Nominee
When I first picked this movie up I thought I was in for it. I mean you should never judge a book by its cover but look at this cover!! We have a ridiculous facial expression accompanied by one of the longest titles ever in Christmas tree colors...I thought I was in for an hour and a half of 1930's over dramatized facial expressions and painful dialogue.
What I found was surprisingly not that bad, in fact not bad at all. This still of course is quite dated in some ways. The scene transitions are definitely some of the first attempts at suggestion the passage of time for all they are are pages of a calendar falling away. In addition some of the acting is still juvenile but surprisingly enough Paul Muni, who plays the main character is actually quite persuasive. I was worried because I had seen him in The Life of Emilie Zola, and his performance in that certainly dragged.
In addition, this film is interesting to watch because it is trying to display fault in a standing social system and it pleasantly succeeds. The closing moment sealed the deal for me as you realize from his final words that the chain gang which was supposed to reform men created the exact opposite effect.
Overall: It was good for its time and I think in someways a hidden gem of the period. The only qualms I had were the datedness of some of the acting, and the lack of any music...but I am a big soundtrack fan so I think mostr people would not have a big problem with that. However for a film junky it was kinda fun to watch their 1930 attempts at things we have refined more over the ages. I would not include it on my must sees but it is definately worth the watch!
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