Underworld (1927) - full transcript
'Nobody helps me -- I help them!' boasts open-handed gangster Bull Weed, handing over what will prove to be the best investment in his high-spending career: a thousand dollars that will put the literate 'Rolls Royce' of vagrants back on his feet. Living it up in the Twenties with the aid of cool but smouldering moll Feathers, the Bull lords it over the law and his rivals alike -- specifically big Buck Mulligan, whose floral-tributes business echoes that of a certain real-life Chicago gangster... Yet Feathers, prize possession and object of envy, proves his weak point; and in the end, Bull Weed will indeed come to need help from others, and more than he has ever needed it before. But can Rolls Royce and Feathers still give it to him? And will the Bull accept?
The first professional film by
Josef von Sternberg was
unusually bold both subject
matter and technical skill.
It framed the style of all
gangster films to come.
A great city in the dead of
night...
...streets lonely,
moon-flooded...
...buildings empty as the
cliff-dwellings of a
forgotten age -
"The great Bull Weed -
closing another bank account."
"That's what makes
bums and squealers!"
"I may be a bum, but I am no squealer.
I might say, sir, that I am a
Rolls-Royce for silence."
"All right, Rolls Royce - I'll
give you a chance to prove that."
"Keep your eyes off her!
What do you think I'm here for?"
LA POLIC?A DA CAZA A LOS ATRACADORES
DEL AUDAZ ROBO DE LA SEMANA PASADA
La polic?a estrecha el cerco a los
pistoleros que reventaron el banco...
"Watch me show that dame
what I think of money."
"Buck Mulligan's looking
for trouble."
"How'd you like to pick
up ten bucks?"
"Pick it up or I'll send
you to the morgue!"
"Give me that gun!"
"Rolls Royce, meet Feathers -
my girl."
"How long since you had the body
washed and polished, Rolls Royce?"
"If you don't want Mulligan
to bump you off, Professor,
you'd better stick with me."
"With pleasure, sir."
"Come on, let's drift!"
"Can I possibly be of
any assistance?"
LA CIUDAD ES TUYA
COMPA??A DE INVERSIONES A.B.C.
"The city is yours, Kid -
what'll you have?"
"Attila, the Hun, at the
gates of Rome."
"Who's Attila? The leader
of some wop gang?"
"You were born two thousand years
too late. You can't get away
with your stuff - nowadays."
"They'll never get me!"
"I'm either a missionary or a
sucker, but I'm going to
put you on your feet."
"What could I do to help you?"
"Help me? Nobody helps
me! I help other people!"
FLORISTER?A MULLIGAN
Especial de MULLIGAN
DESCANSE EN PAZ...
BULL WEED
"I'm going to bury that guy
while these lilies are still fresh!"
But Buck should have used wax
flowers, for long after
his lilies had faded - -
"You don't want that
junk. It's too vulgar!"
"Why, it's the old hideaway!
Why did you bring me here?"
"Don't you know it's
wrong to steal?"
"Look at him - cost me
a thousand - looks like a million!"
"He's read every book in the
case - he likes to read!"
"Let's have the key, Professor."
"A perfect getaway - - through
our warehouse to the next block.
And nitro couldn't blow those
doors!"
"No, thanks. I've got to go
out on important business."
"The police all know Mulligan's
Special. Plant the little flower
where it will do the most good."
"I told you that guy
had brains."
"You stay here. You may have
the brains, but I've got the guts."
"What were you before Bull Weed
picked you up?"
"A lawyer sometimes - a drunkard
always ... what does it matter?"
"A woman, I suppose."
"I'm not interested in women."
"The Captain wants to see you."
"Say - what is this - a pinch?"
"Somebody framed me!"
"Framed you? Since when
are you a picture, Buck?"
"You've got the wrong guy this time.
I'll be out in twenty minutes."
"Is this why you're called Feathers?"
"I wear feathers all over."
"What were you before
Bull Weed - er - found you?"
"I thought you weren't
interested in women!"
"Bull Weed's our best
friend, isn't he?"
"This is the first time in a
long while that I've felt ashamed."
"Well, I planted that flower. They've
probably pinched Mulligan by now."
"See you at the Ball tonight?"
"You've got to show. Everybody
with a police record will be there!"
"Besides, I'm going to make
Feathers queen of the ball."
"- be there! Them's orders!"
