I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang

"Six sticks of dynamite that blasted his way to freedom … and awoke America’s conscience!"

1932 1h 32m EN

🙌

7.8

BANGER

★7.8TMDB · 234

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A World War I veteran’s dreams of becoming a master architect evaporate in the cold light of economic realities. Things get even worse when he’s falsely convicted of a crime and sent to work on a chain gang.

“Six sticks of dynamite that blasted his way to freedom … and awoke America’s conscience!”

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Cast

Paul Muni
James Allen
Glenda Farrell
Marie Woods
Helen Vinson
Helen
Noel Francis
Linda
Preston Foster
Pete
Allen Jenkins
Barney Sykes
Berton Churchill
The Judge
Edward Ellis
Bomber Wells

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Mervyn LeRoy
Writers: Robert E. Burns, Howard J. Green, Brown Holmes
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

94 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Mervyn LeRoy, shot by Sol Polito. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Bernhard Kaun. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor William Holmes shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Paul Muni and Glenda Farrell and Helen Vinson carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Six sticks of dynamite that blasted his way to freedom … and awoke America’s conscience!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0023042 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Mervyn LeRoy directs. Sol Polito behind the camera. Bernhard Kaun scores. William Holmes cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $0.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
294 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Mervyn LeRoy, shot by Sol Polito. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Bernhard Kaun. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor William Holmes shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Paul Muni and Glenda Farrell and Helen Vinson carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Six sticks of dynamite that blasted his way to freedom … and awoke America’s conscience!".
8IMDB entry: tt0023042 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 19 themes, including "prison", "war veteran", "blackmail", "hamburger".
10Released under 16 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Sol Polito
Original score: Bernhard Kaun
Editing: William Holmes
Costume design: Orry-Kelly
Runtime: 92 min · 1h 32m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $195,845
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)

Awards

National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
National Board of Review Award for Best Film

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Mervyn LeRoy

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2020-02-11
★ 10/10
Masterpiece that keeps influencing as much as it enthrals. Being a man who has a very unhealthy penchant for any film that deals with incarceration, it is with great elation that I can proudly proclaim this to be one of the greatest films of the genre. I had to finally give way and import the film on Region 1 to see what I was missing, boy was it joyous to see how this film has influenced some of my favourite film's of all time. This is one tough movie, it pulls no punches and the only surprise is that it was made in 1932, that the film is a grizzled masterpiece is down to the astute direction of Mervyn LeRoy and a quite brilliant performance from Paul Muni in the lead role of James Allen. Based on the real life writings of Robert Elliot Burns, the film is a harsh kick in the guts about the brutal penal system that existed when most of us were mere glints in our Father's eyes. It is part of a Warner Brothers controversial classic's box set that is available on Region 1, and its place on any controversial classic list is worthy. The film had major impact on reviews of the penal system, it caused uproar in Georgia (the film never mentions Georgia, but they knew it was about them), law suits followed and Robert Elliot Burns himself was constantly pursued by the authorities despite the state being privy to the actual facts of his case. I wont be boorish with the details as it is well documented across the net and those who haven't seen the film really need to address that issue. This picture strips it down to a primal story that begs a viewing from anyone interested in the genre - or actually for those interested in brilliant cinema from a golden era - period! 10/10

Production companies