Category: (DVD)
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Mathews, a Korean war veteran joins his widowed father's garment company and learns his father, played by Cobb, is in love, and that he must pay "protection money" to a union-busting thug. The son tries to get the father to change his mind about unions, but Cobb won't listen to him. This leads to disastrous consequences.
Stills from The Garment Jungle
(Click for larger image)
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Punchy film noirReviewed by Daryl Chin, 2009-11-08
Though film noir is often thought of as a style for thrillers, there are also those films which are concerned with the corruption of business: a prime example would be Jules Dassin's THIEVES HIGHWAY. THE GARMENT JUNGLE is another example, though it's not quite as explosive as the intention seems to be. Perhaps that may be due to the fact that there were several directors involved in the project (Robert Aldrich began the project but was taken off early on). Taking the corruption in New York City's garment industry as the basis for the plot, THE GARMENT JUNGLE has some very sharp scenes, Lee J. Cobb in another of his patented evil-boss performances, and sturdy production values. It's well worth a look, even if it's not in the upper range of film noirs.
Extols the Virtues of 1950s Trade Unions. Smart Script & Great
Cast Still Impress.Reviewed by mirasreviews, 2009-06-06
"The Garment Jungle" is a social conscience film inspired by a
series of articles that Leslie Velie wrote for Readers' Digest
entitled "Gangsters in the Dress Business", intended as an exposé
of New York's garment industry. Alan Mitchell (Kerwin Matthews)
comes home to New York from 3 years of military service to join the
family business, Roxton Fashions, a dress manufacturer founded by
his father Walter (Lee J. Cobb). As Alan learns the ropes, he
learns of the suspicious death of his father's business partner and
the vicious tactics employed to keep the Dress Makers' Union out of
his shop. Walter Mitchell has been paying protection money to a
gangster named Artie Ravidge (Richard Boone), and tensions between
union organizers and Ravidge's thugs have turned murderous.
This unabashedly pro-union movie reminds me of films of the 1930s.
Made in 1957, it anticipates the revival of "social justice"
filmmaking that would again become popular in the 1960s. "The
Garment Jungle" has an appealing complexity in spite of somewhat
dated themes. The smart writing by Harry Kleiner and the sharp
casting ages well. Beyond the workers' rights agenda, it aims to
deglamorize the fashion industry by taking the audience behind the
scenes with models, buyers, workers, and shop owners. It's not
entirely uncritical of the union. Walter is a sympathetic man,
willfully turning a blind eye to Ravidge's methods, because he is
committed to protecting the business that he created. He's caught
between two extortionists: the union and the protection racket. The
union must get the non-union shops to fall in line, or they will
lose the support of the Manufacturer's Union.
Tulio Renata (Robert Loggia) is a union organizer committed to
improving conditions for his fellow workers, even at his own peril.
Alan comes to admire Tulio -and is smitten with his vivacious
Italian wife Theresa (Gia Scala). Although Tulio is an admirable
man, not everyone in the Union is as brave or as honest. Ravidge,
however, is irredeemable, a parasite who takes advantage of
frightened business owners like Walter to extort money and bust
skulls. Alan is just an earnest guy trying to understand the
situation and do the right thing. Walter is more complex, and his
morally conflicted psyche is played to perfection by Lee J. Cobb.
Gia Scala instantly makes Theresa as appealing to the audience as
she is to Alan, a sensuous woman fiercely protective of her family
and only reluctantly involved in the fight.
Vincent Sherman is credited as the director of "The Garment
Jungle", but apparently Robert Aldrich was removed from the
production only 5 days before shooting was scheduled to be
completed. There were a lot of reshoots, and it's not clear what
footage is Aldrich's and which is Sherman's. I notice no
inconsistencies in style or tone. The footage was blended
seamlessly, assuming there is any of Aldrich's left. In any case,
"The Garment Jungle" has a sharp script, and the work of
cinematographer Joseph F. Biroc is very fine. If you're a fan of
Lee J. Cobb, it's a must-see. An enjoyable film even if its
politics belong largely to the mid-20th century.
The DVD (Sony 2008): This disc is part of a series called "Martini
Movies". A recipe for a Manhattan Martini is printed directly on
the disc. Bonus features include "Martini Minutes", which are "How
to Play a Leading Man" (1 1/2 min) and "How to Hold Your Liquor" (1
1/2 min). These are montages of old movies that illustrate those
ideas, with a breathy voiceover narration, intended as a promotion
for other Sony films on DVD. And there is another martini recipe.
It's all quite odd. There is also a theatrical trailer (2 1/2 min).
Subtitles for the film are available in English and Spanish.
Dubbing is available in French.
Unionbusting in NYC's garment districtReviewed by Annie Van Auken, 2008-08-15
A solid cast is featured in the powerful racket genre film, THE
GARMENT JUNGLE.
SYNOPSIS-- Lee J. Cobb runs a dress manufacturing company. As the
story begins, Cobb's pro-union partner "accidentally" falls to his
death. A gangster (played by Richard Boone) is brought on board to
try and prevent workers from organizing a union. Cobb's son (Kerwin
Mathews) sees the deplorable "sweat shop" conditions of his
father's business and befriends a union boss (Robert Loggia). When
this man is brutally murdered, Cobb tries to distance himself from
hired thug Boone, which leads to severe consequences.
TOUCH OF EVIL (with Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh and Orson Welles)
is one of the best examples of late-50s film noir.
Parenthetical number prior to title is a 1 to 10 viewer poll rating
found at a film research website.
(6.7) The Garment Jungle (1957) - Lee J. Cobb/Kerwin Mathews/Gia
Scala/Richard Boone/Valerie French/Robert Loggia/Joseph
Wiseman/Harold J. Stone
