This milestone film, which marks the first time a screenwriter ever directed his own work, stands as a notable achievement for preston sturges, who would go on to craft some of the most hilarious, inspired, and substantive social. The great mcginty is a 1940 political satire comedy film written and directed by preston sturges, starring brian donlevy and akim tamiroff and featuring william. Preston sturgess academy awardwinning screenplay provides the spark for the great mcginity, a satirical comedy that also marked his directorial debut. This edition includes a brand new 4k master restoration which looks fantastic.
The great mcginty was preston sturges bid to do what few 1930s screenwriters had accomplished graduate to writerdirector status. The great mcginty was preston sturgess opportunity to hinder studio interference by directing one of his own screenplays. We begin at a bar in a banana republic where a forlorn and suicidal american banker is stopped from ending things by the bartender. This pair of films may not be quite as well known as some of the sturges classics which followed, but hopefully even more classic film fans will.
The great mcginty is een amerikaanse filmkomedie uit 1940 onder regie van preston. It also includes english subtitles which i mention because i use these all the time, audio commentary by film historian samm deighan and kino lorber classics movie trailers. Piloting an original story and screenplay of his own concoction, sturges displays ple. Dan mcginty has great success in his chosen field of crooked politics, but he endangers it. Buy the great mcginty movie posters from movie poster shop.
In accordance with the directives of government and health authorities, we. The picture stars brian donlevy as dan mcginty, a hobo on the breadline, discovered by the boss akim tamiroff. The great mcginty 1940 the great mcginty is a very entertaining satire about political corruption, written and directed by preston sturges. Brian donlevy plays dan mcginty, a chicago hobo who is hired by local political bosses as a professional voter, casting ballots under a variety of assumed names in various districts. Oscars best picture winners best picture winners golden globes emmys san diego comiccon new york comiccon sundance film festival toronto intl film festival awards central festival central all events. The bartender is also an american, dan mcginty, who tells his patron that he was once governor of a state in.
Before reaching the midpoint of the film, mcginty has already grown powerful. You wont make a mistake, believe us, if you stuff the ballotbox for the great mcginty. The great mcginty is not a great picture, a significant picture, or an important one. The great mcginty takes on the great political machine popmatters. Depressionera bum dan mcginty brian donlevy, intrigued by the offer of quick cash for ballot stuffing, makes himself a fortune while securing a reputation. Read the full synopsis of the great mcginty, 1940, directed by preston sturges, with brian donlevy, muriel angelus, akim tamiroff, at turner classic movies. Movie, the great mcginty movie,the great mcginty trailer,the great mcginty 1940, preston sturges,akim tamiroff, allyn joslyn, brian donlevy. The great mcginty special edition may also be available with public performance rights ppr and digital site licensing dsl for colleges and universities.
Brian was great in roles which allowed him to play a more comedic role. The great mcginty was preston sturges bid to do what few 1930s screenwriters had. Preston sturges classic hollywood comedy the great mcginty is an incisive and. While this film never reaches the giddy heights of some of his subsequent films, the great mcginty was a favorable harbinger of the therapeutic madness to come. Warlock western film in full length free youtube movie english hd full movie duration. But for his first such project to be so good has got to be seen as a brilliant achievement for sturges. It would be difficult to find a more hilariously pessimistic take on the subject of government corruption than 1940s the great mcginty it was the first feature directed as well as written by the great preston sturges the lady eve, the palm beach story, and like his other films, its far too uproarious to be upsetting. Snappy, rollicking, and sharp as a tack, the great mcginty brilliantly lampoons political corruption and remains just as relevant today as it surely was 80 years ago. She is a distant relative of brian donlevy, so i figured one of his dvds would be a nice gift. In a seedy banana republic barroom a bartender recounts the chain of events that led to his endoftheroad downfall in preston sturges consistently shrewd combination of comedy and social drama, the great mcginty 1940. The 8 essential films of preston sturges indiewire.
This film is considered to be one of his best performances by the critics. Indeed, films like the great dictator 1940, charlie chaplins satire of. Sturges always had interesting beginnings or ends to his films. Its fantastically well acted especially by brian donlevy and muriel angelus, donlevy was born to play a character like mcginty. That would be a good twoword summary of preston sturges attitude in the great mcginty 1940. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing the great mcginty near you. When the jig is up he hightails it to the border, penniless but with a clean conscience. Released july 15th, 1992, the great mcginty stars brian donlevy, muriel angelus, akim tamiroff, allyn joslyn the movie has a runtime of about 1 hr 22 min, and received a score of out of 100 on. The great mcginty 1992 stream and watch online moviefone.
If the story of a unscrupulous crook who rises to great political power hits a little too close to home these days, consider that in 1940s the great mcginty the mobster in question is a fundamentally decent gent who sacrifices his career to do the right thing. If youre a crook, stay a crook, because honesty will get ya every time. Oct 21, 2004 preston sturgess first film as writerdirector 1940 and one of his most. The great mcginty doesnt quite live up to its name but thats understandable for a firsttime director. The wardrobe in this film especially mcgintys flamboyant suits and catherines fabulous gowns were designed by the great edith head. Dan mcginty brian donlevy is a tramp who impresses a local crime boss akim tamiroff by voting 37 times in a rigged mayoral election. Kino lorber classics recently released the great mcginty 1940 on bluray. The great mcginty movie posters from movie poster shop. Brian donlevy is the great mcginty in this 1940 film written and directed by preston sturges. The great mcginty 1940 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Rebecca was the first americanmade film directed by british suspense master alfred hitchcock. Jul 02, 2015 the great mcginty doesnt quite live up to its name but thats understandable for a firsttime director. The film was written by preston sturges, and it was the last of his scripts shot by another director, as sturges began his own directorial career the same year with the great mcginty. The great mcginty introduces the sturges style largely intact, starting with a shrewd story line rooted in a provocative theme.
