The row of hooded men lined up execution style is a scary scene that spreads through the movie as a whole. The result is a rather obvious but still hard-hitting political drama from the Depression era studio of record, Warner Bros. No need to repeat the familiar plot. The movie is really a reflection on proto-fascism and not on the Depression or economic crisis since these broader contexts are never even mentioned. Nor is the hot 1930's topic of union organizing mentioned, surprising for a movie that deals with an industrial workforce of machine operators. I suppose these omissions are intended to keep the focus tightly on one particular response to the bad times of 1936, namely right-wing extremism.
Within that tight framework, the movie does a good job of showing the appeal of a Black Legion. Frank (Bogart) amounts to an every-man. He wants the prestige and advantages of a better job that he's promised his family and believes he's most qualified for. When immigrant Dombrowski gets the promotion instead, Frank suffers deep humiliation making him vulnerable to Legion propaganda that blames foreigners, like Dombrowski, for taking good "American" jobs. I expect the message resonated among distressed audiences of the time, and still does in our own time.
I also like the way the stereotypes become smoother and more attractive as we're introduced to the Legion's top people. Note how the business types are as much concerned with the organization's money-making as they are with its politics—an easily over-looked aspect. Also, the women divide into two familiar categories— either the virtuous wife&mother type (O'Brien & Sheridan) or the promiscuous trampy type (Flint). Both types in this pre-feminist era are portrayed as pretty much dependent on the men in their lives. Thus, the men carry an especially heavy responsibility making them more vulnerable to appeals.
As the beleaguered machinist, husband and father, Bogart shows a range of surprisingly vulnerable emotions, unlike the hardened cynic roles he specialized in as an icon. Nonetheless, he's quite good in a difficult part. I especially like the ending that refuses to compromise, though I'm not sure how effective the judge's abstract appeal to American values is in countering the more visceral proto-fascist appeal. Anyway, the movie is definitely underrated and deserves to be pulled out of obscurity for its tough-minded approach to a surprisingly topical message.
Within that tight framework, the movie does a good job of showing the appeal of a Black Legion. Frank (Bogart) amounts to an every-man. He wants the prestige and advantages of a better job that he's promised his family and believes he's most qualified for. When immigrant Dombrowski gets the promotion instead, Frank suffers deep humiliation making him vulnerable to Legion propaganda that blames foreigners, like Dombrowski, for taking good "American" jobs. I expect the message resonated among distressed audiences of the time, and still does in our own time.
I also like the way the stereotypes become smoother and more attractive as we're introduced to the Legion's top people. Note how the business types are as much concerned with the organization's money-making as they are with its politics—an easily over-looked aspect. Also, the women divide into two familiar categories— either the virtuous wife&mother type (O'Brien & Sheridan) or the promiscuous trampy type (Flint). Both types in this pre-feminist era are portrayed as pretty much dependent on the men in their lives. Thus, the men carry an especially heavy responsibility making them more vulnerable to appeals.
As the beleaguered machinist, husband and father, Bogart shows a range of surprisingly vulnerable emotions, unlike the hardened cynic roles he specialized in as an icon. Nonetheless, he's quite good in a difficult part. I especially like the ending that refuses to compromise, though I'm not sure how effective the judge's abstract appeal to American values is in countering the more visceral proto-fascist appeal. Anyway, the movie is definitely underrated and deserves to be pulled out of obscurity for its tough-minded approach to a surprisingly topical message.