Fury (1936)

Mob Mentality Yes, But This Film is Also About "The Other"

I agree with the many reviewers who focus on the lynching aspect of the morality tale spun so expertly by Fritz Lang. But having watched this recently, I also found much that was directly relevant to our modern times. In particular, the film really exposes how the heartland, the community, can be exclusionary and vicious to those it perceives as "the Other," whether that person is a suspected kidnapper, a gay person, or some other person selected by the town elders to be the subject of ridicule, disdain, and marginalization.

Consider those who raised objections to the war in Iraq, and how they were treated by the media and the "town elders" in Washington. They were reviled, shunned, marginalized, and forgotten, victims of a mob mentality that drove us to war and to celebrate on the nightly news our conquests and destruction.

Lang's point is a larger one, and one that applies as much today as it did when the noxious practice of lynching was rampant across our country. As the barber slyly notes, it is the "impulse" that must be controlled, lest it burst out and consume us all. July 24, 2007

INDICTMENT OF MOB RULE!

German born diector Fritz Lang's first American film tells the story of how mass hysteria can led to tragic results.Joe Wilson (Spencer Tracy) driving West,from Chicago,to meet his bride-to-be Katharine,touchingly played by Sylvia Sidney,is arrested on kidnapping charges.Lies and whispers spread thru the small town which leads to a mob marching on the city jail,which results in Tracy being lynched(?),a body is not found and the "leaders" of the mob are put on trial.Lang,who also co-wrote the screenplay,captures the essence of small town bigotry and the effects that"group think" can have a society,large or small.Edward Ellis,Walter Brennan,Bruce Cabot,and Frank Albertson lend excellant surpport.Commetary by Peter Bogdanovich,with inserts from director Lang,culled from interviews,over the years,by Bogdanovich is OK. April 17, 2006

Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!

Spencer Tracy is an innocent man accused of kidnapping, and then he becomes the victim of mob violence: a crazed town mob storms the jail he's being held in and burn it down. But, unknown to the mob, Tracy escapes and goes into hiding; when the real kidnapper is caught, a defense lawyer brings 22 of the townspeople up on murder charges. After an exciting courtroom trial, most of the 22 are found guilty - at which point Tracy strolls into court "unable to live with myself."

Fritz Lang directed (his first American movie), and it helped make Tracy a star. The first half hour is slow and a bit hokey as Tracy and his bride-to-be (played by the rather mediocre Sylvia Sidney) establish for the audience how much they love each other and how decent they are. Things pick up after Tracy is arrested, though Lang's stagey connection to German Expressionism is still in the forefront during the mob violence scenes. The trial is excellent, and we are kept in suspense as the townspeople perjure themselves to save their necks. The ending is somewhat hokey again. Graham Greene called the movie "great" at the time it came out; that's a bit of an overstatement, but it's a classy, well-made movie just the same. March 17, 2006

Blind "Fury"

Are people essentially good or evil? This is an age old question that Fritz Lang's movie tries to explore. But it's a difficult question to answer. Take a look throughout history and it seems to be filled with violence, wars, and assassinations. But then an event like 911 or hurricane Katrina happens and we see an outpour of goodwill and generosity. And again we must ask ourselves are the fundamental impulses of man good or evil?

"Fury" tells the story of Joe Wilson (Spence Tracy) a man who is about to get married to Katherine (Sylvia Sidney). Katherine has found a high paying job in another town and has agreed to take it so she can save up enough money for the two to get married. Joe promises once he gets enough money as well he will travel out to Katherine. A year goes by and the two are still apart. But through Joe's hard work he finally has enough money to marry Katherine.

Early on in the film the theme of right and wrong is presented. Joe is a nice guy. Always trying to do the right thing. When we first meet his brothers, who he lives with, one of them is doing work for the mob (though this is never really played out) and the other brother comes home drunk. Joe strongly protest their behavior. Joe even saves a stray dog in another scene.

