I Am A Fugitive From A Chain Gang (1932)

This graphic REFUSES to behave	!

This
movie holds several unique positions in the history of film. First,
because it took on the practice of the chain gang. In the simplest form,
a chain gang is slavery repackaged. It was a cruel system that served
no useful purpose for the prisoner. They could be worked to death
without any appeal. The movie is based on the life of Robert E.
Burns, a confessed petty thief who escaped the chain gang in Georgia.
With the help of politicians in the north, he avoided extradition
back to Georgia, eventually serving as a consultant on the movie.
With all of that on its side, “I Am A Fugitive From A Chain Gang”
was a public indictment of the system that led many years later to
its elimination. The state of Georgia was so outraged by its
depiction (even though no state is ever named) that they sued Warner
Brothers several times.

As
for the movie studio, this movie was a financial godsend. It launched
Warner as the studio with a social conscience. They would make movies
about social conditions for decades, to great financial success.

In
the end, the movie succeeds as a movie. Muni is great here, in the
kind of intense role that was his trademark. There is intense realism
here as well. The rock breaking scene was done under brutal
conditions that punished the actors and crew. The movie features a
stunning ending, unlike anything else I can think of. First, there is
no happy, clean finish to the story. And the final line of the movie,
delivered by Muni, there is a chilling fade that is the perfect final
note to the movie.