Circumstances Change, But Paul Muni Doesn't in I Am A Fugitive From A Chain Gang

Raising social consciousness is commonly cited as the motivation behind crafting a classic film such as 1932's I Am A Fugitive From A Chain Gang. The theme of freedom is prominent throughout the film. Paul Muni's brilliant portrayal of a down-on-his-luck wanderer named James Allen consistently discusses man's desire to be free.

The Freedom Theme

Allen becomes a drifter because he wants to be free of his dull home life. Drafted into the army only to be discharged to face the monotony of a factory job, Allen makes his way across the country only to lose his freedom again after being falsely convicted of a crime and ending up serving his sentence on a brutal chain gang.

Escaping from the chain gang offers a brief respite of freedom and a new lease on life. And then he is trapped in a loveless marriage. Upon freeing himself from the union, he finds himself back on the chain gang.

Freedom, it seems, only comes and goes.

Or is, as the title self-aware computer of the sci-fi classic Colossus: The Forbin Project assesses, "Freedom is an illusion."

For James Allen, freedom is fleeting to the point it barely exists. Likely, for him, it never exists. He reinvents himself numerous times to achieve a level of personal and outright physical freedom. He changes jobs, changes his lot in life through a prison escape, changes his identity, and so on.

Freedom never arrives for James Allen because, although circumstances change, Allen never really changes. He is the symbolic ball and chain, which is tied to a literal ball and chain.

Chained to Unchanging Circumstances

Was James Allen predestined to be a prisoner both literally and figuratively? Based on his life, as seen in the film, this good, moral, virtuous man never changes. He remains the same individual from scene to scene, and he suffers greatly no matter what backdrop he is placed on.

James Allen's life on the outside of the chain gang mimics what life was like on the inside. And no, the notion of freedom is an illusion. There is a sameness to things. Allen tries to make changes in his life. Looking for a new job is less melodramatic than an escape from prison.

The ultimate sameness is James Allen himself.

*****

Check Out My Collection of Essays on Amazon Kindle!

*****

Allen simply cannot catch the proverbial break. No matter what circumstances the man finds himself in, things never work out well for him. The narrative of I Am A Fugitive From A Chain Gang consistently features ever-changing backdrops.

This is why life is so difficult for the man. He cannot fit well into any of the new lives he places himself or lands.

In a tragic sense of irony, James Allen finally does change in the film's final minutes - he loses his morality and virtue, allowing him to better fit into the backdrop of a fugitive.

Beyond Good and Evil and Greed in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

What more could be written about the themes of greed-induced self-destruction in the John Huston/Humphrey Bogart classic The Treasure of the Sierra Madre? Perhaps it would be best to look at a few lines of dialogue from the film and ponder on the words.

"Do you believe the old man who was doing all the talking....said the other night about gold changing a man's soul so he ain't the same kind of a guy he was before finding it?"

"I guess that all depends on the man."

"That's exactly what I say. Gold don't carry any curse with it. It all depends on whether or not the guy who finds it is the right guy. The way I see it, gold can be as much of a blessing as a curse"

Greed is often viewed as an abstract, a "Deadly Sin" that controls those whom the feelings of avarice envelope. Greed is not an abstract concept. Nor is it something that takes hold and controls anyone. Greed is a description of the attitudes and actions of human beings. Greed comes in many levels of severity and can reach a point where the "sin" becomes a massive personality disorder.

Greed could be an asset "depending on the man." A greedy person who saves and works and works to have security in life cannot be faulty. Such a person has a strong work ethic and fear for personal security - traits that were likely developed over time based on life experiences.

The character of Dobbs appears like a man who descends into greed-induced, self-destructive paranoia after finding gold and being overly consumed with greed. Is this so?

"Gold don't carry any curse with it. It all depends on whether or not the guy who finds it is the right guy."

Dobbs likely embodied always embodied the terrible traits that consumed him throughout the film. He possessed those traits inwardly and, when he discovered the gold, his avarice, selfishness, and paranoia began to express themselves outwardly.

This is why the other characters do not get ruined by the gold. The reflected the "right person[s]" who could be entrusted with the great responsibility of discovering the untold riches of lost and hidden gold.

PLEASE CHECK OUT MY COLLECTION OF ESSAYS ON AMAZON KINDLE:

Nice Screenplay Character Touches in Night Moves (1975)

Budding screenwriters have a tendency to throw a lot of unnecessary things into a script. The idea at work is the more elements added to the screenplay, the more profound the plot, characters, and themes will be. Maybe that works now and then, but the common result is usually a muddled one. Too much tossed into a script has a tendency to create a massive mess.

One of the best film noirs of the 1970s is Arthur Penn's classic Night Moves. The 1975 feature was a vehicle for Gene Hackman. Like The Conversation (1974) and Prime Cut (1972), Night Moves did not reap massive ticket sales at the box office despite being an outstanding feature.

A lot could be written about Night Moves. In keeping with the theme of this particular entry, we can focus on simplicity in the outstanding screenplay.

Gene Hackman's character is not down and out financially, but spiritually. Greater days are behind him.

When JFK died, Moseby reveals he was in the middle of his stellar NFL career. When Robert died, he was staking out the home of an adulterer trying to get pictures for a divorce case. Gene Hackman plays Harry Moseby, a former professional NFL star who now works as a private investigator. The character is mired in sadness of glory lost. In one brief scene that takes place in the darkness of night, Leslie Warren's character Paula asks him where he was when the Kennedy brothers were shot.


In only three years, Moseby went from a superstar to a pathetic sad sack. No one feels more ashamed about the fall from glory than Moseby. Hackman gets the pain of his character across brilliantly. Screenwriter Alan Sharp deserves a lot of praise for coming up with this brilliant script point.

Malcolm McDowell Celebrates the 44th Anniversary of A Clockwork Orange

A Clockwork Orange remains one of the most influential of all subversive science-fiction films ever made. On this date in 1972, A Clockwork Orange was given a wide release across theaters, and audiences were stunned at Stanley Kubrick's brutal cinema masterpiece.

Star Malcolm McDowell reminisces about the film in the entertainment section of the New York Daily News. Some points McDowell makes in the article include:

• The drugs and gang-filled dystopian future of the movie seems is becoming a reality.
• Novelist Anthony Burgess deserves far more credit as A Clockwork Orange's driving creative genius than his is given.
• McDowell is happy to move onto more comedic roles.

More comedic roles? Yes, McDowell is being featured in an Amazon-produced comedy series but his next movie slated for release is the ultra-violent 31, a horror film directed by Rob Zombie.

                (Extended early 1970's interview with McDowell discussing A Clockwork Orange)

Check out the full article at the New York Daily News site.