Barbary Coast

1935 "Love was a gamble she couldn't afford to lose."
6.8| 1h31m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 13 October 1935 Released
Producted By: United Artists
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Mary Rutledge arrives from the east, finds her fiancé dead, and goes to work at the roulette wheel of Luis Chamalis' Bella Donna, a rowdy gambling house in San Francisco in the 1850s. She falls in love with miner Jim Carmichael and takes his gold dust at the wheel. She goes after him, Chamalis goes after her with intent to harm Carmichael.

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Director

Howard Hawks

Production Companies

United Artists

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Barbary Coast Audience Reviews

Hellen I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much
Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.
Ceticultsot Beautiful, moving film.
Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic
Richie-67-485852 Who doesn't like Edward G. Robinson? For that reason alone you will enjoy this movie as he brings his own unique acting style. The story captures a little glimpse of history on how it was at the beginning of our start-up years ago. The tale is similar to the Wild West in that there was much opportunity but little or no law. This is portrayed very well here emphasizing that money buys right and might but only so far. Take note that there was gold to be mined and some of it took time and minors get bored and restless about dreaming and want to start spending thus the gambling halls and saloons. They serve as a break from the daily trenches but with a catch many did not see coming. Honest and tired as well as drunk and bored miners can be cheated and cheating was more profitable, quicker and easier too. That is exactly what summons the need for law and order. In the early Western years, Marshalls and deputies were ruthlessly murdered anyway you could kill them with no one to stop the perpetrators until an equal force was brought to bear. We this in this movie when vigilante groups are formed and fight fire with fire. Enjoy this quick-moving and engaging movie with a nice sandwich and a tasty drink with a favorite snack to follow. There were many ways to make a living this be one of them. Enjoy
zardoz-13 Director Howard Hawks rarely made misfires, even "Land Of The Pharaohs" qualified as interesting, but this hybrid Edward G. Robinson law and order saga about the wild and wooly California coast during the gold rush era of the 1850s is curiously lackluster. The movie belongs to Hopkins who shows up at the outset, but Robinson doesn't stroll in until a good quarter hour has passed. The naive hero--Joel McCrea--doesn't arrive for about a half-hour later and he makes a rather passive hero. Basically, "Barbary Coast" concerns a love trianble among ruthless underworld boss, the mail-order bride that goes to work for him, and the innocent drifter that she falls in love with much to the chagrin of the crime boss.As greedy Luis Chamalis, Robinson wears an ear ring, frilly shirts, and owns the biggest casino in San Francisco called the Bella Donna. He dispenses the law and order, but primarily it is disorder that he creates in the amoral town. Miriam Hopkins is Mary Rutledge and she has come on a square-rigged ship from New York to marry Dan Morgan, but she learns on her arrival that her fiancélost all his gold as well as his life at the Belle Donna gambling tables. Dan was a poor shot and poor shots do not live long in San Francisco. She refuses to leave town and winds up working the roulette wheel for Chamalis, the very same roulette wheel that brought about the death of her fiancé. Luis nicknames her Swan because she is as soft and desirable as a swan. Eventually, Chamalis demands love and attention from Mary, but she denies him these affections.One day Mary takes a horse and rides in the country, but she is caught in a soaking downpour and takes refuge in a cabin. As it turns out, the man in the cabin has just settled in is a Jim Carmichael (Joel McCrea) and he is just passing through, too. This young prospector has dug sacks of gold out of the earth and is heading into town. No sooner does Jim see Mary than he falls desperately in love with her. He stumbles into the Bella Donna and loses all his gold on the roulette wheel. Mary feels guilty because she has cheated Jim, just as her fiancé was cheated. At the same time, Luis--who rules the town--with the help of a cold-blooded killer, Knuckles (Brian Donley) suppresses the local newspaper editor Col. Marcus Aurelius Cobb (Frank Craven) from publishing derogatory stories about him.Things take a turn for the worst for Luis when Knuckles murders a miner Sawbuck McTavish (Donald Meek) and eye witnesses see him. Earlier, Luis got Knuckles out of a tight spot by calling in a favor from a drunken judge, but Knuckles is not so lucky this time around. Not only does he kill Sawbuck, but he also kills Cobb. The newly formed vigilante committee led by Jed Slocum (Harry Carey, Sr of ANGEL AND THE BADMAN) and his followers hang Knuckles on the spot and go after Luis. Meanwhile, Mary and Jim try to escape from the jealous Luis. Just as it appears that the hero and heroine are going to bite the dust, the vigilantes show up and prove the standard moral that crime does not pay and haul off Luis.There is nothing particularly outstanding about this Hawks movie. The dialogue by two Hawks collaboraters Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur is nothing special and neither is this movie. Hopkins makes an unsympathetic heroine until she falls from fellow New Yorker Jim. Walter Brennan steals the show as Old Atrocity, a sneaker grifter, who is never up to anything good. The characters are not that compelling and neither is their predicaments. Robinson makes a strong villain, but he isn't strong enough to force Hopkins into loving him. Nothing about this well-photographed yarn is memorable and it ends up being a minor potboiler.
Irie212 Walter Brennan plays "Old Atrocity," and he brings a lot of comedy to this lively drama doing his signature old codger (never mind he was 41 at the time). Also fun, of course, is the MacArthur/Hecht screenplay, which actually manages to capture the outlaw feeling of Gold Rush days at the Golden Gate. Moody lighting and foggy sets help.But I enjoyed "Barbara Coast" for something else entirely: the pairing of Edward G. Robinson and Joel McRea. Both are among the most attractive film actors of all time – but for reasons as different as they are.Short (5'5"), dark, raised in Bucharest and New York City, Edward G. (for Goldenberg) Robinson looks nothing like a matinée idol. Nevertheless, he didn't just star in films, he commanded the screen, even when his co-star was Bogart or Bette Davis, James Stewart or Marlene Dietrich, Orson Welles or Barbara Stanwyck. He handled as wide a variety of roles as anyone, ever: He's famous for violent gangsters ("Little Caesar"), but he was every bit as good as a tragic lead ("Bullets for Ballots"); as film noir characters from villains ("Key Largo"), to dupes ("Scarlett Street"), to heroes ("Night has a Thousand Eyes"); in biography (Dr. Paul Ehrlich); in comedy ("Larceny, Inc."); and he was also a spectacular character actor ("Double Indemnity"). The list is almost endless-- except for musicals-- because his career spanned seven(!) decades. I'll watch Robinson in anything.Tall (6'3"), blond and blue-eyed, born in Southern California, Joel McRea is as gorgeous a man as ever faced a camera—but he had very little range. He could affect a few things-- steely determination, boyish charm, and thoughtful confusion were comfort zones-- but his face almost never changed except to smile a bit from time to time. Never mind; he was a precursor to very, very long list of pretty boys who became competent actors, from Valentino through Erroll Flynn and Steve McQueen to Brad Pitt. I'll watch McRea in anything, too.
lemmy caution Not too much appealing is this early Howard Hawks production, with the possibly exception of Edward G. Robinson as the bad guy. Although he ran a casino, for some reason he was costumed as a dandy pirate. Regardless, he ran early San Francisco his way- with a sneer and a stogie- and woe to anyone who'd try and stop him.This film is populated by stock characters spouting overly dramatic dialogue, and there's really nothing much here that engaged me. I give this movie 4/10, and even that's resting on Edward G. Robinson's attitude.