ferbs54
It is the rare film indeed that is so hard hitting that it actually creates a sea change in real life--be it in social mores, politics or the law--but such a film indeed was 1932's "I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang," a picture that has been a Top 10 favorite of this viewer ever since I first saw it on television around 40 years ago. Since that time, I have seen it well over a dozen times, including theatrically, and it never fails to wow and impress. Based on the autobiography of Robert Elliott Burns, entitled "I Am a Fugitive From a Georgia Chain Gang," the film changes the lead character's name but otherwise hews fairly closely to the facts of the case.In the film, Paul Muni stars as James Allen, a WW1 vet who, back in civilian life, aspires to become a civil engineer. He tramps around looking for work until he is innocently duped into participating in a robbery at a roadside hamburger stand. After a railroaded kangaroo trial, Allen is sentenced to a 10-year stretch in a Southern chain gang, where he gets to witness firsthand the abominable treatment that the prisoners there are subjected to at the hands of the warden and the sadistic guards. After months of sledgehammer toil under the hot sun, Allen makes his escape and hightails it to Chicago, where he eventually becomes a successful and productive member of society, working as a respected engineer. But trouble soon looms, when his secret is found out by the manipulative Marie (played by the great '30s actress Glenda Farrell), who blackmails him into marriage. That marriage is as happy as might be imagined, until Allen cannot stand it anymore, and after meeting the sweet and kindly Helen (Helen Vinson), demands his freedom from the shrewish Marie, who promptly turns him in to the authorities. Allen, now an undeniably reformed citizen, is given an offer by those authorities: go back to the chain gang and serve out a token term in exchange for a full pardon. But once back on the brutal chain gang, Allen learns that he might just be back there for good, and realizes that another escape might be his only way out....A bit of personal history here: It has been a good 20 years since I have seen this particular film, the earliest film on my Top 10 list, chronologically, and I DO need to see it again, and soon. But the last time I saw it, back in the mid-'90s, was a memorable viewing. At the time, I was working at a NYC ad agency and was kind of sweet on a fellow coworker there, a very pretty lady named Cynthia. Cynthia, by the way, was a lesbian who happened to have a boyfriend; a very tough nut to crack, I'm sure you will agree. (Boy, do I know how to pick 'em!) After work one night, I took her to a viewing of "I Am a Fugitive" at one of NYC's many revival houses; if memory serves, it was the (now long defunct) Thalia Soho. Cynthia was not overly enthused with my choice of film for the evening, but as the picture progressed, I could tell that she was really getting into it; indeed, by the film's end, she was literally on the edge of her seat. And who could blame her? The film is as tense, as brutal, as exciting and, often, as thrilling as can be, and Allen's two escape attempts from the chain gang constitute some of the most gripping moments in 1930s cinema."I Am a Fugitive" was directed by Mervyn Le Roy, shortly before he went on to helm the truly wonderful '30s musical "Gold Diggers of '33," and his work here, as might be expected, is just terrific. And that Paul Muni! My goodness, what a fantastic bit of thesping he offers to his audience in this film! Muni, it seems, met and discussed the role of James Allen with Robert Elliott Burns prior to the film's shooting, in an effort to re-create the real-life man as closely as possible, and his work here is simply aces. Deservedly nominated for an Academy Award that year, Muni ultimately "lost" to Charles Laughton for his work in "The Private Lives of Henry VIII," and I for one think that Muni was robbed (he WOULD get that Oscar three years later for his work in "The Story of Louis Pasteur"). As mentioned above, after the November 10, 1932 release of "I Am a Fugitive," the public was awakened to the full horror of the chain-gang system, and reforms were called for and later implemented. There would be an endless number of films to come that decade depicting convicts and their life in various penitentiaries and criminal institutions, but few films before or since were as scathing in their indictment of the modern-day penal system as Le Roy's was in 1932. Capped by one of the most famous lines in cinema history, "I Am a Fugitive" is doubtless as powerful a cinema experience today as when it was first released 85 years ago. And, oh...trust me: You will never get that haunting chain-gang work song out of your head!
Gavin O.
I'm a sucker for prison movies - "Shawshank Redemption" would most likely rank #1 on my list of all-time favorite films, and "Down By Law" wouldn't be too far behind it. Now, "I Am A Fugitive" is on that list too.Paul Muni really carries this movie. While the other actors in this movie are by no means bad, Muni - playing the wrongly imprisoned James Allen - has the best performance of any of them. His chilling line in the ending - "I steal!" - is one that I'll remember for years to come.Another thing that stood out in "Fugitive" was it's use of sound - notably in the first escape scene. Allen is hiding underwater to try and lose the guards (and their dogs). Above water, you hear the chaos of the dogs barking, but underwater... dead silence. It adds a load of suspense to the scene and (to me) seems very artistic for it being made so long ago; in fact, despite the film's age, it still holds up very well today. Unlike many old movies, there are few poorly-done special effects or outdated techniques to distract from the movie in the ending, but even that looked better than most movies from that time period that I've seen.All in all, if you're a fan of prison movies or just classic cinema, this is definitely a film you need to see - and the fact that it was based on a true story should be all the more reason to watch it.
indoor_kid
Mervyn LeRoy's use of sound, in what may be the best film of the early sound era, is profound as well as haunting. During his time on the chain gang James Allen, played by Paul Muni, is brought into a back room and whipped for being discourteous to the guards. The loud crack of the whip followed by absolute silence by Allen elicit an enormous emotional response from viewers. Alternating shots of hammers hitting spikes and pages being ripped off of a calendar, each producing their own distinct sounds, are used as an inventive new way to show the passing of time. While the acting may come across as campy to viewers not used to pre-method acting, Muni puts on a master class. The film was also used to restructure the harsh penal system of the 1930's.
