Develiker terrible... so disappointed.

Nonureva Really Surprised!

Gutsycurene Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

Sanjeev Waters A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

JohnHowardReid Executive producer: William Randolph Hearst. A Cosmopolitan picture, copyright 19 June 1930 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp. Jute mill scenes filmed at the Pacific Woolen and Blanket Works, Long Beach. New York opening at the Astor, 24 June 1930. U.S. release: 21 June 1930. 10 reels. 7,901 feet. 87½ minutes.NOTES: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded Frances Marion a statuette for Best Screenplay (defeating a very strong line-up: All Quiet on the Western Front, Disraeli, The Divorcée and Street of Chance), whilst Douglas Shearer (only) received a similar accolade for Sound Recording. Also nominated for Best Picture (All Quiet on the Western Front was the winner), and Best Actor, Wallace Beery (losing to George Arliss' Disraeli).The movie made such an impact on professional reviewers, it scored Number 6 position on The Film Daily annual poll of critics. The German and French versions were both directed by Paul Fejos, the Spanish version by Ward Wing.COMMENT: An unremittingly grim prison drama, thanks to dialogue and characters that are extraordinarily realistic, abetted by the solid performances ace director George Hill elicited from his cast. The story is nothing if not fast-moving and, thanks to Hill's powerful staging, it comes over with a terrific punch. Unsung cinematographer Harold Wenstrom's atmospheric camera-work also rates as a major asset.In such a uniformly excellent group of players, it seems a bit unfair to single out a few of the actors for special praise, but we simply must commend Wallace Beery and Robert Montgomery. The former has a typical role, which he puts over with customary yet fascinating force. Montgomery, on the other hand, essays a most untypical part — a cowardly stool-pigeon — which he limns so persuasively and convincingly, he easily overtakes Beery as the most unsympathetic character in the picture."The Big House" stands unchallenged as one of the most powerful prison movies ever made. It hasn't dated one iota.After viewing a second time: Yes, in many ways ahead of its time. Hard to believe that the marvelously realistic sound track was recorded by Douglas Shearer, and that the predominantly gray-toned sets are the work of Cedric Gibbons. Despite the familiarity of its themes and background, The Big House remains a totally riveting experience today.And as for that astonishingly effective performance by Robert Montgomery — totally unsympathetic — all we can say about the rest of his career (with perhaps four or five notable exceptions): What a waste!Other players who deserve a special commendation include Chester Morris, in a made-to-order characterization (which he went on to repeat time and time again — with only a few exceptions — in his subsequent career), Leila Hyams and George F. Marion. As the prison governor, Lewis Stone is far removed from his cracker-barrel Judge Hardy sinecure, and (as in his many other pre- Andy Hardy movies — see The Notorious Lady for example) handles the powerful role most convincingly.Pleasingly, "The Big House" is currently on offer as a 10/10 POD commercial DVD release through the Warner Archive.

Hitchcoc One might say that this movie is clichéd. Well, clichés have to start somewhere. Three men deal with prison in different ways. The one played by Chester Morris has some integrity and hopes for a better life. The other two are an enforcer and a rat. There is much give and take along the way, and eventually the classic prison break. Of course, at this time we know that right will prevail. There is also a little romance when Marlowe (Morris) escapes. There is also a commentary on what happens when we incarcerate men in places that are too crowded to hole them properly. Excellent actors in a thinly woven (and rather unbelievable) plot.

