff!! Along with ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES this was their best work, as their other short films were a bit over the top.

If you're a Bogie fan who has never seen this lesser known film, buy it today. Hey, it was nominated for 4 Oscars. The price is right and I GUARANTEE IT WILL BECOME ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE BOGART FLICKS TOO.

ENJOY.