Where can I get it?
I can't seem to find this movie anywhere. According to Maltin's movie guide, it is not even available on VHS. If anyone knows where to find it, post here please.
sharei'm looking for it too! maybe "tcm" will show it one day...
shareI saw this picture on Turner Classic Movies about 20 years ago, purely by accident.
The movie itself is spectacularly uneven. IMDb lists Mervyn LeRoy as the director, but also says he's uncredited. I suspect other, lesser talents directed some scenes, many of which have the ineptitude of very early talkies although this movie was released in 1937.
Claude Rains is superb (of course).
***SPOILERS BELOW***
The murder of the young girl played by Lana Turner (in her first credited role) takes place while the rest of the town is at the Memorial Day (or Decoration Day) parade. About half a dozen Confederate veterans get together before the parade--they straighten each others' uniforms and encourage each other to ignore the aches and pains of old age and stand up straight. Those guys were magnificent character actors and the scene is well-written, too--and then about halfway through the scene I realized that these old men were the drummer boys. Suddenly those 12- and 13-year-old boys were present, too. It was a shattering moment.
Later, the murdered girl's brother (played by Elliott Sullivan, I think) comes to see the prosecutor (Claude Rains). He enters as this lumpen-neanderthal type, but then he opens his mouth and poetry comes out. He talks about how he and his brothers work in the mines, and how relentlessly dirty and soul-destroying that work is, and that the only clean, beautiful thing in their lives was their sister, and now she's not there anymore.
The lynching at the end is depicted through a visual metaphor.
These are three stunning, breathtaking moments.
Does it bear any resemblance to the original concept/reveal any parallel to the historical incident? I'm studying and hoping to become expert on the Mary Phagan murder, and as soon as I saw that the Leo Frank "equivalent" is a Christian, I wasn't entirely sure if this would be something I wanted to see because of its depiction of the case. I did hear in other places and have read here that the acting is terrific and it's very emotional, moreso than the one with Peter Gallagher and Jack Lemmon - which I have just bought and think is wonderful. However, that observation I might agree with - I cried out of sympathy for Leo Frank, and because I was seeing the story for the first time - but it didn't seem as though they were trying to evoke any emotion. What's terribly sad is the concept.
But if it's worth looking for, I'll target it and get it home. I seemed to find the Evening Primrose somewhere, so now I believe if I could find that, I could find anything here!
-Leo
I believe this is based on the Mary Phaegen story, I saw both of the movies they are very similar. I believe this older version is a little better. Simply because of the year it was made it was very daring for the time. It seemed more authentic. This movie makes it seem because he is a northerner he is up to no good. Not because he is Jewish.
There is another movie named Fury. This movie and Fury were one of the many anti lynching movies made. One of my favorite movies of all times. It is early Spenser Tracy movies. It deals with the subject of lynch mobs. It is also based on a true story about a young boy from a wealthy California family who was kidnapped in San Jose by two inept criminals. But the locations in Fury were changed, and it was a little girl. Fury is Fritz Langs first American film. To me that the the best move ever made about lynch mobs.
The older one's okay. I like it because it's 4 hours of Leo Frank. But it's no emotional experience.
That's a really good tip about Fury. I'll have to see if I can get my hands on that one, too. I love studying this type of thing.
-Leo
I only saw the last half or so of "They Won't Forget" and it seemed like a really good movie - I wish I had the beginning. Fury is a great movie - Fritz Lang and Spenser Tracy and a timely story of mob control. TCM shows it occasionally.
share[deleted]
Was the metaphor you spoke of the mailbag hanging as the oncoming train came by? I thought of that too.
share