As I was reading the new biography on Spencer Tracy -- which incidentally is the definitive one to be produced -- the section about this film (filmed when he was transitioning from 20th Century Fox to MGM) was quite negative, so I expected a real lemon. At first I could only find it on You Tube, divided up into several sections, but complete (and a surprisingly good print). In October 2012, it became available on TCM with, again, an excellent print. And now it is out on DVD!
What a surprise, I think it's a terrific movie, particularly for 1935, and I would have to say that it's Tracy's best film in the pre-MGM period. Tracy's acting here is very smooth and convincing as a man who becomes a carnival barker (you actually get to see him in black face!), but then promotes an attraction based on Dante's "Inferno". It begins innocently enough, but greed leads to Tracy's character's downfall. Ever more impressive side-show/pier entertainments, slipshod construction with no regard to safety, gambling, and bribery all figure into this morality play. And then, the pier collapses, killing and injuring scores of people. Tracy's father-in-law, a follower of Dante's literature, then shows Tracy what hell is going to be like, and for 1935, I found the sets to be extremely eerie and impressive...the images you see are far beyond anything I would expect from that era (not to mention scenes of near nudity), particularly from the rather poor Fox studio (shortly before merging with 20th Century Studios).
But, justice must be served, and soon, with his son aboard his own ship, Tracy again cuts corners, endangering many more people when a fire breaks out on board. Tracy manages to save the ship...and his son...but in the mean time, scenes abroad the ship mimic the hell of Dante's "Inferno".
What I feel makes this film so interesting is that it's something really different. I can't think of another film that was this original and clever. If there is one criticism I have of this film, it is that there is a relatively happy ending, when, frankly, one was not appropriate.
I found the cast here to be very interesting. Spencer Tracy is one of my two favorite actors (the other being Cary Grant). And I think he was surprisingly good, considering this was before his MGM years. Frankly, I didn't recognize Claire Trevor, but she was perfect here as Tracy's wife. And it was interesting to see Henry Walthall, once a famous silent film star, and a leading actor in the granddaddy of all silent films -- "Birth Of A Nation". He is excellent here as the humble and moral "professor", and father of Trevor. Also worth mentioning is an excellent child performance -- Scotty Beckett -- as Tracy's small son. A fine young actor that, unfortunately, lived a spiraling life down in his early adult years.
It is great to see this excellent film back for viewing! Recommended, particularly for Tracy fans.
What a surprise, I think it's a terrific movie, particularly for 1935, and I would have to say that it's Tracy's best film in the pre-MGM period. Tracy's acting here is very smooth and convincing as a man who becomes a carnival barker (you actually get to see him in black face!), but then promotes an attraction based on Dante's "Inferno". It begins innocently enough, but greed leads to Tracy's character's downfall. Ever more impressive side-show/pier entertainments, slipshod construction with no regard to safety, gambling, and bribery all figure into this morality play. And then, the pier collapses, killing and injuring scores of people. Tracy's father-in-law, a follower of Dante's literature, then shows Tracy what hell is going to be like, and for 1935, I found the sets to be extremely eerie and impressive...the images you see are far beyond anything I would expect from that era (not to mention scenes of near nudity), particularly from the rather poor Fox studio (shortly before merging with 20th Century Studios).
But, justice must be served, and soon, with his son aboard his own ship, Tracy again cuts corners, endangering many more people when a fire breaks out on board. Tracy manages to save the ship...and his son...but in the mean time, scenes abroad the ship mimic the hell of Dante's "Inferno".
What I feel makes this film so interesting is that it's something really different. I can't think of another film that was this original and clever. If there is one criticism I have of this film, it is that there is a relatively happy ending, when, frankly, one was not appropriate.
I found the cast here to be very interesting. Spencer Tracy is one of my two favorite actors (the other being Cary Grant). And I think he was surprisingly good, considering this was before his MGM years. Frankly, I didn't recognize Claire Trevor, but she was perfect here as Tracy's wife. And it was interesting to see Henry Walthall, once a famous silent film star, and a leading actor in the granddaddy of all silent films -- "Birth Of A Nation". He is excellent here as the humble and moral "professor", and father of Trevor. Also worth mentioning is an excellent child performance -- Scotty Beckett -- as Tracy's small son. A fine young actor that, unfortunately, lived a spiraling life down in his early adult years.
It is great to see this excellent film back for viewing! Recommended, particularly for Tracy fans.