It's funny how timely movies feel positively quaint after a few years. This movie actually caused quite a stir at the time. It's based on a true story and led to the release of many prisoners, including the man it's based on. That's pretty cool. Chain gangs are such a trope at this point though. The stories about them have gotten so much more interesting over time. And watching this, it's almost comical how simple this man's situation is. He's a young, handsome veteran who never got in trouble before. After he escapes, he turns into a model citizen and a pillar of the community. In 1932, just taking the stand that the movie does make it a challenge to get a greenlight at all. Now, making something so uncomplex wouldn't get made for the opposite reason: It's not risky enough. I'm not bagging on this movie that was made an entire John Williams ago. It's tracking the evolution of "message movies" in Hollywood. If this was what they were calling progressive in 1932, then it explains how something like The Jazz Singer could be a sensation five years earlier.
Verdict: Weakly Don't Recommend
No comments:
Post a Comment