Saturday 19 July 2014

Prison Shadows (1936)



A boxer accidentally kills an opponent in the ring and is sentenced to three years in the Big House.  Upon his release, he hopes to be met by the woman he loves, but we in the audience know that she does not reciprocate his feelings.  It's cold hard cash that she loves.

Our hero is met at the prison gates by another woman, however.  She brings his dog along with her, so even if she wasn't clearly besotted with him, you'd know this was who he was going to end up with.

Lacking any skills other than his killer right hand (and yes, they go there in the film). he heads back to the boxing ring.  Unfortunately for him, not everyone involved in the fights is on the level, and their plans might cut short his chances of a new start.

This is a pretty slight film, as you might expect for an eighty-year old B movie with a sub-70 minute running time.  The plot is pretty ropey, and the re-use of sets perhaps more obvious than the film-makers had hoped.  The boxing sequences are also ... well, this is no Rocky, you know what I mean?

Is there anything to recommend the film?  Well, the love interest has a good rapport with the leading man.  They actually come across as two people who like each other's company.  So yeah, the romance (though a bit rushed at the end) is a highlight.  Not enough of one that I would actually recommend the film, but with films in these cheapo packs, you have to savour every glimmer of quality you can find :)

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