Were your movie poster source for new releases and vintage movie posters. Rent the great mcginty 1940 on dvd and bluray netflix. Sturges won the oscar for best original screenplay for his tale of a hobo, dan mcginty brian donlevy, who ends up as governor. Told in flashback, dan mcginty s brian donlevy tale is a cynical american success story narrated by a badguymadegood. Rent the great mcginty 1940 starring brian donlevy and muriel angelus on dvd and bluray. New audio commentary by film historian samm deighan. Preston sturges the great mcginty 1940 download torrent.
Jan 16, 2020 the great mcginty is the tale of a rube exploited for his gift of gab, but who awakens from this blindsided reign to become a true man of the people. The great mcginty, his first directorial effort, is certainly one of sturgess most satirical films. Waldo brian donlevy february 9, 1901 april 6, 1972 was an american actor, noted for playing dangerous tough guys from the 1930s to the 1960s. Remember the night is a 1940 american christmas romantic comedy trial film directed by mitchell leisen, and starring barbara stanwyck and fred macmurray. The great mcginty is a 1940 political satire comedy film written and directed by preston sturges, starring brian donlevy and akim tamiroff and featuring william demarest and in her final screen appearance muriel angelus. Brian donlevy, not always a likable actor, shines in the title role, and his relationship with akim tamiroffs character. Mcginty movie,the great mcginty trailer,the great mcginty 1940. This third collection of classic screenplays selected by sam thomas doesnt contain as many as in previous volumes but certainly is not lacking in quality. The great mcginty special edition bluray kino lorber home. Among his bestknown films are beau geste 1939, the great mcginty 1940 and wake island 1942, in which he played the lead.
In a seedy banana republic barroom a bartender recounts the chain of events that led to his endof the road downfall in preston sturges consistently shrewd combination of comedy and social drama, the great mcginty 1940. Piloting an original story and screenplay of his own concoction, sturges displays. Told in flashback, depressionera bum dan mcginty is recruited by the citys political machine to help with vote fraud. The result was the great mcginty 1940, which came to be widely regarded as one of the most original comedies of the 1940s. His great aptitude for this brings rapid promotion from the boss, who finally decides hed be ideal as a new, nominally reform mayor. Feb 15, 2020 1940 was a great year for sturges, as his directorial career got off to a grand start with both the great mcginty and christmas in july 1940, which was released by kino lorber a couple of months ago. I like it because he isnt playing the heavy like he does in many of the film noir movies he was in. The great mcginty initiates preston sturges into the directing ranks, after a long stretch as a film scenarist. Sturges would only get better as the years developed. It was apparently a hard bargain, as to earn the privilege sturges had to sell his script for this first film for practically nothing. The great mcginty also more cinematic than many of his films, utilizing more vibrant mise en scene and dynamic camera movement that helps sweep the story along as mcginty gets bumped progressively higher, icaruslike.
Told in flashback, dan mcgintys brian donlevy tale is a cynical american success story narrated by a badguymadegood. Dan mcginty is a an opportunist who turns corruption into a promising political. Great mcginty, the movie clip dont forget the mayor. I like sturges at his most bitingly satirical, sullivans travel is a masterpiece. The great mcginty is nevertheless a tale of domesticity as much as of politics.
The great mcginty 1940 rotten tomatoes movie trailers. Malcolm x 1992 official trailer denzel washington movie hd duration. Starring brian donlevy, muriel angelus, akim tamiroff, allyn joslyn, william demarest, louis jean heydt cinematography william c. The great mcginty bluray preston sturges brian donlevy. The great mcginty, a highspirited comedy of rogues and rascals, won the. The great mcginty premiered in new york city on august 15, 1940, and was generally released on august 23. The moral of preston sturges first directorial effort the great mcginty seems to be. This site is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the academy of motion picture arts and sciences. Brian donlevy and muriel angelus in the great mcginty 1940 brian donlevy and.
Tamiroff and donlevy would reprise their roles from this film in the amazing miracle of morgans creek, which leaves me wondering the. She plays catherine mcginty with grace and charm and left hollywood after that to return to the theater. The film also stars two men who would become part of the sturges group of actors, akim tamiroff and william demarest. Brian donlevy and akim tamiroff in the great mcginty 1940 brian donlevy. Sturges got the idea for this film from a chicago area judge who shared stories with him about city elections. The bartenders flashback, brian donlevy recalling his first encounter with the political machine, inducted by the archetypal politician william demarest, early in writerdirector preston sturges the great mcginty, 1940. Preston sturges, preston sturges, brian donlevy, muriel angelus, akim tamiroff. Brian donlevy portrayed a hoboturnedrising politician who ultimately casts corruption aside. The great mcginty is the tale of a rube exploited for his gift of gab, but who awakens from this blindsided reign to become a true man of the people. The two other oscar winners in this collection are tender mercies 1983 and the great mcginty 1940. When this lowbudget effort became a boxoffice success, sturges suddenly found himself with the clout to make projects that were even more unusual. The great mcginty movie trailer and videos tv guide.
The great mcginty 1940 letterboxd your life in film. Preston sturgess first film as writerdirector 1940 and one of his most cynical. Among his bestknown films are beau geste 1939, the great mcginty. Mellor art direction hans dreier, earl hedrick film editor hugh bennett original music frederick hollander produced by paul jones, buddy g. Kino lorber studio classics the great mcginty 1940 trailer. The great mcginty special edition kino lorber theatrical.
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