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good back-story, and good acting

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Executive producer: William Randolph Hearst. A Cosmopolitan picture, copyright 19 June 1930 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp. Jute mill scenes filmed at the Pacific Woolen and Blanket Works, Long Beach. New York opening at the Astor, 24 June 1930. U.S. release: 21 June 1930. 10 reels. 7,901 feet. 87½ minutes.NOTES: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded Frances Marion a statuette for Best Screenplay (defeating a very strong line-up: All Quiet on the Western Front, Disraeli, The Divorcée and Street of Chance), whilst Douglas Shearer (only) received a similar accolade for Sound Recording. Also nominated for Best Picture (All Quiet on the Western Front was the winner), and Best Actor, Wallace Beery (losing to George Arliss' Disraeli).The movie made such an impact on professional reviewers, it scored Number 6 position on The Film Daily annual poll of critics. The German and French versions were both directed by Paul Fejos, the Spanish version by Ward Wing.COMMENT: An unremittingly grim prison drama, thanks to dialogue and characters that are extraordinarily realistic, abetted by the solid performances ace director George Hill elicited from his cast. The story is nothing if not fast-moving and, thanks to Hill's powerful staging, it comes over with a terrific punch. Unsung cinematographer Harold Wenstrom's atmospheric camera-work also rates as a major asset.In such a uniformly excellent group of players, it seems a bit unfair to single out a few of the actors for special praise, but we simply must commend Wallace Beery and Robert Montgomery. The former has a typical role, which he puts over with customary yet fascinating force. Montgomery, on the other hand, essays a most untypical part — a cowardly stool-pigeon — which he limns so persuasively and convincingly, he easily overtakes Beery as the most unsympathetic character in the picture."The Big House" stands unchallenged as one of the most powerful prison movies ever made. It hasn't dated one iota.After viewing a second time: Yes, in many ways ahead of its time. Hard to believe that the marvelously realistic sound track was recorded by Douglas Shearer, and that the predominantly gray-toned sets are the work of Cedric Gibbons. Despite the familiarity of its themes and background, The Big House remains a totally riveting experience today.And as for that astonishingly effective performance by Robert Montgomery — totally unsympathetic — all we can say about the rest of his career (with perhaps four or five notable exceptions): What a waste!Other players who deserve a special commendation include Chester Morris, in a made-to-order characterization (which he went on to repeat time and time again — with only a few exceptions — in his subsequent career), Leila Hyams and George F. Marion. As the prison governor, Lewis Stone is far removed from his cracker-barrel Judge Hardy sinecure, and (as in his many other pre- Andy Hardy movies — see The Notorious Lady for example) handles the powerful role most convincingly.Pleasingly, "The Big House" is currently on offer as a 10/10 POD commercial DVD release through the Warner Archive.

One might say that this movie is clichéd. Well, clichés have to start somewhere. Three men deal with prison in different ways. The one played by Chester Morris has some integrity and hopes for a better life. The other two are an enforcer and a rat. There is much give and take along the way, and eventually the classic prison break. Of course, at this time we know that right will prevail. There is also a little romance when Marlowe (Morris) escapes. There is also a commentary on what happens when we incarcerate men in places that are too crowded to hole them properly. Excellent actors in a thinly woven (and rather unbelievable) plot.

Even after 77 years, The Big House is still the grand daddy of all prison films. Though films like Shawshank Redemption and a personal favorite of mine, Brubaker, with no Code restrictions can be a lot more graphic, still The Big House will shock as well as entertain.Wallace Beery got a Best Actor nomination for being hardened killer Butch Schmidt who's a lifer in the state penitentiary. He and cell mate Chester Morris have a new man in their little abode in the person of a young Robert Montgomery. Montgomery's only a kid, but he's done a man size crime of manslaughter in a vehicular homicide where he was no doubt good and sloshed on prohibition rotgut. Montgomery is a weakling in a place where that's not a good thing.All the clichés about prison films really do start here, culminating in the final crash-out where a whole lot of people get themselves killed. It's a scene well staged, very similar to the breakout in Brute Force.As the story progresses you'll see plot elements from Brute Force and from Warner Brothers Each Dawn I Die. The cast does a marvelous job and that also includes Lewis Stone as a Judge Hardy like warden.If you like prison films, this one's the grand daddy of them all.

This is the prison drama that set the pattern for all later ones.Robert Montgomery is sent to prison and encounters hard-bitten Wallace Beery and regular guy Chester Morris. He's a nice guy but prison life slowly begins to change him. That's about all I'm going to say about the movie...it's well worth anybody's time to see it (it's only 86 minutes long).It does lack the hard edge you might expect--the dialogue is tame (of course) and there's next to no violence, but the script is excellent (surprisingly written by a woman and a Oscar Winner) and the acting is just great--especially Morris and Beery (he was nominated for an Oscar but didn't win). It does have a sentimental, happy ending but it WAS made in 1930.Well worth catching--TCM has an excellent print and shows it every once in a while. Also it's fun to see Robert Montgomery so young and handsome.Best exchange: "Who me?" "Yes you."