Al Capone (1959)

This factual biography of gang lord Al Capone follows his rise and fall in Chicago gangdom during the Prohibition era.

Director:

Richard Wilson

Writers:

Malvin Wald, Henry F. Greenberg

Stars:

Rod Steiger, Martin Balsam, Fay Spain

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rod Steiger	...	Al Capone
Fay Spain	...	Maureen Flannery
James Gregory	...	Schaefler (narrator)
Martin Balsam	...	Mac Keeley, reporter
Nehemiah Persoff	...	Johnny Torrio
Murvyn Vye	...	George 'Bugs' Moran
Robert Gist	...	Dion O'Banion
Lewis Charles	...	Earl Weiss
Joe De Santis	...	Big Jim Colosimo
Sandy Kenyon	...	Bones Corelli
Raymond Bailey	...	Lawyer Brancato
Al Ruscio	...	Tony Genaro
Louis Quinn	...	Joe Lorenzo
Ron Soble	...	John Scalisi
Steve Gravers	...	Albert Anselmi

Storyline

In this unusually accurate biography, small-time hood Al Capone comes to Chicago at the dawn of Prohibition to be the bodyguard of racketeer Johnny Torrio. Capone's rise in Chicago gangdom is followed through murder, extortion, and political fraud. He becomes head of Chicago's biggest "business," but moves inexorably toward his downfall and ignominious end.

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Plot Keywords:

Al Capone | Prohibition | Murder | Gun Moll | Posing For A Photograph | 

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Taglines:

His True Shocking Story...Filmed with Bullet Force!

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Genres:

Biography | Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 March 1959 (USA)

Also Known As:

Lain ja oikeuden voitto

Company Credits

Production Co:

Allied Artists Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Nehemiah Persoff, who portrays Capone's boss, Johnny Torrio, had a recurring role on the TV series, The Untouchables playing, among other roles, Capone's book keeper, Jake "Greasy Thumbs" Guzik.

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Connections

Referenced in Las travesuras de Morucha (1962)
A poster of this film can be seen

User Reviews

Down Memory Lane

This 1959 picture is yet another cinematic retelling of the life of mobster Al Capone, and is better than most I've seen. Rod Steiger as Big Al seems miscast at first but wins me over in the end. Steiger was a born ham, but a fine actor for all his Methodish mannerisms, and has moments in the movie in which he's almost hypnotically effective. Yes, it's a performance, I kept on telling myself, but so was Capone himself. Over the top, perhaps, but Capone was himself more than a little touched, and Steiger nails this aspect of Capone to perfection, and is more effective in capturing the big guy's capriciousness than Robinson or Muni before him. Steiger's Capone isn't merely a gangster, he's a man possessed.

Director Richard Wilson's keeps this fairly modestly budgeted film moving at a fast pace, and it's never boring. In supporting roles, Fay Spain, Martin Balasm, James Gregory and Nehemiah Persoff are all effective. The black and white of this film evokes the late fifties more than the roaring twenties, and the movie at times feels a little like an episode of The Untouchables, at other times like Some Like It Hot. The Jazz Age was itself hot as the Eisenhower era was drawing to a close. F. Scott Fitzgerald's novels were coming back into vogue. O'Neill revivals on and off-Broadway were becoming commonplace. Al Capone captures this nostalgic mood, but really makes me nostalgic for the fifties more than for the twenties, for a time when fairly recent history could still be viewed as larger than life, the stuff of serious art and contemplation, not just fashionable nostalgia. Al Capone the movie is more nostalgia than serious art, but it touches on important issues, concerning violence, friendship, the role of government and the press as they pertain to and often collude with the criminal element, that still resonate today.