A Vida Tem Dois Aspectos

A wonderful heartwarming movie especially the differences between the son and the adopted son!

In this hammy melodrama from Warner Brothers and director Alfred E. Green, Italian immigrant "Mama" Teresa Lorenzo (Marjorie Rambeau) struggles to raise her son Joe on her own. Despite the hardship, she even agrees to adopt Joe's orphaned, homeless friend Nick. As the boys grow into men, Nick (William Lundigan) stays on the straight and narrow, graduating from college. Meanwhile, Joe (John Garfield) has fallen into a life of crime, which he keeps secret from Mama. When Joe returns home with new girlfriend Laurie (Brenda Marshall), the stage is set for conflict as Nick falls for the gal, too.

This is yet another substandard film that Garfield had to endure, and this one is further hampered by some bad acting and a cliche script. Rambeau is just terrible as the stereotypical "Mama", sporting one of the most exaggerated phony accents ever committed to celluloid. George Tobias, too,lays it on thick, but one expects that of his generally boisterous performances. Marshall makes for a bland leading lady, and I had a hard time figuring out why both guys went crazy over her.

Gotta admit it, no studio was as good at making crime movies as Warner Brothers during the 1930's. With Cagney, Bogie, and, here, John Garfield, there were fewer actors at any one studio who were as good at being bad. And that's what makes "East of the River" so watchable. The performances help to turn what's basically a routine crime drama into a watchable, second-string noir treasure.

As to the basic plot, that's been done again and again in endless variations. Warners even used it at least a half a dozen times. Boyhood best friends/brothers get into some sort of juvenile scrape. One goes "good," the other "bad." Both meet years later and thereby hangs the tale. However, when the boys are played by Garfield and popular 30's second-lead William Lundigan and the girl they both love by Brenda (Mrs. William Holden) Marshall, the good performances that result raise the story above the standard clichés. Almost as good, albeit with a lot of stock "Italian" mannerisms ("You a good-a boy!"), is Marjorie Rambeau as the boys' mother. Rambeau was one of those actresses who could shine in a broom closet, playing either the star's mother or a world-weary chippie (Catch her her in 1931's "The Secret Six" sometime) with equal finesse, transcending whatever stereotyped qualities may have been in the script. Also excellent are old Warners standby George Tobias as an excitable "Italian" waiter, Douglas Fowley as a particularly despicable heavy, and Moroni Olsen playing yet another of the authority figure roles he always did so well.

Okay, "East of the River" may not be in the same league with "Little Caesar," "The Public Enemy," "Angels with Dirty Faces," or even "You Can't Get Away with Murder." What it IS, though, is an excellent little (75 minutes) crime melodrama of the old school that is definitely worth a look.

East of the River (1940)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Predictable Warner film tells the story of two friends who go different ways in life. One becomes a good guy while the other, played by John Garfield, can't seem to stay out of trouble. We've seen this story countless times so I'm going to guess Warner just used one of their old screenplays to give Garfield something to shine in. We've seen this story in countless gang pictures from the studio so if you've seen at least one of them then this film won't offer you anything new. As usual, Garfield is given a boring screenplay but he makes the film watchable due to his great performance. He's very strong in the film and allows us to feel sorry for him as well.

Two boys behave badly and are to be sentenced. The Italian mama of one implores the judge to let her take care of her son and he hesitantly agrees. The other one, though, is off to reform school. He has no parents. So mama says she will adopt him; and William Lundigan and John Garfield are raised as if they were brothers, above a restaurant in Little Italy.

This movie begins stylishly, with a tour guide telling about New York. Not too different from what they say 80-some years later than the action is meant to take place. Orchard Street used to be an orchard and yes, Canal Street was once a canal.

And the action is standard Warner Brothrs crime drama issue. Not at all bad. Brenda Marshall, furthermore, is very appealing as a moll who decides to walk the straight and narrow. She was a beautiful woman in a somewhat unusual way and, though not a great actress based on her performances, she could have been coached into one had she been so inclined.

The problem is the casting. OK, John Garfield was not Italian. Neither was Edward G. Robinson, but they both played Italians at times. However, what really shocked me is the direction of the mother character, and her man friend as well, to use thoroughly implausible "he's-a my good- bambino"-type dialect. It's almost as if major characters were in blackface.

I didn't notice who the secondary players in the cast at the beginning and was horrified to see that the marvelous character actress Marjorie Rambeau ("Primrose Path," "Scandal Sheet," among many superb performances) was playing this role.

It was in keeping with the times to a degree but it comes across as offensive today. .