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Hitler as a Chicago gangster? Brecht's savage satire hits like a tommy gun.
IMDb
83

The Gangster Show: The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (1972)

theatricalsavageanachronistic

Overview

Crime

The rise to underworld eminence of the notorious Chicago gangster Artuto Ui - who bears a striking resemblance to Adolf Hitler.

Flag of GBGB
Content warning
chicago, illinoisnazigangster

Standout Aspects

Acting

Nicol Williamson's Ui channels Hitler through Cagney swagger.

Direction

Jack Gold preserves Brecht's deliberate artificiality for film.

Writing

Brecht's 1941 script: Nazi rise as Prohibition gangster flick.

Best for:Solo: When you want theater that punches you in the brain.·Rewatch: Catch every Brechtian alienation device you missed.
Heads up:Disturbing: Hitler parallels are explicit; anti-Semitic rhetoric performed.
Jack Gold

Director

Jack Gold

ReleasedNov 7, 1972
Runtime1h 49m
StatusReleased

Vibe

Pacesteady
Intensitymedium
Tonedark
Feelmedium
BBC

Top Cast

Nicol Williamson

Nicol Williamson

Arturo Ui

Sam Wanamaker

Sam Wanamaker

O'Casey

Peter Frye

Peter Frye

Dogsborough

Al Mancini

Al Mancini

Giuseppe Givola

Jill Townsend

Jill Townsend

Mrs. Dulfeet

Frank Middlemass

Frank Middlemass

Dilapidated Actor

Phil Brown

Phil Brown

Clark

Larry Cross

Larry Cross

Sheet

Weston Gavin

Weston Gavin

Ernesto Roma

Elliott Sullivan

Elliott Sullivan

Grocer Goldman

Ask about The Gangster Show: The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui

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Deep Dive

Trivia, insights & behind the scenes

Cultural

Brecht wrote this in 1941 while fleeing the Nazis, using Chicago gangsters to explain German fascism to American audiences who understood Capone better than Hitler.

Insight

The 'Resistible' in the title is bitter irony—Brecht insists Ui's rise could have been stopped, implicating everyone who enabled him.

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