William A. Wellman - 1937
A real joy here. Wellman starts with a free tracking shot around the nieghbourhood. He keeps up little tracks throughout, reframings, never ostentatious but little moves in or to the side. His framings are strangely uncentered, creating that perfect slightly heavy ramshackle air. A spacce is primed for ages, or not viewed at all. This is repeated in his like for having somebody watching someone else (often in depth), and preferring people walking away than walking towards.
And Wellman likes to see people walk, or really just hang around. What for most would be big action moments are elided, we just get people hanging out (this is all Manny Farber), spitting on the floor, being a bit aggressive. The level of dialogue of the actors, and Wellman is an actor's director, is incredibly inarticulate. These hoodlums lope around as though the weight of a few bricks is under each arm and in each pocket. Cagney looks quite ridiculous.
The sets, this is 30's Warners, are abstract in their lack of furnishings and dark corners; huge flat spaces. It looks great, it feels great (lingering on a little look, often in that tight SRS). We usually establish then move in, but then Wellman moves out again. And why not?
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