mmallon4 I suspect The Big House helped birth many of the conventions, staples and slang terms which have come to define prison films. Many of the classic elements are here but they manage to feel fresh instead of coming of as worn out clichés.The big impact this film had for me was that it made me a fan of two of its main stars, Robert Montgomery and Wallace Beery. The Big House made Beery a star, establishing his lovable lug persona and making him one of the biggest stars of the early 30's and one of the most unconventional stars in Hollywood history. Beery has a contradictory screen persona as seen here as his role of Butch; a thuggish brute one minute but as gentle as a puppy the next. However I feel Robert Montgomery is the one who steals the show, even If he doesn't have as much screen time as Beery and Chester Morris. Montgomery strikes me as the most interesting character in the film, as a privileged pretty boy convicted of manslaughter while drunk driving; he appears to be barely ready for adulthood, yet alone ready for serving 10 years in prison. Throughout the entire film you can tell he's completely out of his element with his trembling manner and naive wide eyed stare. Unlike the rest of the prisoners he is not a criminal in the common sense, displaying how it's a scary possibility for any regular person to end up in prison regards of their background or social standing.Being an early talkie, The Big House features many long static camera shots, muffled sound and no background music. However I feel these technical limitations are one of the film's greatest assets as they heighten the claustrophobia of the cells and other confined areas of the prison. If The Big House was made or remade later in the sound era with more advanced cinematography and clearer sound and a music score, it would not be as effective. The sound design itself is impressive, with the sound effects of whistles, prisoners marching or turning their plates in perfect unison in the mess hall showcase the routine nature of prison life and its mundanity. The film's screenwriter, Frances Marion interviewed actual prisoners and prison personal when writing The Big House, making the film an as authentic as possible look at the American prison system in 1930. Director George W. Hill apparently threatened to fire anyone caught acting and forbade the use of makeup in the film. The sets don't look like Hollywood sets and this is not a romanticized look at prison such as movies like Ladies They Talk About. At the beginning of the film the prison's warden (Lewis Stone), delivers a monologue about the general public wanting criminals locked behind bars but don't care about their treatment or rehabilitation once in prison. Here the prisoners have nothing to do all day in the overcrowded prison but grow animosity towards the guards and plot on how they are going to make their escape. Shortly after watching The Big House, I heard a discussion on the radio regarding the deteriorating conditions of prisons in the UK in 2014 and a caller phoned in and mirrored the exact points Lewis Stone made in The Big House; 80 years later and nothing has changed.

MartinHafer Over the decades, there have been tons of prison films. Most are pretty entertaining, however, a few, such as "The Big House", are great films and must be seen by serious film buffs. It's not surprising that this film took the Oscar for Best Writing, as Francis Marion's script was the biggest reason this film was so good. It also didn't hurt that you had three exceptional actors (Chester Morris, Wallace Beery and Robert Montgomery) in the leads as well as George Hill's wonderful direction. While Beery was the one who was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar, for me, the best performance in the film was Montgomery's--he played his part with an amazing intensity you just need to see. As for Morris, he was, as usual, very believable and professional.The film begins with Kent (Montgomery) arriving in prison. He doesn't feel he belongs there--after all, his killing a person was just an accident, as he was drunk! However, the warden (Lewis Stone) will have none of this and tells Kent he's earned ten years in prison. Through much of the early portion of the film, Kent felt very sorry for himself and kept asking his family about an appeal. I really felt annoyed at this, as Kent seemed to only think about himself and showed no remorse at all. Fortunately, the film did NOT paint him as a victim but as a spineless little jerk--and as the film progresses, you see just how spineless and evil he could be.Kent has two cell-mates. Butch (Beery) is a sociopathic bully who pushes everyone around except for Morgan (Morris)--and Morgan is the third man in this cell. As for Morgan, he's tough but there is also a certain decency about him and although Beery got the Oscar nomination for Best Actor, clearly Morris was THE star in this film and the movie mostly focused on this guy. As far as what happens next, I really would rather not discuss this as it is just better if you see it for yourself.As I said above, Montgomery was the standout in this film. His terrified look and pusillanimous body language were great. While he's not usually thought of as a great actor, here in one of his first films he is mesmerizing. The other two are also wonderful--and Lewis Stone is wonderful as the tough but very reasonable warden. But, if you see the film, you'll also realize that the biggest star really is Marion's script. The film is gritty and realistic without being bogged down by clichés. I also loved the direction, as the camera angles and almost film noir-like camera-work really were striking. Well worth your time and proof that early talkies could be just as good as anything made today.