20,000 Years in Sing Sing, a review by Antares
20,000 Years in Sing Sing (1932)
3/5 - Of the films I've seen starring Spencer Tracy made prior to his Oscar winning role in
Captain's Courageous in 1937, he comes across as trying too hard put a specific spin towards the characters he's playing. It comes across, at times, as awkward or amateurish and it is full display in the Michael Curtiz film
20,000 years in Sing Sing. I can't quite put my finger on it, but he doesn't seem believable for a second as the tough hoodlum sent to prison by a back stabbing accomplice. The film itself, is pretty straightforward and doesn't deviate from the prison films of the time. The only saving grace has to be Bette Davis as Tracy's love interest Fay. This was probably her first starring role and she makes the most of it. Nowhere to be seen is the grande dame persona she would emanate in future films and it is refreshing to watch her in her unfettered glory. This is the Bette Davis that I like, not the Margot Channing diva that she would become just a few years later. I also have to give a nod to Arthur Byron as the sympathetic warden. When people write about the films of the golden era, they all tend to mention the main stars. But what makes most of these films golden, is the supporting cast of great character actors. This is something that I feel is sorely missing today from mainstream films. Today, all of the supporting cast are all so plastic, interchangeable Stepford facsimiles. Actors such as Byron, Thomas Mitchell, Donald Meek, Roscoe Karnes and Gene Lockhart gave film making it's rich depth.
(From Antares' Short Summations on October 9th, 2013)
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May 03, 2024, 03:55:54 PM