Now when Joe drives out to Katherine he is pulled over and suspected to be involved in a kidnapping scandal that has affected the small town. Things are made worst when the find out Joe eats peanuts, because so does one of the kidnappers. And of course there can only be room for one person in the world to eat peanuts. I wonder if peanut sales went down after the release of this picture? And Joe is found with a five dollar bill that matches the serial number on one of the bills that was given for the ransom.

As soon as people find out about Joe a frenzy starts. The town's people want to take matters into their own hands and kill Joe. An absence of law and order ensues. The govenor decides not to send help to the police station because it is an election year and it might not be a good move for his re-election. So the people try to lynch Joe. Sadly all of this is done in front of Katherine.

To reveal more of the plot would be a very big mistake. But the movie is clearly taking on some very big issues. The whole subject of lynching is definitely contoversial. Historically we tend to think of lynching as race crime. I'm sure everyone is aware of the large amount of African-Americans who were lynched in the past. There was even a song written about it called "Strange Fruit". Also one has to wonder is Lang making a statement about the Nazis. It should be pointed out this was Fritz Lang's first American film. He left Germany as the Nazis started to gain more power. Was Lang saying it's wrong to side with the masses when they lead to violence?

This all sounds very serious and yet the story was based on one written by Norman Krasna called "Mob Rule". Krasna actually wrote many comedies. "Lets Make Love (a rather poor Marilyn Monroe vehicle)", "Bundle of Joy" and a Ronald Reagan comedy "John Loves Mary (which is actually pretty good)". But there are no laughs to be found here.

The downside of the movie is the ending. We understand what is going to happen to these characters but it ends to abruptly in my opinion. And seems slightly preachy. Although this is the only time I thin it does that. Some might agrue the entire movie is an editorial but I don't find it to be so.

In the end there is very little to dislike about this picture. I feel it is one of the greatest movies ever made. Definitely one of the greatest films of the 1930's, which makes it all the more the shame the movie was nominated for only one Oscar, "best screenplay". Where were the nominations for "Best Picture", "Director" and "Actor"? Oh well, the Academy blows anyway.

Bottom-line: One of Fritz Lang' greatest films and one of the greatest movies ever made. The movie makes a powerful comment on the nature of human impulses but does so without be preachy. The performances are excellent and Lang's directing is spot on. February 26, 2006

Dead Man's Revenge

Fury is three pictures in one. It starts off as a romance. Joe Wilson (Spencer Tracey) and his girl Katherine (Sylvia Sidney) are engaged but are waiting until they get enough money. He lives in Chicago and she in Washington. Joe is a straight shooter and will not do anything dishonest to get ahead, so it takes time for Joe to save any money.

Finally, Joe and his brothers save enough to buy a gas station and be their own bosses. Joe saves enough is going to fetch his bride. On the way to her in California, he is stopped and arrested in a small town on suspicion of kidnapping. The word spreads in the town and a mob surrounds the jail. The townspeople will not let an outsider get away with such a crime (a crime that did not happen in their town nor affected their town.) They break into the jail but cannot get past the bars to the prisoner. They set the jail on fire and when that doesn't yield the prisoner; they throw dynamite in the fire to bring the jail down.

This is where you might expect the film to end. But it doesn't this is no ordinary film about the mob mentality and death of an innocent man. It turns out that Joe wasn't killed but the dynamite broke open the jail and he escaped. But no knows this and he wants revenge. He goes back to his brothers and gets them to have the state prosecute those at the lynching under a statute that equates lynching with first degree murder. This is easier said than done as the town wants to forget their shame and rallies round those accused. But the DA is able to prove their identity through newsreel footage.

Katherine begins to realize that Joe is alive but cannot believe that her honest guy could do this.

This was the American directorial debut of the great German filmmaker Fritz Lang. You can see the influence of his earlier work like M in this film. But you can also see that many of his collaborators really did not understand his vision so the film constantly seems off kilter. But the story is interesting and it's great to see early performances by Spencer Tracey (the greatest film actor of all time in an early starring role), Silvia Sidney and the greatest character actor Walter Brennan before his record three supporting actor Oscars.

DVD EXTRAS: Commentary by Peter Bogdonovich with interview excerpts from Fritz Lang.
January 24, 2006

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