Public Enemies

[Ghostsoldier]

Speaking of the Barker-Karpis gang, I took a trip down to Lake Weir to see the house where Fred and Ma made their last stand against JE's boys....interesting to know that SA Winstead (the man purported by Purvis to have plugged JD) and several of the Dillinger Squad boys were on the scene here, in 1935...the house is just about the same as it was then, except for the blatant "No Trespassing" signs posted all over; I didn't want to tread afoul of the law, so all I could do is take a shot from the driveway (the shootout side of the house is on the left)....one of these days I'll venture back with camera, lake-side by boat, to see the house better, bullet holes and all ....

In 1934....

In 2009....

The local watering hole....

Rob

 

[MrNewportCustom]

Lee,
The FDIC was a result of the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933, and it went into effect on January 1, 1934, so the signage would have been correct; albiet, the FDIC was in it's infancy, and not an "official" government agency until the Banking Act of 1935....
Rob

I was assuming that, since I'd seen the FDIC sign during a bank robbery that took place early in the film (1933 being the year the story had begun in the movie), that the sign had been misplaced in time. Now I'm wondering when those signs started appearing in banks.

As far as fictionalization in the film, I'm one of those nerds who watch the credits all the way through; near the end of same the producers admitted to having fictionalized some events. (I was also wondering why Polly Hamilton bore a striking resemblance to Leelee Sobieski! )


Lee

 

[Marc Chevalier]

An African-American shoeshine man says "How ya doin'?" to white Texan customers whom he'd never met before. On point for the era? Heck no.

I'm pretty sure that it was the customer who said, "How ya doin'?" to the shoe-shine man.

Interesting. Would a white customer address a black shoe shine man in that way either back then? Probably not.

Agreed, especially a white Texan lawman in the mid 1930s. Chances are high that he would have said something like, "Gimme a shine, boy."

(Think of the song, Chattanooga Choo-Choo.)



.

 

[Atticus Finch]

Agreed, especially a white Texan lawman in the mid 1930s. Chances are high that he would have said something like, "Gimme a shine, boy."

(Think of the song, Chattanooga Choo-Choo.)
.

Sigh. I don’t know which stereotype is hardest to kill...racial or regional.

AF

 

[Ghostsoldier]

As far as fictionalization in the film, I'm one of those nerds who watch the credits all the way through; near the end of same the producers admitted to having fictionalized some events. (I was also wondering why Polly Hamilton bore a striking resemblance to Leelee Sobieski! )Lee

Same here, Lee! As a matter of fact, one of the biggest, glaring inaccuracies was the fact that in real life, Dillinger actually carried a watch with Polly Hamilton's photo in it, and not Billie's.... ..."Bye, Bye Blackbird", indeed...
Rob

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Sigh. I don’t know which stereotype is hardest to kill...racial or regional.

Well, segregation did help to create such stereotypes ... and it was alive and flourishing in mid-1930s Texas. I stand behind my hunch that a '30s Texan lawman would probably not have said "How ya doin'?" to an anonymous African-American shoeshiner.


I'll say nothing more about this. Thanks for reading.

.

 

[Atticus Finch]

Well, segregation did help to create such stereotypes ... and it was alive and flourishing in mid-1930s Texas. I stand behind my hunch that a '30s Texan lawman would probably not have said "How ya doin'?" to an anonymous African-American shoeshiner.


I'll say nothing more about this. Thanks for reading.

.

You're welcome. I'll think of your hunch as an opinion and respect your right to have it.

AF

 

[Story]

Interesting. Would a white customer address a black shoe shine man in that way either back then? Probably not. Would he really care frankly how the shoe shine man was doing? One would think given the racial stereotypes of blacks and whites of that era, it wouldn't be said by either party. Perhaps it was a bit of modern politic correctness by having that line in the film?

That's a pretty broad brush you're using.

My maternal grandfather was a carpenter from SE Tennessee and had the reputation of being a kind and congenial individual, race immaterial.

 

[PADDY]

Disappointing.

I had 'high' hopes for this movie. Was so hopeful that it would move me. But sadly the only direction it moved me was to the Exit Door. Left the cinema feeling very disappointed with it [huh]

 

[Widebrim]

I had 'high' hopes for this movie. Was so hopeful that it would move me. But sadly the only direction it moved me was to the Exit Door. Left the cinema feeling very disappointed with it [huh]

Why is that, Paddy?

