THE BIG HOUSE is, to my limited knowledge, the earliest prison film of the Sound
Era and it's pretty damn good. It opens with a drunk driver getting booked
into the prison on a manslaughter wrap. Right off the bat you can see this
punk has a yellow streak a mile wide. Due to overcrowding he's thrown into
a small cell with two hardened criminals. Time goes by and the new kid
never toughens up. One of his cellmates escapes and, because he hates the
new guy so much, he plans on murdering the new guys sister, but ends up falling
in love with her! More stuff goes on, but you'll just have to see for
yourself.
Modern audiences will probably find it way too dated, but if you give it a
chance I think you'll enjoy it. Wallace Beery is tough as nails as a
shit-talkin' murderer and was even nominated for an Oscar for his
performance. He didn't win, but female screenwriter Frances Marion did win
and ended up being the first female to win an Academy Award for writing.
Not the greatest prison film ever, but most definitely one of the most
influential on the young genre. Check it out.
