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Le Petit César

Original title: Little Caesar
  • 1931
  • Tous publics
  • 1h 19m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
15K
YOUR RATING
Le Petit César (1931)
Trailer for the one true story of the underworld kings
Play trailer2:09
1 Video
80 Photos
GangsterPsychological DramaTragedyActionCrimeDramaRomance

A small-time criminal moves to a big city to seek bigger fortune.A small-time criminal moves to a big city to seek bigger fortune.A small-time criminal moves to a big city to seek bigger fortune.

  • Director
    • Mervyn LeRoy
  • Writers
    • W.R. Burnett
    • Francis Edward Faragoh
    • Robert N. Lee
  • Stars
    • Edward G. Robinson
    • Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
    • Glenda Farrell
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.2/10
    15K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Mervyn LeRoy
    • Writers
      • W.R. Burnett
      • Francis Edward Faragoh
      • Robert N. Lee
    • Stars
      • Edward G. Robinson
      • Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
      • Glenda Farrell
    • 139User reviews
    • 70Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 2 wins & 1 nomination total

    Videos1

    Little Caesar
    Trailer 2:09
    Little Caesar

    Photos80

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    + 74
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    Top cast32

    Edit
    Edward G. Robinson
    Edward G. Robinson
    • Caesar Enrico 'Rico' Bandello…
    Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
    Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
    • Joe Massara
    Glenda Farrell
    Glenda Farrell
    • Olga Stassoff
    William Collier Jr.
    William Collier Jr.
    • Tony Passa
    Sidney Blackmer
    Sidney Blackmer
    • Big Boy
    Ralph Ince
    Ralph Ince
    • Pete Montana
    Thomas E. Jackson
    Thomas E. Jackson
    • Sgt. Flaherty
    • (as Thomas Jackson)
    Stanley Fields
    Stanley Fields
    • Sam Vettori
    Maurice Black
    Maurice Black
    • Little Arnie Lorch
    George E. Stone
    George E. Stone
    • Otero
    Armand Kaliz
    Armand Kaliz
    • De Voss
    Nicholas Bela
    • Ritz Colonna
    • (as Nick Bela)
    Ernie Adams
    Ernie Adams
    • Cashier
    • (uncredited)
    Elmer Ballard
    • Bat Carilla
    • (uncredited)
    Ferike Boros
    Ferike Boros
    • Mrs. Passa
    • (uncredited)
    Kernan Cripps
    Kernan Cripps
    • Detective
    • (uncredited)
    George Daly
    • Machine-Gunner
    • (uncredited)
    Adolph Faylauer
    Adolph Faylauer
    • New Year's Celebrant
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Mervyn LeRoy
    • Writers
      • W.R. Burnett
      • Francis Edward Faragoh
      • Robert N. Lee
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews139

    7.215.2K
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    10

    Featured reviews

    7Don-102

    "Is this the end of Rico?" - Yes, But the Start of My Favorite Genre - Mob Movies

    LITTLE CAESAR was made at a critical time in U.S. history. Prohibition was in, the depression was overwhelming, and mobsters were running rampant. I don't think the filmmakers realized it, but they have made a movie that paints the "Mafia" as glamorous and flashy. A message appears before the flick, telling the public how "we" must stop gangsters like Tom Powers (James Cagney,PUBLIC ENEMY) and Rico, (Edward G. Robinson, LITTLE CAESAR). The movie probably had youngsters and adults alike wanting to live the life of a man who had a city in his grasp, and no one who was anyone was "yellow". All seriousness aside, this blueprint of a long history of mob pictures is silly, dated, and damn watchable. You can't take your eyes off the screen.

    A film with dialogue like the ultimate cliche "Go on. I'm...done for" must be a waste of time right? Not if you appreciate pre-historic cinema and the Vitaphone films of the early talkie period. Actors like the great Edward G. Robinson were born to talk and deliver lines at machine gun pace. This is what the audiences of the time were looking for. And that mug. Audiences would not see such a face on a gangster until Brando's GODFATHER. If you love GOODFELLAS, THE GODFATHER, Cagney and Bogart films, and even PULP FICTION, this is a must see. Experience an American original - the first potent "La Cosa Nostra" movie. Rat tat tat tat tat!!!

    RATING: 10 of 10
    7ma-cortes

    This is one of the great early talkies and still a highly watchable movie dealing with a vicious gangster

    Powerful portrait of the rise and fall of a nasty mobster extraordinarily performed by Edward G Robinson . A heinous and villain hoodlum named Rico (Edward G. Robinson) moves from the country to the big town and joins Sam Vettori's gang along with his fellow Joe Massara (Clark Gable was originally considered for the part but Jack L. Warner decided that Gable's ears were too big, and the role went to Douglas Fairbanks Jr. instead) to rise up through the ranks of the city underworld . Soon he becomes the boss of the mobsters and known as Little Caesar, and gets closer to the great gangster Pete Montana (Ralph Ince) and Big Boy (Sidney Blackmer) . The character of Cesare Enrico Bandello is not, as widely believed, based on Al Capone. Instead, he is based on Salvatore "Sam" Cardinella, a violent Chicago gangster who operated in the early years of Prohibition . And the role of Joe Massara was based on actor George Raft, who was associated with Owney Madden, the man who organized the taxi racket in New York City.

