☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
I
am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932) – M. Le Roy
The title says it all: Paul Muni is wrongly convicted of a crime and
sentenced to the chain gang, an incredibly brutal and unfair form of
punishment, from which he subsequently escapes. Using skills he learned in the
army during WWI, he builds himself a career as a civil engineer and rises to
prominence – until he is betrayed (as is, of course, inevitable). After a creaky start, director Mervyn Le Roy
keeps things hopping along, laying out the clichés that would mark all future
depictions of the chain gang, including musically. Warner Brothers subsequently built their
image on this kind of social problem picture, crusading against injustice, and
was sued by the state of Georgia for the effort. A tough and gritty ‘30s prison
flick.
No comments:
Post a Comment