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.

*****

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*****

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.

Famous Monsters of Filmland 40th Anniversary Filmbook Remembered

Happy Halloween!

So much I could say, but time is short.

Classic horror movies receive a lot of airtime on cable in October, which is a good thing. Several rare classics do not always get the same appreciation of more well-known features. Some movies may only end up airing during Halloween. Setting October aside to appreciate those classic creepy films is definitely a worthwhile endeavor.

Yesterday, I was in the bookstore and came across the new issue of the third version of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine. Fittingly, it was a tribute to the late, great Forrest J. Ackermann.

In the late 1990s, the second version of the magazine -- published by Ray Ferry -- was released. A 40th-anniversary film book was published. Here are my thoughts on it - in video form.

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Dracula (1931) Opening Theme - “Swan Lake” by Tchaikovsky Horrifies

Scores of memorable horror movies have presented equally outstanding scores. John Carpenter's Halloween and John Williams' work on Jaws are considered the two best examples of thrilling thriller scores. The classic Universal horror films did not produce many memorable original scores. The Creature from the Black Lagoon featured a memorably eerie score that expertly mixed the adventurous with the terrifying.

The original Bela Lugosi classic, Dracula (1931), chose to "borrow" stock music and insert the material into the film's opening credits. Opting for "Swan Lake" by Tchaikovsky as the opening theme to Dracula seems like a strange mismatch - until the music commences. 

The first chords heard on the soundtrack reveal a blaring noise that immediately draws the viewer's attention towards the screen and does so with an impending sense of doom. The brash few seconds of the opening quickly leads into a much softer tempo that maintains a vague sense of eeriness. To an audience in 1931, an audience that had no idea what to expect from Universal's Dracula, the first 30 seconds of the title theme present a combination of creepiness and dark - albeit upbeat - romance.

Yes, there is a cloud of dark, gothic in the air of this segment from "Swan Lake," which is why the music fits the film's opening so expertly.

The tempo then picks up to a much faster and more frantic pace. The music betrays a sense of the ominous danger upon moving in this auditory direction. Dracula is the supernatural embodiment of danger creeping into a romantic tale. The rapid change of pace, mood, and theme in "Swan Lake" is perfectly appropriate. The opening credits of Bela Lugosi's Dracula (1931) film does not require a gaudy, brooding, or shocking theme. The subtle nature and the ironic tempo change in "Swan Lake" fit the feature perfectly.

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Dracula and classic horror fans can check out my new book Universal Monsters and Neurotics: Children of the Night and Their Hang-Ups on Amazone Kindle and Kindle Unlimited.