He was known to be in competition with an elderly, philosophical plebian and political leader - Senator Lentulus Gracchus (Charles Laughton) for control of the Roman Senate.BackgroundWhite Heat(1949) is one of the top classic crime-heist dramas of the post-war period, and one of the last of Warner Bros"" gritty crime films in its era.It had a formative influence on future films and has had a recognized impact on film history and the development of film as art.]The film was advertised as "the strange story of an international criminal""s love for a great beauty," and "the strange drama of a captive sweetheart.