A studio disaster that became the blueprint for every gangster film ever made.
In short: Paramount Pictures was so convinced Underworld would fail that they refused to promote it. Yet, this 1927 silent film became a massive, round-the-clock sensation. It launched the career of director Josef von Sternberg and established the dark, atmospheric tropes that would define the gangster genre for decades to come.
In 1926, Josef von Sternberg was a demoted assistant director at Paramount, tasked with salvaging other people's projects. His breakthrough came with Underworld, a film he completed in a record-setting five weeks. The studio’s lack of faith was so profound that screenwriter Ben Hecht unsuccessfully begged to have his name removed from the credits, and the film was initially booked into only one theater without any advance publicity.
The film’s success was entirely organic. After a morning screening intended to avoid press reviews, word of mouth triggered such massive crowds that the New York Paramount Theatre was forced to remain open around the clock. This unexpected triumph inaugurated both the era of the gangster film and the practice of 24-hour cinema exhibitions. Ben Hecht, a former Chicago crime reporter, drew on real-life underworld figures like Tommy O'Connor and Dion O'Bannon to craft a narrative that felt grounded, even if Sternberg himself was less interested in mob mechanics than in the tragic, classical fate of his characters.
While critics like Andrew Sarris argue that Underworld is more of a pre-gangster film than a pure genre entry, its influence is undeniable. It introduced the archetype of the hoodlum hero, the night-shrouded city, and the climactic police shootout. The film’s visual style—described by French directors as clinical and spartan—earned it a place in the pantheon of cinema history, with surrealist Luis Buñuel famously naming it his all-time favorite. By the time of the first Academy Awards in 1929, Hecht’s work was honored with the Oscar for Best Original Story, cementing the film's legacy.
The film remains a study in contradictions: a project the studio wanted to bury that instead earned its director a gold medal and a $10,000 bonus. It stands as a testament to the power of atmosphere over formula, proving that even a story about the criminal underworld could be elevated into a work of high art.
Opens the Intellect+ feed with this card first. Swipe up for the next one.
Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Underworld (1927 film)
To cite this card, link to https://intellectplus.co.uk/app/entertainment-underworld-1927-film.
How we source, check and correct cards: Editorial standards.
General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.
Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?
Related
More in Films · More in Entertainment · Latest · A–Z · All topics