The underworld's annual armistice -
when, until dawn, rival gangsters...
...bury the hatchet and park the
machine-gun.
ADQUIERA SU VOTO
EN LA CASETA POR 1$
"Check your gats!"
"Vote for Feathers!"
ADQUIERA SU VOTO
EN LA CASETA POR 1$
"Throwing away any
ten-dollar bills tonight?"
"Who said you could dance with
her - with-out asking me?"
"Our friend has gone back
to his booze again!"
"- but I don't want you to drink!"
"Please .... don't!"
"You're Bull Weed's
girl - aren't you?"
...
...of cheap music - booze - hate
- lust
- made a devil's carnival.
"F-F-Feathershelected!"
"You tell her now."
"The committee is waiting to
crown you Queen o' the Ball."
"You needn't worry about your
sweetie. He's out - - for the night!"
"Before sentencing you, I
declare to you and your kind...
...that no man, or band of men,
can defeat the Law."
"Others have tried it before, and,
I regret to say, will try it again -
- but their fate must
be the same as yours."
"All your life you have dealt with
the Law as an enemy. And now...
...by a final deed of violence,
you have compelled it
to end your career."
"I sentence you to hang by the
neck until you are dead - -"
"- and may God have
mercy on your soul!"
"How are we going to help him now?"
"Don't worry. They haven't
hanged him yet."
The Law took no chances. Bull Weed
was isolated from his world.
No messages delivered,
no visitors admitted.
"- before sunrise tomorrow, to
hang the said Bull Weed by the
neck until he is dead."
"Any last request?"
"Tell Paloma to bring me the
juiciest steak in Dreamland."
"The only one who'll see Bull
is Paloma - when he brings
him his last meal."
"Here's the plan - the hearse
will come to the outer court...
...an hour before the hanging -"
"- and you wait in your car at
Three Corners Road, for
Bull to join you."
"You have Paloma tell Bull -
I'll attend to the hearse."
"Does that mean any danger -
for you?"
"The police will only see me
buying two tickets at the
railroad station -"
"Then they'll be sure Bull
is leaving town with me."
"Then I won't see you again?"
"This is good-bye."
"If I lose you, it's my finish.
I love you so -"
"I can't let you go - !"
"We have a chance to lead a
decent life. If we get Bull out -
we're his again!"
"We can't double-cross him - -
we owe him everything."
"We do love each other, don't we?"
BULL WEED SER? AHORCADO MA?ANA
ES EL CASTIGO IMPUESTO POR SU CRIMEN
MAT? AL HOMBRE
QUE ATAC? A SU NOVIA
"We can't do this - - we couldn't
be happy if we betrayed him!"
"You see - you taught
me how to be decent."
"Rolls Royce says watch for
the hearse - two o'clock...
...The gang will be in it - -
they'll cover the guards and spring you!"
"That's a lie! Rolls Royce
doesn't want me to get out!"
"You've got him wrong, Bull -
that hearse will come crashing
through like a tank!"
"On the level, Ed - has Rolls
Royce or Feathers ever really
tried to see me?"
"Maybe I hadn't ought to tell you -
but the whole town knows how
they're carrying on."
"Ed, is there time for
another game of checkers?"
"You hate to leave the
old burg - don't you?"
"Do you think Rolls Royce
is still in town?"
"What do you care? You'll
be hanging in an hour."
"There's one guy I'd like
to get before I hang."
"You're in a tight place now."
"It's your move."
"The plan went wrong - the
guards got wise, somehow."
"It's all over with him by now."
"Extra! Bull Weed escapes!"
"What's the extra about?"
"Nothing - just a boob
breaking jail!"
EL ASESINO WEED OSA FUGARSE
ESTRANGULA A UN GUARDIA Y HUYE
LA VOLUBLE 'PLUMAS' MCCOY
La chica del asesino tiene nuevo novio
"So you've brought the police,
too. You little rat!"
"Now you can wait and take what
you framed up for me!"
"Bull - listen - we were on the
level - we tried to get you out -"
"He sure cinched my finish -
he's got those keys!"
"We've got the Bull cornered
at his old hangout!"
"If you're waiting for Bull Weed,
you'll have a long wait."
"They'll get us both in a
few minutes, Bull. Why
should I lie to you now?"
"If I could get my hands
on that lousy skunk...
