Review of I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932) by Cindy I — 18 Jul 2009

The granddaddy of all the "prison brutality" movies. Cool Hand Luke, Chattahoochee and scores of others (including about a million "women in chains" pictures) owe their lives to this film.

Paul Muni -- always wonderful -- is totally believable as James Allen, an unemployed man who is sent to the penitentiary for a crime he is only incidentally involved in. And what a pen it is -- the beds are wooden planks, the food is garbage in the most realistic sense (pig fat anyone?), and nightly beatings for the most minor of infractions -- such as not getting permission from the chain gang guard to wipe the sweat from your brow -- are the rule rather than the exception. He eventually escapes, changes his name and makes good with his life. But the specter of capture is always right behind him.

The violence of the prison guards is sudden and shocking even for our time. It must have been horrifying in 1932. Glenda Farrell took a break from her sassy broad with a heart of gold image to play Allen's backstabbing golddigger girlfriend. Whlle the film looks good throughout, the last shot puts it for me on a list of best endings. It supposedly came about by one of those wonderful Hollywood accidents, and it's a keeper. Not only is it technologically memorable, but the message behind it...that the best of men can be beat down under the right circumstances...is a lesson to remember.

For a similar story told from the female point of view, "Caged", with Eleanor Parker, is definitely worth a look.