 

[carebear]

That's a pretty broad brush you're using.

My maternal grandfather was a carpenter from SE Tennessee and had the reputation of being a kind and congenial individual, race immaterial.

Just because you may not believe that various races/ethnicities should associate, or choose personally to avoid such associations in your private life, doesn't mean you can't still be courteous to people who you are prejudiced against.

That's sort of the original intent of courtesy, that you are polite to everyone regardless of difference of station or your opinion of them.

 

[PADDY]

...

Just how 'I' felt about it...

*No feeling that there was a Depression going on, it felt rather 'clean' and sanitized.
* Cinematography was 'so clear' that I could make out the 'make up,' which just became a distraction.
* Hollywood cliches like "I take the banks' money, not the people's" well the money 'is' the people's...(I think I was getting disillusioned by this point, as it's such a minor thing!! [huh] ).
* I never got the feeling that there was an edginess to the characters or the plots or the scenes. It felt like a Disney theme-park to me.
* This movie just didn't 'grip' me [huh] I so *wanted* it to...but it never came up with the goods. Frankly, I was bored and didn't find the production 'convincing..' (and I 'hate' to say that, but it's how I felt).

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Just how 'I' felt about it...

*No feeling that there was a Depression going on, it felt rather 'clean' and sanitized.
* Cinematography was 'so clear' that I could make out the 'make up,' which just became a distraction.
* Hollywood cliches like "I take the banks' money, not the people's" well the money 'is' the people's...(I think I was getting disillusioned by this point, as it's such a minor thing!! [huh] ).
* I never got the feeling that there was an edginess to the characters or the plots or the scenes. It felt like a Disney theme-park to me.
* This movie just didn't 'grip' me [huh] I so *wanted* it to...but it never came up with the goods. Frankly, I was bored and didn't find the production 'convincing..' (and I 'hate' to say that, but it's how I felt).

Paddy, I felt exactly the same way. Thank you for putting it so clearly.

.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Just because you may not believe that various races/ethnicities should associate, or choose personally to avoid such associations in your private life, doesn't mean you can't still be courteous to people who you are prejudiced against.

That's sort of the original intent of courtesy, that you are polite to everyone regardless of difference of station or your opinion of them.

Courtesy like that certainly existed back then. Again, my point is that it almost certainly wouldn't have been expressed as "Hey, how ya' doin'?" by a lawman to a black shoeshiner in the mid '30s. The more likely "Gimme a shine, boy" would not have been considered discourteous at all, especially since shoeshiners were then called "shoeshine boys" regardless of their age.

.

 

[Tomasso]

* Cinematography was 'so clear' that I could make out the 'make up,' which just became a distraction.

PE was shot in high definition video. Personally, I don't much care for it.

 

[Tomasso]

shoeshiners were then called "shoeshine boys" regardless of their age.

.

Or their race.

 

[John in Covina]

Just how 'I' felt about it... *No feeling that there was a Depression going on, it felt rather 'clean' and sanitized. * Cinematography was 'so clear' that I could make out the 'make up,' which just became a distraction. * Hollywood cliches like "I take the banks' money, not the people's" well the money 'is' the people's...(I think I was getting disillusioned by this point, as it's such a minor thing!! [huh] ). * I never got the feeling that there was an edginess to the characters or the plots or the scenes. It felt like a Disney theme-park to me. * This movie just didn't 'grip' me [huh] I so *wanted* it to...but it never came up with the goods. Frankly, I was bored and didn't find the production 'convincing..' (and I 'hate' to say that, but it's how I felt).

***********
High expectations often leads to big disappointments. I am reminded of more than one Christmas as a child wanting some 'great' toy shown on tv that looks wonderful but when you get it in real life it just didn't live up to ones expectations.

 

[John in Covina]

I marveled over the clarity of the HD.

 

[Tomasso]

I found Depp's earring hole a distraction. [huh]

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Or their race.

True.

IMO the "How ya doin'?" line is the screenwriter's feeble attempt at 'politically correct' historical revisionism.

.