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4.0 out of 5 stars
Early prison film, March 26, 2011
Crime was very much on everyone's mind in the 1930s, as witnessed by Warner Brothers' films with Robinson, Raft, and Cagney. The Roaring Twenties had come to an end and the Depression was only just being felt. In addition to the popular gangster films, there was a subgenre that dealt with the other side of the picture - prison films. "The Big House" (1930) was the first film to gain wide critical and popular acclaim. Films like Hell's House" (1932), Hell's Highway" (1932) and "The Mayor from Hell" (1933) followed, as well as the chain gang films, the most famous of which was "I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang" (1932).
"20,000 Years in Sing Sing" belongs to this tradition. It's based on the non-fiction book of the same name written by Sing Sing's warden. Like "The Big House" it had a star studded cast and great production values. Spencer Tracy and Bette Davis star in a film directed by Michael Curtiz and produced by Darryl Zanuck himself.
Spencer Tracy (1900-1967) stars as a convict. Tracey is ranked 9th among AFI's Greatest Male Stars. He won 2 Oscars ("Captains Courageous" in 1937 and "Boys Town" in 1938) and was nominated 7 more times. Personally I think his best performances were "Inherit the Wind" (1960) and "Judgment at Nuremberg" (1961). His acting method was - "Come to work on time, know your lines and don't bump into the other actors." In 1932 he was headlining in small B films - his breakout film still 4 years in the future. Tracy is earnest and energetic, but there is little here to predict the career he would ultimately have.
Cagney was originally slated to play the part, but was in one of his many contract disputes with Warner, so Tracy took over. You can see that the dialogue and the many fights were catered to Cagney's abilities, but Tracy does a good job filling in.
Another budding star was Bette Davis (1908-89) who started in films in 1930 (the same year as Tracy). In 1932 Davis was also in "Hell's House", another prison film. She was two years away from her breakout in "Of Human Bondage" (1934). Davis plays Tracy's girlfriend and does a perfectly adequate job with very few of the affectations that were to develop over the years.
Arthur Byron (1872-1943) plays the warden. He appeared in more than 20 films between 1932 and 1937, usually as a government official in films like "The President Vanishes" (1934) and "The Prisoner of Shark Island" (1936).
Lyle Talbot (1902-96) has a small role as an educated convict. Talbot is best known for his films with Ed Wood ("Glen or Glenda", "Plan 9 from Outer Space") or his role as Commissioner Gordon in the 1949 "Batman and Robin" serial. Ion the 50s he transitioned to TV where he had recurring roles in "Green Acres", "The Beverly Hillbillies", and "Ozzie & Harriet".
Director Michael Curtiz (1886-1962) is best known for his great films with Errol Flynn and Olivia deHavilland ("Captain Blood", "Robin Hood") but he received Oscar nominations for films with Jimmy Cagney ("Angels with Dirty Faces" and "Yankee Doddle Dandy") and won for "Casablanca". Curtiz had a sense of humor about himself - he once declared "The next time I want an idiot to do this, I'll do it myself." Curtiz handled prison films again in 1939 in "Angels with Dirty faces" and you'll see the change in how he directs the execution scenes.
Barney McGill (1890-1942) provides crisp black and white photography with a good mix of shots. He manages to give us lots of views of prison life without making it appear as a documentary (one of the problems with "The Big House"). McGill was Oscar nominated for "Svengali" (1931) among the nearly 100 films he photographed between 1919 and 1946
1932 was a good year for films - "Grand Hotel" was the Oscar and box office king, Jean Harlow had 2 films in the top 10 ("Red Headed Woman" and "Red Dust") as did Miriam Hopkins ("Trouble in Paradise" and "Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde") and Wallace Beery ("Champ" and "Grand Hotel"). Other notable films from that year were "I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang", "Freaks" ,"A Farewell to Arms", "Scarface", "Horse Feathers" and "Tarzan The Ape Man".
Because Lewis Lawes was still warden when the film was made, he allowed filming inside and outside the prison. So we have a great look at a 1932 prison. It's also the only time Tracy and Davis appeared together on screen. One can put aside a confabulated plot and just sit back and enjoy the action. Curtiz keeps it so fast paced you may not even notice some of the incongruent plot points.
"20,000 years" is not in the same class as such contemporary films as "Public Enemy" or "The Big House" or "I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang", but it is certainly a good film and enjoyable to watch.
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