Gangster wrap

As with most movie fans of my age, male ones at least, my first cinematic loves were probably the Star Wars movies, followed at a later age by a lot of 1970s stuff by Coppola, Scorsese et al.

The first person to really pull me into the age of black-and-white, classic Hollywood where I've been residing ever since, though, was Jimmy Cagney. I remember watching White Heat on telly with my Dad, and it was an exhilarating experience. The rat-a-tat dialogue, the amoral brutality and that iconic "Top of the world, ma!" climax have stayed with me ever since.



On Sunday I went to a day-long "study day" all about Cagney, but it was less study and more of an indulgence from where I was sitting. 10 whole hours of it, from 9.30 to 7.30, taking in 4 movies. I'd seen 3 before (The Public Enemy, Yankee Doodle Dandy and One, Two, Three) and one was new to me (the terrific The Strawberry Blonde), and I enjoyed every moment.

Apparently it was a beautiful day in Sydney.