...I'd go back and
let 'em hang me!"
"I'm sorry things went wrong -
but there's still time -
for you - to get away!"
"Now you see - - how much
he double-crossed you!"
"I've been all wrong, Feathers -
I know it now - I've been
wrong all the way -"
"And all this got you was
another hour!"
"There was something I had to find
out - - and that hour was worth
more to me than my whole life."
END
Josef von Sternberg was
unusually bold both subject
matter and technical skill.
It framed the style of all
gangster films to come.
A great city in the dead of
night...
...streets lonely,
moon-flooded...
...buildings empty as the
cliff-dwellings of a
forgotten age -
"The great Bull Weed -
closing another bank account."
"That's what makes
bums and squealers!"
"I may be a bum, but I am no squealer.
I might say, sir, that I am a
Rolls-Royce for silence."
"All right, Rolls Royce - I'll
give you a chance to prove that."
"Keep your eyes off her!
What do you think I'm here for?"
LA POLIC?A DA CAZA A LOS ATRACADORES
DEL AUDAZ ROBO DE LA SEMANA PASADA
La polic?a estrecha el cerco a los
pistoleros que reventaron el banco...
"Watch me show that dame
what I think of money."
"Buck Mulligan's looking
for trouble."
"How'd you like to pick
up ten bucks?"
"Pick it up or I'll send
you to the morgue!"
"Give me that gun!"
"Rolls Royce, meet Feathers -
my girl."
"How long since you had the body
washed and polished, Rolls Royce?"
"If you don't want Mulligan
to bump you off, Professor,
you'd better stick with me."
"With pleasure, sir."
"Come on, let's drift!"
"Can I possibly be of
any assistance?"
LA CIUDAD ES TUYA
COMPA??A DE INVERSIONES A.B.C.
"The city is yours, Kid -
what'll you have?"
"Attila, the Hun, at the
gates of Rome."
"Who's Attila? The leader
of some wop gang?"
"You were born two thousand years
too late. You can't get away
with your stuff - nowadays."
"They'll never get me!"
"I'm either a missionary or a
sucker, but I'm going to
put you on your feet."
"What could I do to help you?"
"Help me? Nobody helps
me! I help other people!"
FLORISTER?A MULLIGAN
Especial de MULLIGAN
DESCANSE EN PAZ...
BULL WEED
"I'm going to bury that guy
while these lilies are still fresh!"
But Buck should have used wax
flowers, for long after
his lilies had faded - -
"You don't want that
junk. It's too vulgar!"
"Why, it's the old hideaway!
Why did you bring me here?"
"Don't you know it's
wrong to steal?"
"Look at him - cost me
a thousand - looks like a million!"
"He's read every book in the
case - he likes to read!"
"Let's have the key, Professor."
"A perfect getaway - - through
our warehouse to the next block.
And nitro couldn't blow those
doors!"
"No, thanks. I've got to go
out on important business."
"The police all know Mulligan's
Special. Plant the little flower
where it will do the most good."
"I told you that guy
had brains."
"You stay here. You may have
the brains, but I've got the guts."
"What were you before Bull Weed
picked you up?"
"A lawyer sometimes - a drunkard
always ... what does it matter?"
"A woman, I suppose."
"I'm not interested in women."
"The Captain wants to see you."
"Say - what is this - a pinch?"
"Somebody framed me!"
"Framed you? Since when
are you a picture, Buck?"
"You've got the wrong guy this time.
I'll be out in twenty minutes."
"Is this why you're called Feathers?"
"I wear feathers all over."
"What were you before
Bull Weed - er - found you?"
"I thought you weren't
interested in women!"
"Bull Weed's our best
friend, isn't he?"
"This is the first time in a
long while that I've felt ashamed."
"Well, I planted that flower. They've
probably pinched Mulligan by now."
"See you at the Ball tonight?"
"You've got to show. Everybody
with a police record will be there!"
"Besides, I'm going to make
Feathers queen of the ball."
"- be there! Them's orders!"
The underworld's annual armistice -
when, until dawn, rival gangsters...
...bury the hatchet and park the
machine-gun.
ADQUIERA SU VOTO
EN LA CASETA POR 1$
"Check your gats!"
"Vote for Feathers!"
ADQUIERA SU VOTO
EN LA CASETA POR 1$
"Throwing away any
ten-dollar bills tonight?"
