. . . seems to be the message of CITY FOR CONQUEST. James Cagney simply wants to see his girl waiting at the door of his flat when his shift in the truck is finished. Ann Sheridan simply wants to see her name in lights. Somehow, Cagney doesn't realize that Boxing is crooked. When pugilism is through with him, he cannot see Sheridan--even if she's standing right under his nose. Somehow, Sheridan cannot fathom that Broadway is for sell-outs (as in, folks who've sold their souls). When "her" name is finally in lights, it's just a random collage of assigned letters referring temporarily to the character spotlit in her body, since she's only a wee little widget in the insatiable Fame meat-grinding machine. In the end, both Cagney and Sheridan are ruined wrecks by Age 30. This is the case with most Real Life entries into the Boxing or Broadway Games. The Wheel of Life spins far faster in New York City, so if you cling on long enough to make it to the top, it's just for a fleeting second. Fortunately, Max Steiner is Cagney's brother here, so we get some Fanfare for the Common Man. Cagney and Sheridan's dreams are gone with the wind, so there seems to be little chance of them having a meaningful tomorrow.

City for Conquest (1940)Great credentials here, from director Anatole Litvak to photographers (two of them) James Wong Howe and Sol Polito. That's enough for any movie. And music by Max Steiner, and throw in James Cagney, and you get a sense of the rich tapestry of New York that gets better and better as it goes, with even a small (sensational) part by Elia Kazan and Arthur Kennedy's first role.Now it's a little stretch to see Cagney as a fighter--he's fit about as much as I am, and has no boxer's physique. But the movie is a hair lightweight in a heartwarming way (this is no Raging Bull, nor even James Garfield, later in the 1940s). But it creates a great milieux, just as the war is going in Europe and the Depression is ending in New York. The streets are abuzz, and love is in the air. There are a lot of 1930s era effects that are quaint--the fast montages of the city, or of dancers--and the plot itself, of a couple destined for each other but buffeted by life's usual distractions, is sweet.And it all unfolds with such well-oiled perfection, the same era as Kane and Casablanca, and the same studio system and film stock. Great stuff, well made, and overcoming whatever conventional sentiments that thread through it all. It's even enjoyable without the plot, the boatride at night (think Weegee), the street scenes with kids everywhere (think Helen Levitt). It's a surprisingly honest, vivid movie.

City for Conquest (1940) *** (out of 4) James Cagney's brilliant performance is the highlight of this film about a boxer (Cagney) who risks it all for the love of his girl (Ann Sheridan) and his brother (Arthur Kennedy). It's rather amazing at how great Cagney can be in so many different type of roles. Yes, he mainly played wise guys but whenever he broke this mode he just shows what a great actor he was and that's certainly true with his performance here, which has to rank as one of the greatest of his career. The transformations his character goes through is certainly a juicy role for an actor and Cagney nails all of the different moods without any problems. When the boxer starts to lose his site is when Cagney really shines and his performance here is brilliantly done. I'm not sure what they did to Cagney's eyes but whatever they did looked terrific. I didn't care too much for Sheridan as I thought she brought the film down and a better actress would have suited the film better. The supporting cast is excellent and features nice performances by Kennedy, Frank Craven, Donald Crisp, Frank McHugh and George Tobias. Anthony Quinn is terrific in his role as Cagney's rival and future director Elia Kazan also shocked me with how great he was. The big boxing scene was brilliantly filmed and looked extremely well bringing in all sorts of intense action. The ending is pretty hokey but otherwise this is a highly impressive little film.

A piece of trivia for all you movie and TV buffs: The symphony created by legendary Warners Bros. Max Steiner for the Arthur Kennedy character (Edward Kenny) did find fame beyond the film's release. It became the main theme for the 1950s television series, "Naked City," where there were a million stories and each week featured one of them. This is one of Cagney's six best movie roles (along with "White Heat." "Angels with Dirty Faces," "Yankee Doodle Dandy," "The Roaring 20s" and "The Public Enemy") and earned him an Oscar nomination. Also, not named in the music credits here is "42nd Street," which is played by the orchestra at the street dance. And unlike other boxing movies where the star looked out of place in the rung (size-wise), Cagney's character was listed as a featherweight because, in his halcyon days, that was all Cagney was - a rather short, slight former dancer with the perfect New York Irish attitude.