Regeneration

The problems and pitfalls of film history are well illustrated by the case of Walsh's feature debut for Fox. Long feared lost until rediscovered by the Museum of Modern Art, this first feature-length gangster picture emerges as a fast-moving melodrama; an energetic account of the rise of a slum kid (Fellowes) to gang leader, and his subsequent dilemma when torn between the code of loyalty of his gang and his good, mission-running sweetheart (Nilsson). Intriguingly, its eventful plotline is revealed as flatly contradicting the accepted synoptic account provided by Walsh in his autobiography. There the eventual fates of Nilsson and Fellowes are reversed, and an ending is transposed from another film entirely. None the less, a distinctly major rediscovery, distinguished by a remarkable approach to physical casting, a robust treatment of violent action, and a sheer narrative pace to shame contemporary ponderousness.