    The movie results to be one of the great mobsters pictures , and an expertly directed film that made Edward G Robinson a superstar . Despite the film's huge success, the book's author, W.R. Burnett, was furious that no actual Italians were cast in the film . Classic gangster movie contains top-notch performances , intense drama , thrills , fast-paced , action , and a shocking final . Magnificent Edward G Robinson in the title role as a snarling and ominous gangster . In one scene, Edward G. Robinson had to fire a pistol while facing the camera , try as he might, he was unable to keep his eyes open each time he pulled the trigger . Producer Hal B. Wallis originally auditioned Edward G. Robinson for the supporting role of Otero -played in the film by George Stone- before deciding he was perfect as Rico . Although The Doorway to Hell(1930), a gangster film released by Warner Bros. in 1930 was a big hit at the time, most sources consider Little Caesar to be the film which started a brief craze for the genre in the early 1930s. The "Forward" that now appears on the beginning of the film was added for the 1954 re-release of Little Caesar and The public enemy (1931) as a combination package.

    The character Diamond Pete Montana was modeled on Jim Colosimo, who was murdered by Al Capone; and "The Big Boy" was based on corrupt politician William 'Big Bill' Thompson, Mayor of Chicago. The underworld banquet sequence was also based on a real event - a notorious party in honor of two gangsters, Charles Dion O'Bannion and Samuel J. "Nails" Morton, which received unfavorable coverage in the Chicago press. This First National Vitaphone early talking picture was well directed by Mervyn LeRoy and ready for release in December 1930, but Warner's brass felt it was not a Christmas picture , it officially debuted at the Strand Theatre in New York City on 9 January 1931. It ranked #9 on the American Film Institute's list of the 10 greatest films in the genre "Gangster" in June 2008.
    8Xstal

    Salad Days...

    There's a villain and he's out to make his name, Caesar Enrico Bandello, just has no shame, with a cannon in his hand, shoot you down just where you stand, there's no way that he'll be stopped, he won't be tamed. He's taken over a small gang, after a heist, where the crime commissioner has paid a price, a rival boss then shoots him down, but it only leaves a frown, then 'Big Boy' gives him Chicago's Northside vice.

    Isn't Edward G. Robinson always spellbinding, especially in his more devious roles. The ascent and decent of a larger than life ego, the cost to others and the ultimate price paid in the quest for power.
    Snow Leopard

    Robinson's Performance Highlights A Good Production That Still Works

    Edward G. Robinson's memorable performance in "Little Caesar" is rightfully one of his best-remembered roles. While he deserves also to be remembered for his versatility in many other performances as well, it's easy to see why this one in particular is still remembered. Along with James Cagney's role in "The Public Enemy", Robinson's portrayal here helped to exemplify the kinds of characters that for some time defined the genre.

    The story is not without interest in itself, as it follows the rise and decline of various gangsters and their followers. The fragile nature of their form of 'power' comes across quite clearly, and of course there is plenty of action as well. It's not especially subtle, but it wasn't supposed to be. The supporting cast all give solid performances, but Robinson's character is always the center of attention. Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. has the most interesting character to work with among the supporting roles.

    The story moves at a good pace, especially given its release date, and is over almost before you know it. Even aside from Robinson, it's one of the better features of the earliest years of sound movies, handling the dialogue and sound better than most. Like "The Public Enemy", it was set in its own time, but it's a good production overall that still works rather well decades later.
    Camera-Obscura

    Still holds up very well

    Seminal gangster film about the rise and fall of Enrico Bandello, a Chicago hoodlum, based on the novel by W.R. Burnett. The prototype for Enrico was, like so many other gangster heroes, mobster Al Capone. If you know a little bit about his life story, you got your basic gangster plot for practically all films that followed, like Tony Camonte in SCARFACE.

    This film was the first of "the big three", together with PUBLIC ENEMY (1931) and SCARFACE: SHAME OF THE NATION (1932) and provided the blueprint for the modern gangster crime flic. It was the first gangster film to reach a wide audience and launched Edward G. Robinson to stardom. The story is simple and straightforward and might feel a little overly familiar to modern audiences, but the film lost little of its power and still holds up pretty well. It's a tough movie, but mostly tough talking with not much violence on screen.

    But the film would probably be instantly forgettable without Robinson's superb performance. Whenever he's on screen, his presence is incredibly menacing. The rest of the cast is so so, but Thomas Jackson as Flaherty, Rico's nemesis, gives a wonderfully cynical performance, mocking Rico and all the other gangsters. Like most other early gangster films, it lacks the real emotional depth and complexity that came with later films, like the French gangster films of the fifties or THE GODFATHER and was made primarily as popular entertainment. Pleasant entertainment nevertheless with Edward G. Robinson portraying the first classic gangster role in screen history.

    Camera Obscura --- 8/10

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The character of Cesare Enrico Bandello is not, as widely believed, based on Al Capone. Instead, he is based on Salvatore "Sam" Cardinella, a violent Chicago gangster who operated in the early years of Prohibition.
    • Goofs
      Rico is hit by the bullet sufficiently to require bandaging by Scabby, but the overcoat he was wearing has no bullet hole in it, nor is there any trace of blood in the subsequent scene in Little Arnie's office.
    • Quotes

      [last lines]

      Caesar Enrico Bandello: Mother of Mercy! Is this the end of Rico?

    • Alternate versions
      In the 1954 re-release, a foreword crawl was added, warning that the "heroes" of Little Caesar and L'ennemi public (1931) represent "a problem that sooner or later we, the public, must solve." This version is often shown on cable channels.
    • Connections
      Featured in Hollywood: The Fabulous Era (1962)
    • Soundtracks
      Foret Perfide
      (uncredited)

      Music by Gabriel Marie

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    FAQ17

    • How long is Little Caesar?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 28, 1931 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Little Caesar
    • Filming locations
      • Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA(Studio)
    • Production company
      • First National Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 19m(79 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White

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