"Who said you could dance with
her - with-out asking me?"
"Our friend has gone back
to his booze again!"
"- but I don't want you to drink!"
"Please .... don't!"
"You're Bull Weed's
girl - aren't you?"
...
...of cheap music - booze - hate
- lust
- made a devil's carnival.
"F-F-Feathershelected!"
"You tell her now."
"The committee is waiting to
crown you Queen o' the Ball."
"You needn't worry about your
sweetie. He's out - - for the night!"
"Before sentencing you, I
declare to you and your kind...
...that no man, or band of men,
can defeat the Law."
"Others have tried it before, and,
I regret to say, will try it again -
- but their fate must
be the same as yours."
"All your life you have dealt with
the Law as an enemy. And now...
...by a final deed of violence,
you have compelled it
to end your career."
"I sentence you to hang by the
neck until you are dead - -"
"- and may God have
mercy on your soul!"
"How are we going to help him now?"
"Don't worry. They haven't
hanged him yet."
The Law took no chances. Bull Weed
was isolated from his world.
No messages delivered,
no visitors admitted.
"- before sunrise tomorrow, to
hang the said Bull Weed by the
neck until he is dead."
"Any last request?"
"Tell Paloma to bring me the
juiciest steak in Dreamland."
"The only one who'll see Bull
is Paloma - when he brings
him his last meal."
"Here's the plan - the hearse
will come to the outer court...
...an hour before the hanging -"
"- and you wait in your car at
Three Corners Road, for
Bull to join you."
"You have Paloma tell Bull -
I'll attend to the hearse."
"Does that mean any danger -
for you?"
"The police will only see me
buying two tickets at the
railroad station -"
"Then they'll be sure Bull
is leaving town with me."
"Then I won't see you again?"
"This is good-bye."
"If I lose you, it's my finish.
I love you so -"
"I can't let you go - !"
"We have a chance to lead a
decent life. If we get Bull out -
we're his again!"
"We can't double-cross him - -
we owe him everything."
"We do love each other, don't we?"
BULL WEED SER? AHORCADO MA?ANA
ES EL CASTIGO IMPUESTO POR SU CRIMEN
MAT? AL HOMBRE
QUE ATAC? A SU NOVIA
"We can't do this - - we couldn't
be happy if we betrayed him!"
"You see - you taught
me how to be decent."
"Rolls Royce says watch for
the hearse - two o'clock...
...The gang will be in it - -
they'll cover the guards and spring you!"
"That's a lie! Rolls Royce
doesn't want me to get out!"
"You've got him wrong, Bull -
that hearse will come crashing
through like a tank!"
"On the level, Ed - has Rolls
Royce or Feathers ever really
tried to see me?"
"Maybe I hadn't ought to tell you -
but the whole town knows how
they're carrying on."
"Ed, is there time for
another game of checkers?"
"You hate to leave the
old burg - don't you?"
"Do you think Rolls Royce
is still in town?"
"What do you care? You'll
be hanging in an hour."
"There's one guy I'd like
to get before I hang."
"You're in a tight place now."
"It's your move."
"The plan went wrong - the
guards got wise, somehow."
"It's all over with him by now."
"Extra! Bull Weed escapes!"
"What's the extra about?"
"Nothing - just a boob
breaking jail!"
EL ASESINO WEED OSA FUGARSE
ESTRANGULA A UN GUARDIA Y HUYE
LA VOLUBLE 'PLUMAS' MCCOY
La chica del asesino tiene nuevo novio
"So you've brought the police,
too. You little rat!"
"Now you can wait and take what
you framed up for me!"
"Bull - listen - we were on the
level - we tried to get you out -"
"He sure cinched my finish -
he's got those keys!"
"We've got the Bull cornered
at his old hangout!"
"If you're waiting for Bull Weed,
you'll have a long wait."
"They'll get us both in a
few minutes, Bull. Why
should I lie to you now?"
"If I could get my hands
on that lousy skunk...
...I'd go back and
let 'em hang me!"
"I'm sorry things went wrong -
but there's still time -
for you - to get away!"
"Now you see - - how much
he double-crossed you!"
"I've been all wrong, Feathers -
I know it now - I've been
wrong all the way -"
"And all this got you was
another hour!"
"There was something I had to find
out - - and that hour was worth
more to me than my whole life."
END