The criminal code

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Movie
German title The criminal code
Original title The Criminal Code
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1930
length 97 minutes
Rod
Director Howard Hawks
script Fred Niblo Jr. ,
Seton I. Miller
production Harry Cohn ,
Howard Hawks,
Frank Fouce
music Sam Perry
camera James Wong Howe ,
Ted Tetzlaff
cut Edward Curtiss
occupation

The Criminal Code (original title: The Criminal Code ) is an American film drama from 1930. Director Howard Hawks, uncredited, filmed a script based on a play by Martin Flavin . The premiere was celebrated on January 3, 1931. In Germany, the film was released in a television version that was first broadcast on ARD on May 19, 1973 .

action

Robert Graham is a prisoner and works in a prison factory. Due to the stress and the harsh working conditions, he is mentally unstable. The prison psychiatrist agrees with District Attorney Brady that Graham needs help by reassigning him to another job and also by changing his environment. Brady hires Graham as his servant after reminding himself that it was him who put Graham behind bars. The new work makes Graham flourish. His mood improves, and his appearance is getting better and better. He also meets Brady's daughter Mary.

At the same time, one of Graham's cellmates and two other inmates are planning an escape. But among them is a spy who reveals the plan of the escape to the guards, thereby violating an unwritten code among the prisoners. The escapees are caught and shot, Graham's cellmate is killed. The other cellmate, Ned Galloway, wants to avenge his friend's death. He plans to kill the traitor and informs Graham to stay away from the man. Unfortunately, Graham witnessed the murder.

When Graham is found on the traitor's body, Brady realizes that Graham is not the killer. But he suspects that Graham knows the killer. Brady promises Graham a speedy release if he reveals the killer's name. Graham is now at odds as he too would break the code if he betrayed Galloway. Graham feels primarily an inmate and is silent. Brady puts him in solitary confinement .

Mary, returning from a short trip, is surprised that Graham is not there as usual. When she finds out where he is, Mary is shocked. She tries to get her father to release Graham, but he calls her naive. When Mary tells him that she loves Graham, Brady changes his mind. Together with Captain Gleason and some guards, Brady sets out to get Graham out of the isolation cell. Now the other inmates think Graham betrayed Galloway. One of the inmates smuggles a penknife to one of the isolation inmates so that Graham can punish him for apparent treason.

Galloway, who works in the factory, realizes the real connections. He berates one of the guards and is in turn put into solitary confinement. He wants to save Graham from punishment. In the corridors he can catch the man with the knife and kill him. During the fight, he cuts the throat of Gleason, who is secretly responsible for Galloway's long prison term. One of the guards shoots Galloway down. Graham is released and takes Mary in his arms.

background

Boris Karloff played the same role in the play on which the film script is based. In total, the play was performed 173 times on Broadway between October 1929 and March 1930.

Constance Cummings made her film debut here. At the same time, Columbia Pictures had a Spanish version of the film made. Directed El código penal led Phil Rosen and Julio Villareal, the leading role played Barry Norton.

The film drew two remakes. 1938 turned John Brahm Penitentiary with Walter Connolly , 1950 then turned Henry Levin with Glenn Ford and Broderick Crawford the drama Convicted (original title: Convicted ).

Reviews

The lexicon of international film found: “The prison film directed by the then 34-year-old Howard Hawks is one of the most important of the genre with its humanitarian commitment and the art of its representation.” The film magazine Cinema also described the film as “committed cinema”.

Variety saw the film as an "excellent interpretation" of the play, with Walter Huston delivering his best character portrayal. Even Channel 4 praised Huston's "powerful screen presence" in a best of Hawks early sound films. The TimeOut film guide particularly emphasized the "tight, unsentimental script". The film "does not practice superficial moralization, has a high tempo, a grim realistic atmosphere and excellent acting performances".

Awards

In 1931 the film was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Adapted Screenplay category.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The Criminal Code. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed May 26, 2019 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  2. ↑ See cinema.de
  3. ^ The Criminal Code . In: Variety , 1931.
  4. ↑ See film4.com ( Memento from March 7, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
  5. ↑ See timeout.com