Redwarmin This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

Stevecorp Don't listen to the negative reviews

Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Brennan Camacho Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

vincentlynch-moonoi This is a bit of an unusual film. First, it's loosely based on the trial and lynching of Leo Frank after the murder of Mary Phagan back in 1913. The film is really about prejudice. First prejudice against Blacks when the custodian of the school where the Mary Phagan character was murdered (and raped?). Second against Jews when the teacher is, instead, accused, tried, and lynched.The cast is interesting. Claude Rains plays the district attorney, and I am not impressed with his performance here. Ir's so unlike how we usually see Rains that it just doesn't work; and I say that as a person who usually like Rains very much.Edward Norris plays the professor ultimately accused of the crime. He seems pretty good for the part. Norris didn't have a very prolific career, but his performance here works quite well. They do a nice job here with the character who appears to be innocent, but who says things and acts in little ways that would lead some people to think he is guilty.Otto Kruger as Michael Gleason Allyn Joslyn, a character actor who usually did nicely in comedy, is here as a reporter, but I wasn't very impressed.Gloria Dickson, who in real life died in a fire after a short career in films, does reasonably nicely as the charged husband's wife.The murdered girl is played by none other than Lana Turner. Of course, she doesn't last long, but it was a decent start to her career.One of my favorite character actors -- Otto Kruger -- aptly plays the defense attorney.Elisha Cook has a small role, and one that is rather different than his typical one. A nice contrast, though not overly important to the film.Clinton Rosemond is excellent as the "Negro" janitor, although the part he plays is very stereotypical in the way that it portrays Blacks of the era. Nevertheless, it is an honorable acting performance.Elisabeth Risdon plays the convicted murderer's mother; a very dependable and recognizable character actress.Aside from the murder case itself, an important aspect of the film was that it took place in the South, thus implying that Southerners were bigots (no comment as to whether that's an appropriate observation; you decide). Of course you have the 2 racial aspects (a Black man and then a Jew -- although the Jewish angle is not tackled here), and then because the Jewish character (in the real life case) is an educated man from the North. This substitution of a White man from the North instead of a Jew is emphasized at the beginning of the film with the Confederate soldiers who would appear to play and important role in the film...but then do not at all. The wonderful Harry Davenport plays one of the old soldiers, though it is a terribly small part. The other aspect of this film that is done quite nicely is the small town environment where rumors spread like wildfire, which eventually lead to a lynching.An interesting footnote -- at the beginning of the film there is a rather dramatically highlighted statement assuring viewers that the characters in the film do not represent any person, living or deceased. While in reality, of course they do.Keeping in mind that this film was made in 1937, there's not a lot wrong with this picture. A little old-fashioned, to be sure. You'll laugh at how fast the train is moving in one scene, but that's minor stuff. And, some of the Southern accents here are rather questionable (in fact, that's probably the biggest problem with Claude Rains' performance). But don't let that stop you from watching this film.In my internal rating system, a good film gets a "7". It takes a "Gone With The Wind" or "Ben Hur" film to get a "10", and something just a tad lighter to get a "9". So an "8", which I am giving this film, is more than just a "good" film, but a VERY good film. Recommended.

utgard14 In a small Southern town celebrating Confederate Memorial Day, a young woman (Lana Turner) is murdered. Suspicion quickly falls on her Northern teacher at business school, Robert Hale (Edward Norris), whom she had a crush on. Ambitious district attorney Andy Griffin (Claude Rains) uses this as an opportunity to build a name for himself, not caring about Hale's guilt or innocence. Hale is arrested and tried but the anti-Northern sentiment running through the town guarantees his trial won't be fair.Great role for Claude Rains, who owns every scene he's in as a remorseless politician out to further his career regardless of cost. Edward Norris (Ann Sheridan's first husband) has probably his biggest role as Robert Hale and does a fine job. Film debut of Allyn Joslyn, who plays a slimy reporter colluding with Rains. Pretty Gloria Dickson plays Hale's wife. She has a potent speech at the end. First significant role for Lana Turner. Note the tight sweater which accentuates her...attributes. This is why she was dubbed "the sweater girl" early in her career. The rest of the cast is made up of familiar faces, including Otto Kruger and Elisha Cook, Jr. Loosely based on the real story of Leo Frank, a Jewish man accused of murdering 13 year-old Mary Phagan in Georgia. He was lynched in 1915. The story here keeps antisemitism out of it, instead making it more of a focus on the resentments and prejudices of the South towards the North. Having grown up in the South, I know these sentiments were very real for many even decades after this movie was made. This is a film that examines everything from bigotry to mob mentality and the manipulation of the public by politicians and the media. Sociologically and historically relevant, it's a powerful movie from Warner Bros. with a good cast.

froberts73 Leave it to Warner Bros. to pull no punches. This powerful movie, based on a real case and sticking with the facts, is a stunner. The closer it gets to the end, the more involved you become as you hope for justice to be done.I can't pinpoint any performer as outstanding. They were all outstanding as was LeRoy's no-nonsense direction. No side-tracking, no crapping around with sub-plots. He got to the point immediately and stayed with it.This is an outstanding film. Interestingly it does not, of course, echo the South of today (I live in the South). There are still problems but, for the most part, they are back seat.In schools, prejudice would most likely be laughed out. The races work and play together and, yep, go out on dates together.If there are any KKK nutcases around they would be laughed out of the neighborhood.Back to the movie: Fan-damn-tastic.

nomoons11 To start off with, If you think "To Kill a Mockingbird" was the first "you better not get in trouble in the South" films, think again. They won't Forget was 25 years before Mockingbird and just as controversial back in its day I'm willin' to bet.I went into this thinking' it would just be a 1937 murder mystery but what I got was an Anti-South melodrama. I think it hooks you in from the beginning because a very young Lana Turner appears and to say she's beautiful is an absolute understatement. She is just stunning for the little time she appears in this film. The basic premise of the film is that her character gets murdered off early on and they try and railroad one character after another into the electric chair until they find one that fits the best.You know how you know that this is just an Anti-South lesson? Sadly, you don't even know at the end who did do it. They just leave that part out. Most of the film concentrates on 1 character they think did it and go from there. The bad/fake southern accents and the lynching of the character who gets found guilty and gets his sentenced commuted to life at the end. Nowhere throughout the entire film does it point to anyone else. I mean not 1 character gets any light shed unto them on how they may be the actual killer. The character who gets convicted may have done it but you really have no clue. But that's the real point of the film. Your not suppose to know. It's all about how bad the southern judicial system is. This film concentrates solely on the "southern" angle. Kind of a North vs. South typa thing. It was just sad and way over stereotyped.The worst part is that the first person to come upon the body of the girl is a black night watchman and of course they throw him in jail and scare him to tears by tellin him he's gonna be executed if he doesn't tell a load of lies on the stand because if he doesn't, the other accused man's lawyer is gonna point the murder on him. Of course you know back then that blacks rarely got a fair shake so they play that angle up real well.I'm guessin you might be able to tell that I'm from the south..and I am...but there are much better films on the south that aren't so over the top on the subject matter. Go for To Kill a Mockingbird first. The ending is sad but you know that you'll walk away from it with a sense of not ever wanting to be like any of those characters that got him convicted. This film doesn't give you that at the end. All it says to you is.."better be glad you didn't live in the South way back when."