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Features: DVD, Mono Audio, English, French, Spanish, Subtitled
As a psychotic thug devoted to his hard-boiled ma, James Cagney--older, scarier and just as electrifying--give a performance to match his work in The Public Enemy as White Heat's cold-blooded Cody Jarrett. Thrillingly directed by Raoul Walsh, this fast-paced thriller tracing Jarrett's violent life both in and out of jail is also a harrowing character study. Jarrett is a psychological time bomb ruled by impulse. He murders a wounded accomplice and revels in the act. He neglects his sultry wife (Virginia Mayo) and adores his doting mother (Margaret Wycherly). In one of White Heat's two most memorable scenes, Jarrett hears of his mother's death and goes berserk in the prison mess hall. Cagney ad-libbed it, just telling Walsh before shooting to "Put two strong men at the end of the table." The fiery finale is equally famous. Jarrett climbs atop an oil tanker, shouts "Made it, Ma! Top of the world!"--then blows himself into movie history.
"One of the great crime films. A solid winner." Clive Hirschhorn, The Warner. Bros. Story
"Classic gangster film...[Cagney's] portrayal is breathtaking." VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever
Editor's Note
A psychopathic criminal with a mother complex makes a daring escape from prison and leads his old gang in a chemical plant payroll robbery. Shortly after the plan goes into effect, things begin to go woefully astray. Academy Award Nominations: Best Motion Picture Story.
Plot Summary
James Cagney solidified his tough guy persona in this brutal gangster opus about a vicious man who still loves his Ma.| Cody Jarrett, the leader of a gang out west, has been busy knocking over banks and holding up trains. Complicating matters some, he has in tow his beloved Ma, his cool blonde beauty, Verna, and a suave double-crossing hood, Big Ed.| The feds manage to put Cody behind bars on a minor charge. They then decide to plant an undercover agent in Cody's prison cell to win his confidence and encourage him to spill the beans about his criminal history.| After a prison riot, Cody escapes. He leads the police on a chase through a mazelike chemical factory that culminates Cody's life of crime... and Cody insists on going out in his own blaze of glory.
| Features | "White Heat: Top Of The World" Featurette | | Audio Commentary By Film Historian Dr. Drew Casper | | Audio: English Dolby Digital Mono | | Interactive Menus | | Leonard Maltin Hosts Warner Night At The Movies 1949 With Newsreel, Comedy Short So You Think You're Not Guilty, Cartoon Homeless Hare And Theatrical Trailers | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English, French, Spanish |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Warner |
| Release Date: 1/25/2005 |
| Original Release Date: 1949 | | Catalog ID: 67235 | | UPC: 00012569672352 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Video: B&W |
Aspect Ratio | | Standard 1.33:1 [4:3] |
| Cast & Crew
| Memorable Quotes| "Finally made it, Ma! Top o' the world!" ---- Cody Jarrett (JAMES CAGNEY) to his absent mother (MARGARET WYCHERLY) |
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| | Professional Reviews | Entertainment Weekly
"[A] hard-boiled masterpiece..." 01/28/2005 p.68USA Today
"Blisteringly paced by director Raoul Walsh and better than ever, this powerhouse cult movie marked a kind of comeback for Cagney." 01/28/2005 p.4D Los Angeles Times
"[An] exceptional gangster drama..." 01/23/2005 p.E10 The Motion Picture Guide 9 of 10
...Never was Cagney so intense, electrifying, or lethal as in this incredible film... White Heat<
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