La ruée

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.

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.

...from Columbia Pictures and director Frank Capra. Walter Huston stars as Thomas Dickson, a hard-charging bank president who runs his business with an eye towards growth and the future, much to the annoyance of his more conservative board members. His workload forces him to neglect his wife Phyllis (Kay Johnson), who looks for comfort in the arms of sketchy bank employee Cyril (Gavin Gordon). Meanwhile, another employee, Matt (Pat O'Brien) is romancing a secretary, Helen (Constance Cummings). When a terrible crime is committed, it causes a run on the bank, and everyone may lose everything.

For some reason I was expecting a look at backroom banking machinations that lead to the financial collapse of the Great Depression, but instead this is largely a soap-opera level melodrama about infidelity, gambling debts, and mob mentality. Huston is in full alpha-male motor-mouth mode, threatening to steamroll over anyone sharing a scene. Kay Johnson seems to have trouble with inattentive husbands given her other roles in the precode era. Gavin Gordon looks odd with his overly-manicured, pencil-thin eyebrows. This isn't bad, it's just fluff.

Frank Capra was just starting with his theme of the little guy trumps power, and corruption. It was the first collaboration with Mr. Capra, and his favorite screenwriter, Robert Riskin. This is a seamless screenplay to be sure. great attention is paid to detail... with only one blunder with John Huston's wife showing up with different dress only moments after she appears in different dress. Which brings up a point with the previous commenter... Constance Cummings was NOT John Huston's wife in this movie. Ms. Cummings was Helen.

Helen was Mr. Huston's secretary, and fiancée of Pat O'Brien's character Kay Johnson played the wife, and, VERY well. Ms. Johnson only made 24 movies before she quit in 1944.

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.