Fury (1936)
A very early film with a vigilante protagonist (Fritz Lang-directed,) that not only seems like the other side of the coin of M (1931), but it may also, consciously or unconsciously, have inspired aspects of fantasies as diverse as Freddy Krueger's backstory in The Nightmare on Elm Street franchise (a character imprisoned and burned alive by a lynch mob comes back to seek revenge - did Wes Craven ever watch this film?) or the main character's beloved pet killed in the John Wick series, (since in the case of this film the protagonist does not die, the basis for his revenge could be boiled down - no pun intended - to his dead dog.)
The early portions of the film echo themes from I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932) and predate the unjust nightmare of Alfred Hitchcock's The Wrong Man (1956), and the much more enjoyable direction this early portion takes the film in may recall many a supervillain origin story.
Audiences conditioned by contemporary vigilante films might be less surprised had the film taken us into Dr. Phibes' territory, (except it was much in too early American cinema for such a degree of nihilism,) than where it goes: instead of legally pursuing the culprits for their actual crimes (at least insofar as the film makes direct reference to,) a plan is hatched to frame the mob for a death that did not happen.
Oddly, a script aware enough of relatively minor infractions such as contempt of court and the more serious one of perjury focuses merely on murder charges while ignoring all other associated crimes. Despite the satisfaction of seeing the culprits squeezed thus, the film leaves these aspects dangling and a sense of full justice not quite having been achieved.
That Spencer Tracy's character never loses the audience's sympathy might be explained by the (temporary) insanity his suffering causes, (evidenced by visual and auditory hallucinations); he is judged not guilty by reason of insanity, one might say.
Despite the very fun and enjoyable thriller aspects, (question; what are the melting temperatures for gold and that of burning flesh?) the film has a serious (and not out of place) message about corruption, lynching, and mob rule, (statistics of the time are mentioned.)
With Sylvia Sidney, Walter Abel, Bruce Cabot, Edward Ellis, Walter Brennan, and Terry (who played Toto in The Wizard of Oz.)
Check it out.
A very early film with a vigilante protagonist (Fritz Lang-directed,) that not only seems like the other side of the coin of M (1931), but it may also, consciously or unconsciously, have inspired aspects of fantasies as diverse as Freddy Krueger's backstory in The Nightmare on Elm Street franchise (a character imprisoned and burned alive by a lynch mob comes back to seek revenge - did Wes Craven ever watch this film?) or the main character's beloved pet killed in the John Wick series, (since in the case of this film the protagonist does not die, the basis for his revenge could be boiled down - no pun intended - to his dead dog.)
The early portions of the film echo themes from I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932) and predate the unjust nightmare of Alfred Hitchcock's The Wrong Man (1956), and the much more enjoyable direction this early portion takes the film in may recall many a supervillain origin story.
Audiences conditioned by contemporary vigilante films might be less surprised had the film taken us into Dr. Phibes' territory, (except it was much in too early American cinema for such a degree of nihilism,) than where it goes: instead of legally pursuing the culprits for their actual crimes (at least insofar as the film makes direct reference to,) a plan is hatched to frame the mob for a death that did not happen.
Oddly, a script aware enough of relatively minor infractions such as contempt of court and the more serious one of perjury focuses merely on murder charges while ignoring all other associated crimes. Despite the satisfaction of seeing the culprits squeezed thus, the film leaves these aspects dangling and a sense of full justice not quite having been achieved.
That Spencer Tracy's character never loses the audience's sympathy might be explained by the (temporary) insanity his suffering causes, (evidenced by visual and auditory hallucinations); he is judged not guilty by reason of insanity, one might say.
Despite the very fun and enjoyable thriller aspects, (question; what are the melting temperatures for gold and that of burning flesh?) the film has a serious (and not out of place) message about corruption, lynching, and mob rule, (statistics of the time are mentioned.)
With Sylvia Sidney, Walter Abel, Bruce Cabot, Edward Ellis, Walter Brennan, and Terry (who played Toto in The Wizard of Oz.)
Check it out.
statistics: Posted by hermanthegerm — 9:01 PM - 1 day ago — Replies 1 — Views 162