ブログ

Plot
In the filthy slums of New York, wealthy people have built luxury apartments there because of the view of the picturesque East River. While they live in opulence, the destitute and dirt poor live nearby in crowded, filthy tenements.
At the end of the street is a dock on the East River; to the left are the luxury apartments and to the right are the slums. The Dead End Kids, led by Tommy Gordon (Billy Halop), are a petty gang of street urchins who are already well onto a path to a life of crime. Members of the gang besides Tommy include, Dippy (Huntz Hall), Angel (Bobby Jordan), Spit (Leo Gorcey), T.B. (Gabriel Dell), and Milty (Bernard Punsly), the new kid on the block in search of friends. Spit is a bit malicious with a cruel streak and initially bullies the newcomer and takes his pocket change. However, Tommy eventually lets Milty join the gang, and he turns out to be both a loyal and generous friend.
Tommy's sister, Drina (Sylvia Sidney), dreams of marrying some dashing, rich stranger who will save her and Tommy from this miserable life of poverty and help prevent Tommy from growing up to be a mobster like Hugh "Baby Face" Martin (Humphrey Bogart), who has returned to the neighborhood to visit his mother and childhood girlfriend. Dave Connell (Joel McCrea), raised on the same street as Martin, recognizes him and warns him to stay away, but Martin contemptuously ignores him. Dave, a frustrated architect who currently works odd jobs, is Drina's childhood friend. He is having an affair with a rich man's mistress, Kay Burton (Wendy Barrie). Although Dave and Kay love each other, they know they can't be together because Dave cannot provide Kay with the kind of lifestyle she desires.
Meanwhile, the kids lure Philip (Charles Peck), a rich kid from the apartments, into a cellar where they beat and rob him. When the boy's father tries to intervene, Tommy winds up stabbing him in the arm. He escapes the police and goes into hiding.
Martin is subsequently rejected by his mother (Marjorie Main), who denounces him as a murderer, and repulsed by his ex-girlfriend, Francie (Claire Trevor), who is now a prostitute and "sick" (a coded reference to her suffering late term stages of syphilis). Despondent over the failed visit, he decides to kidnap the rich child for ransom to make the trip back worthwhile. Dave sees Martin and his accomplices planning the kidnapping and again warns him to leave. Martin knifes him and Hunk (Allen Jenkins) pushes him into the river. Managing to pull himself out of the river, Dave pursues the hoodlums, knocking out Hank and chasing Martin on the rooftops before cornering him on a fire escape. Among a hail of bullets, he manages to kill Martin who falls onto the street below.
As the police and a crowd of people gather around Martin's body, the doorman (Ward Bond) recognizes Spit as being a member of the gang that attacked the rich kid's father and identifies him to Officer Mulligan (James Burke). Spit exonerates himself by informing the police that the man was cut by Tommy, who has returned to say goodbye to Drina before running away.
Meanwhile, Kay approaches Dave asking him to go away with her, using the reward money that he received for killing Martin. Dave refuses, and Kay returns to the man whom she doesn't love, but can provide her with financial security.
Tommy hears of Spit's betrayal and tries to give him the mark of the "squealer", which is a knife wound across the cheek. Before he can do so, Dave intervenes, and he and Drina convince Tommy to surrender to the police. Dave then offers to use his reward money to pay for Tommy's defense. As Drina, Dave, and Tommy leave with Mulligan, the rest of the Dead End Kids meander off into the night, singing "If I had the wings of an angel, over these prison walls I would fly."

Cast
Sylvia Sidney as Drina Gordon シルヴィア・シドニー
Joel McCrea as Dave Connell ジョエル・マクリー
Humphrey Bogart as Hugh Martin ハンフリー・ボガート
The Dead End Kids
Billy Halop as Tommy Gordon ビリー・ハロップ
　　Huntz Hall as Dippy ハンツ・ホール
　　Bobby Jordan as Angel ボビー・ジョーダン
Leo Gorcey as Spit レオ・ゴーシー
　　Gabriel Dell as T.B. ガブリエル・デル
Bernard Punsly as Milton 'Milty' バーバード・パンズリー
Claire Trevor as Francey クレア・トレヴァー
Wendy Barrie as Kay Burton ウェンディ・バリー

Academy Awards
Nominated
Best Picture
Best Art Direction
Best Cinematography
Best Supporting Actress (Claire Trevor)

今日は映画について書きます。今日の作品は1937年公開の「デッドエンド」。ニューヨークのスラム街を舞台にした映画です。主演はシルヴィア・シドニー、ジョエル・マクリー。ハンフリー・ボガートも出演。監督は「ローマの休日」のウィリアム・ワイラー。

タイトルにあるデッドエンドDead Endとは行き詰まり、難局といった意味です。形容詞で貧民街のという意味もあります。↓は1890年代のニューヨークのスラム街の様子です。


映画はこのようなところを舞台にして不良少年たちのことを取り扱っています。その少年たちはデッドエンドキッズによって演じられています。デッドエンドキッズはこの映画が初出演です。この少年たちについては以前「汚れた顔の天使」に出てきたので既に書いています。詳しくは「汚れた顔の天使」の項目を見てください。
ハンフリー・ボガートが出演していますがトップにクレジットされているのはシルヴィア・シドニーとジョエル・マクリーでボガートのクレジットは3番目です。まだ助演扱いです。
とは言ってもこの映画での出番はかなり多い印象です。下手したらジョエル・マクリーより長いぐらいです。

※スラム街とは?
都市部で極貧層が居住する過密化した地区のことです。この映画で舞台になっているのはニューヨークです。1930年代のニューヨークは全米一で繁栄している印象がありますが、そういうところでも極貧層が住む場所があるのです。それがスラム街です。犯罪が多発する地域でもあります。日本にもこういった場所がありました。