American Madness

Fast-moving story about how a banker (Walter Huston) with down-to-earth values weathers a financial storm. Plusses: Huston's consummate performance. The bank itself: grand and gleaming in the style of a great palace. The care with which the cumbersome, downright ritualistic opening and closing of bank's massive vault is photographed. A nicely written part for Kay Johnson as Huston's neglected but gallant wife. A more or less constant parade of bit players that at one point ricochet across the screen, in a sequence illustrating how a rumor can start a firestorm of exaggeration - hence the title, "AMERICAN MADNESS." Robert Riskin's realistic, casual-sounding dialogue presented in overlapping fashion - an early Capra trademark. Exciting mob scenes as the depositors rush into the bank in panic. Cinematography from many different angles and plenty of tracking shots through busy frames. Supporting player Gavin Gordon's curiously plucked eyebrows. A minus: The resolution of the plot's financial crisis is too sudden and arbitrary, but the way the personal relationships work out is clever and believable. The positives, however, far, far outweigh the negatives and again it must be said that this is an outstanding Huston performance which shows his great range; for him alone the movie is well worth seeing.

American Madness (1932)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Extremely entertaining and all around dramatic film from Capra tells various stories inside a bank. All are centered around the head man (Walter Huston) at a bank that soon finds itself robbed with a watchman dead. One of the most trusted guys (Pat O'Brien) gets blamed for it and while this is going on word starts to get around that the bank is going to fall, which causes a near riot of people showing up to withdrawal all their money. I'm sure people could call this thing preachy but then again that's something you could call just about any film from this director. I was really surprised after viewing this that it wasn't more talked about in terms of classics from the director because I found it to be a rather solid entertainment from start to finish. The movie not only features some great performances but we've also got Capra telling a great story and milking it for every ounce of drama. You could also take the opening speech by Huston and play it today and it would still make sense and pack quite a punch. Capra does a wonderful job at keeping the film rolling at an extremely fast pace and I think he handles every little story just perfectly. We have a subplot with one of the bankers connections to some mob men and he also just happens to be connected to Huston's wife. We have O'Brien and his woman going through some troubles, which is handled very well and all the stuff dealing with the bank is pretty much an early version of what we'd eventually see in IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE. The performances are also very good with Huston leading the way with another major winner. His opening speech is marvelous as is the scene where he finds the truth out about his wife. O'Brien is very good as well as he perfectly fits that every man role. Kay Johnson and Constance Cummings are both good as well. One of the best moments in the film happens at the end when we witness the mad rush of the bank. The hundreds of extras used here is very impressive especially for such a small movie like this. I really enjoyed how Capra just left the camera in one spot for a minute and just let us witness the mad dash as it really gives us an idea and feeling of being in there among everyone. When people talk about Capra they rarely mention this film but I think it's a very strong little gem.

Wonderful Depression-era movie about a bank president (Walter Huston) who has more than his share of troubles - his board of directors is criticizing his every move, his wife is looking for love in all the wrong places, and his favorite employee (Pat O'Brien) is accused of robbing the bank. It's notable today for being directed by Frank Capra and for having a few similarities to his later classic It's a Wonderful Life (particularly the bank run). Good cast backing up Huston and O'Brien, who are both terrific, includes Kay Johnson, Gavin Gordon, Edwin Maxwell, Arthur Hoyt, Berton Churchill, the lovely Constance Cummings, and Sterling Holloway. Some nice directorial touches from Capra, great script from Robert Riskin, and attractive photography from Joseph Walker. An early taste of the kinds of classics Capra would later make - socially conscious dramas with some humor, heart, and ultimately an optimistic outlook on life. You can't go wrong with Capra or, for that matter, Walter Huston. Anything involving these two is worth a look, particularly if it's from the 1930s.

I like the early Frank Capra films like this one and It Happened One Night better than his later films like Mr. Smith Goes To Washington and Meet John Doe. This movie stars Walter Huston as a bank president who's partners don't like the way he runs the bank and want him to resign. They can't make him and there's really nothing they can do. When an employee gets in debt to some gangsters for $50,000 dollars and he doesn't have the money, the gangsters tell him what to do so they can sneak in that night and rob the bank. During the robbery, a security guard is killed and word gets around town that the bank is broke. A mob of people show up and want to take their money out. They run out of money pretty quick and they have a hard time finding some more. Pat O'Brien also stars as Huston's friend and an employee who's in charge of the money. There's even more plot that deals with Huston's wife and the employee who was in debt with the gangsters.

This is early Frank Capra film, primarily interesting because of Walter Huston's character and the portrayal of mob mentality in a "run" on the bank. Walter Huston plays a noble bank president who tries to serve the community while fighting off greedy bankers who want to cash in and the mob mentality of the people he is trying to protect. Meanwhile, his wife feels neglected, but that relationship isn't developed enough to make interesting. Good Production values for a film of this time.