From United Artists
Directed by Stanley Kramer
Starring
Tony Curtis
Sidney Poitier
Theodore Bikel
Charles McGraw
Lon Chaney Jr.
King Donovan
Lawrence Dobkin
Claude Akins
Cara Williams
Producer-director Stanley Kramer presents one of his finest social dramas, the story of racial conflict as two prisoners, one black, one white, are chained to one another as they flee cops, dogs and hate-filled others.
The films opens with a van full of men, chained in pairs, on their way to prison. The two men in charge (actually the screenwriters enjoying double duty) cannot fathom a white man and a black man chained together. As a rainstorm rages, the van rolls down an embankment and the pair makes an escape.
While neither man cares for the other and both are deeply suspicious and non-trusting, the white guy (Joker) is full of unrestrained hatred and with seemingly less intelligence, we become suspicious, if not tense, about their success. The two men are chained together by their wrists only which makes their punching one another all the more dangerous. The black guy, Noah
Cullen, is stronger, wiser, empathetic and more of a leader.
Interspersed with their travails are visits to the accident site where many have gathered. The hunt will be headed by the local sheriff, a decent man, but is hampered by a state policeman and his men who have vengeance rather than justice in their minds. There is a dog handler with his bloodhounds and two vicious Dobermans.
The escapees run their asses off, always aware of the dogs and authorities that are pursuing. Tension between the two is constant. There is a great scene attempting to cross river rapids and then getting caught in those rapids. Then there's a deep clay pit they jump into to avoid detection and with rain pelting them have a difficult time getting out.
They come upon a turpentine camp at night (it looked like daytime to me... and how silly to put mud over Curtis's face because it will be too shiny) and in an effort to steal food they get caught. Everyone is licking his chops to hang them the following morning but one resident (a former prisoner) sets them loose.
They wind up at a widow's farm where they get their shackles off and where Joker gets sick. The woman takes an immediate dislike of Cullen but as she tends to Joker's wounds she's licking her lips. Both are in need for some tender companionship. She tells Cullen that he can catch a train a few miles away and gives him directions. She then tells Joker they need to go off together. She also tells him she gave Noah wrong information and that he's never going to make that train because she's sent him directly to a swamp. Joker is furious and as he is leaving, the woman's young son shoots him in the shoulder. Joker leaves alone to find Cullen.
Their relationship has finally evolved from contempt to trust, from hatred to kindness, from feelings of having nothing in common to having a few important things in common.
They finally meet up for the film's most harrowing scene... the mad dash to the moving train. At almost the same time they hear the train's whistle and (for the first time) the barking dogs. The wounded Joker has a hard time keeping up but Cullen pulls him along. Cullen jumps aboard an open car and as he attempts to pull Joker up, they both tumble to the ground.
Too tired to run anymore, they enjoy a smoke in an empty field. Cullen sings as he cradles Joker in his arm. He gives Joker a great smile and speaks of love, brotherhood and forgiveness. (Curtis has said that at this point, he thought there was a gay undertone. Perhaps so.) The sheriff comes upon them alone, gun drawn. He puts it away, clear that an armed response will not be needed.
The two actors did nearly all of their stunt work and few would question that this wasn't a grueling film for the duo.
Elvis wanted to play Joker but his manager, as usual unwisely, said no. Marlon Brando and Robert Mitchum also declined before Curtis was hired. He was so taken with the role, anxious to get away from those pretty boy roles, that his Curtleigh Productions co-produced along with Kramer's production company. For his part, Kramer was a little iffy on Curtis but quickly changed his mind.
Curtis said that some were opposed to him coming aboard because they thought he was too handsome. Oh, no kidding. What? Are there no handsome, racist prisoners? No conceited ones either?
He did, however, do something that was profoundly touching. His contract called for him to receive sole above-the-title billing. After Curtis viewed some of the dailies, he was blown away by Poitier's performance and asked Kramer to put Sidney's name up there with mine. In Hollywood terms, it was certainly a decent thing to do. It gave Poitier his first star billing and his best film to date. It also would open some doors for him and for some others.
For me, other than the sheer entertainment of this film and its heartfelt message, it has superb writing (Nedric Young and Harold Jacob Smith), excellent directing by Kramer in his first important film, and knock-down, great acting from the entire cast. Forgiving Curtis's all-over-the-place southern accent, this is one of his best roles. Poitier, however, showed such a deep compassion along with simply his strong presence that he was what the film was all about for me in the acting department. Kudos, too, to everyone of the supporting cast. Cara Williams, by the way, is the only woman in the film.
The film was richly rewarded with nine Oscar nominations. Curtis and Poitier, of course, were up for best actor, Williams for best supporting actress and Bikel for supporting actor. Also nominated were screenplay, cinematography and editing. Kramer was nominated for directing and the film itself was nominated. Screenplay and cinematography won. These were the only Oscar nominations ever for Curtis, Bikel and Williams.
It was an emotional time for civil rights. The theme of the film was disturbing for some people but Kramer didn't mind that as long as he felt he did his best in informing them. I remember heading off to see the movie when it opened and was saying goodbye to my mother and her friend. The woman asked me what I was going to see and when I told her, she said she'd never heard of it and asked what it was about. I gave my flying-out-the-door answer... a black prisoner and a white prisoner, shackled together, are on the lam. She said she'd never see a movie like that. Like that? She doesn't like prisoner movies or on-the-lam ones? Uh-huh?
I was never on the side of civil wrongs but I had a lot to learn and I've always felt this film got me started in the direction I wanted to go. I jumped on Kramer's band wagon... race relations have to be talked about, faced and felt. It was an emotional time... and 62 years later, it still is.
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