The Doorway to Hell (1930) Review: The Good, The Bad & How to Watch

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  The Doorway to Hell (1930) Review: The Good, The Bad & How to Watch  American Film, Crime, Drama Academy Awards, 1931- Nominee: Best Writing, Original Story The early 1930s in Hollywood were marked by a frantic, electric energy as the industry found its voice—literally. In the middle of this transition, a gritty little gem called The Doorway to Hell slipped into theaters, offering a blueprint for the gangster epics that would soon dominate the silver screen. While it often sits in the shadow of the titans that followed, this film captures a specific, raw moment in cinematic history that feels surprisingly modern even today. More on Wikipedia or Mubi  The Brutal Elegance of The Doorway to Hell  At its heart, the story follows a young gang leader who attempts to trade the chaos of the underworld for a quiet, respectable life. It is a classic American tragedy wrapped in the smoke of a speakeasy. The narrative leans heavily into the irony of a man trying to es...
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Watch Nous sommes tous des assassins (1952)

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Nous sommes tous des assassins (1952)
French Film, Italian Film, Crime, Drama
English title: We Are All Murderers
Italian title: Siamo tutti assassini

Winner: Special Jury Prize

We Are All Murderers (French: Nous sommes tous des assassins, Italian: Siamo tutti assassini) is a 1952 French-Italian crime drama film written and directed by André Cayatte and starring Marcel Mouloudji, Raymond Pellegrin and Claude Laydu. It was shot at the Boulogne Studios in Paris. The film's sets were designed by the art director Jacques Colombier. It tells the story of René, a young man from the slums, trained by the French Resistance in World War II to kill Germans. He continues to kill long after the war has ended, as it is all he knows. It was entered into the 1952 Cannes Film Festival and won the Special Jury Prize. 

Rene is not a bright guy. He was taught to kill by the Resistance. But the WW2 is over and he keeps on killing. He is condemned to death. In jail, expecting the presidential pardon, he mets other condemned men. An anti-capital punishment drama, written and directed by a former lawyer. 

Paris under the German occupation, the slums are all around in the light city, poverty, starvation, prostitution, children without school, alcoholism, beggars and the French resistance struggling against the invaders, crimes are committed by both sides, a young illiterate french was request to do some specifics little services, killing, when the French was finally free by allies, he kills an informer, sentenced by death on the guillotine, in the prison he meets several murderers in same context, hopeful by presidential pardon all them expecting to the final hour, Cayette made a powerful criticism over death penalty, try to explain how these criminals were compelled to do such atrocities, letting us think about it, in my teenage years l'was favorable on death sentence, but after some years l' did change my mind, no man is allowed to kill anyone, in fact if he does it in fact he stays in same position of the killer, this picture ratifies my latest posture, Cayette's masterpiece. More on Wikipedia or Mubi 

Cannes Film Festival, 1952- Special Jury Prize
BAFTA Awards, 1954- 2 nominations including: Best Film from any Source

Full film (English subtitles)

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