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Features: DVD, Mono Audio, English, French, Spanish, Subtitled
Little Caesar is the tale of pugnacious Caesar Enrico Bandello, a hoodlum with a Chicago-sized chip on his shoulder, few attachments, fewer friends and no sense of underworld diplomacy.
Editor's Note
With its focus on character flaws instead of plot devices, LITTLE CAESAR is the mother of the modern gangster flick. Edward G. Robinson stars as Enrico Bandelli in the role that made him a household name. Bandelli moves to the big city with partner in crime Joe Massara (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) and becomes a member of Sam Vettori's Mafia gang. In spite of the urgings of pretty girl Olga Strassoff (Glenda Farell) to quit the mob, Rico quickly becomes the head of the Vettori gang and with a couple of quick kills scares mob boss Arnie Lorch back to Detroit. Bandelli, dubbed Little Caesar by the press, is known as a boss in his own right, but what goes up must come down in this tale of excessive hubris. At the time of its release, the stacatto sound design for LITTLE CAESAR was leagues ahead of its early talkie contemporaries. But what keeps the film alive is the fine script and the startling performance from Edward G. Robinson.
Plot Summary
This classic crime story that made Edward G. Robinson a star deals with the rise and fall of a penny-ante crook who becomes the head of the mob, only to fall from grace as quickly as he rose.
| Features | Audio Commentary By Film Historian Richard B. Jewell | | Audio: English Dolby Digital Mono | | Interactive Menus | | Leonard Maltin Hosts Warner Night At The Movies 1930 With Newsreel, Spencer Tracy Short The Hard Guy, Cartoon Lady Play Your Mandolin And Theatrical Trailers | | New Featurette Little Caesar: End Of Rico, Beginning Of The Antihero | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English, French, Spanish |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Warner |
| Release Date: 1/25/2005 |
| Running Time: 78 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1930 | | Catalog ID: 67215 | | UPC: 00012569672154 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English | | Available Subtitles: English, French, Spanish | | Video: B&W |
Aspect Ratio | | Standard 1.33:1 [4:3] |
| Cast & Crew
| Memorable Quotes| "For all of them that take the sword shall perish by the sword."----Opening quote | | "Shoot first and argue afterwards."----Caesar Enrico Bandello (Edward G. Robinson) | | "Mother of mercy, is this the end of Rico?"----Rico |
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| | Professional Reviews | Entertainment Weekly
"[G]raphically gorgeous..." 01/28/2005 p.68USA Today
"[I]t's the first outdoor gangster talkie to make a lasting impression..." 01/28/2005 p.4D Los Angeles Times
"Tautly directed by LeRoy..." 01/23/2005 p.E10 Sight and Sound
"The genius of Edward G. Robinson's performance as the pint-sized mobster lies in its diffidence." 04/01/2005 p.84 |
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