The Docks of New York main backdrop
The Docks of New York main poster

The Docks of New York

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6.9/10 • 106

1928-09-161h 16m

DramaRomance

A blue-collar worker on New York's depressed waterfront finds his life changed after he saves a woman attempting suicide.

Directors
Josef von Sternberg
Writters
John Monk Saunders, Julian Johnson
Editors
Helen Lewis

Top Billed Cast

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  1. George Bancroft

    George Bancroft

    Bill Roberts

  2. Betty Compson

    Betty Compson

    Mae

  3. Olga Baclanova

    Olga Baclanova

    Lou

  4. Clyde Cook

    Clyde Cook

    'Sugar' Steve

  5. Mitchell Lewis

    Mitchell Lewis

    Andy

  6. Guy Oliver

    Guy Oliver

    The Crimp

  7. May Foster

    May Foster

    Mrs. Crimp

  8. Lillian Worth

    Lillian Worth

    Steve's Girl

  9. Gustav von Seyffertitz

    Gustav von Seyffertitz

    Hymn Book Harry

Reviews1

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CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

Jun 6, 2022

7/10

This is a beautiful example of the film-makers craft. Josef von Sternberg and Harold Rosson have created a thing of aesthetic beauty coupled with an interesting - if not especially deep - character study of two people George Bancroft ("Bill") and Betty Compson ("Mae)". The camera loves both of them - and interestingly for the late 1920s, it is not shy in illustrating the beauty of the male physique as well as the beauty of both Compson and Olga Baclanova ("Lou"). The story isn't really the main feature of the film: "Bill" is a stoker on the docks where he encounters a potential suicide victim - the disillusioned hooker "Mae" with whom he soon bonds - much to the frustration of his ex wife "Lou". It is almost totally devoid of sentiment, it is gritty, earthy and although to look at the pair, their love appears unlikely, it does engage with some almost crude, witty, interventions from "Lou" to keep the story entertaining as well as stylish. I am a fan of most of JVS's films - the "Scarlett Empress" (1934) being my favourite, but this one is up there...

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  • The Docks of New York poster
  • The Docks of New York poster
  • The Docks of New York poster
  • The Docks of New York poster
  • The Docks of New York poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
prisonnew york cityshipsuicide attempthabor