jacksheraw17
A very moving film. Paul Muni beautifully depicts the story of James Allen and his battle for justice. Muni portrays a man who has been chosen by the system to serve time, although the man is innocent. I love how emotional Muni is throughout the duration of the film. He makes is very apparent how James Allen feels when he is up and how he feels when he is down. The sound effects made it even better, very off key which i took a liking to. What I didn't enjoy was how limited the cameras were in terms of movement but obviously this is a very old film. Its just interesting to see what they made out of what they had, it turned out very nicely. What was also interesting was too see which scenes were in a studio and which scenes were filmed outdoors. It was obvious with the lighting of each scene. Some of the scenes filmed in a studio were really well put together with how real the props looked. Overall, I thought this movie was great and I can't wait to watch more films with Paul Muni!
Emma Faulkner
I am a fugitive from a chain gang, directed by Mervyn LeRoy, is a look at how corrupt, and barbaric chain gangs were back then, during world war I. Godfrey was an innocent man and was unjustly thrown into the chain gang as a criminal. So he escapes and creates quit a life for himself in Chicago and becomes a very great architect, that when they find out who he is and that he escaped the chain gang, people fight for him to stay. Godfrey willingly goes back to the chain gang because he is assured that he will be released after a certain time. When he is not he escapes again. So even when Godfrey does the right thing time and time again, the chain gang basically forced Godfrey to turn into a criminal, because he had to escape again. I think this is an issue we still have in jails today. Sometimes the criminal justice system turns you into a criminal before you do anything wrong. It was filmed very well, and was made shortly after sound came out in films, and so the producer added many different sounds you hear throughout the film.
m-meehan-28239
These older movies continue to surprise me. I really didn't think this movie would be able to capture my attention but I was proved wrong. "I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang" had a great plot that was able to make the viewer see what the director wanted them to see. This really showed the harsh reality of the chain gang and made me wince at the horrors of the time. I was really invested in the plot with great effects like the loud cracks of whips and the excitement and panic if being chased by hounds. I also enjoyed how at the end of the movie he blew up a bridge, something he enjoyed building, in order to try and escape towards freedom. This movie did exactly what its intentions were by making me, the viewer, hate the chain gang punishment.
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.
AD
