I just finished reading the section of the new Spencer Tracy biography which discusses the making and success of "Fury", long one of my favorite Tracy films. In fact, before this early MGM film of his, his only truly notable films had been "The Power And The Glory" and "Dante's Inferno". The shooting schedules for Tracy's "Fury" and Tracy and Gable's "San Francisco" overlapped. Apparently, Fritz Lang was a pain in the patutty...a virtual tyrant directing this film, to the point where Tracy and Lang barely spoke. Nevertheless, the results then (much bigger box office than MGM had anticipated) and now (as this is seen to be an early Tracy milestone) speak for themselves.
The story begins easily enough -- a guy (Tracy) and a gal (Sylvia Sydney) are hoping to marry, but to earn more money (this was in the middle of the Great Depression) they separate temporarily (which turns out to be over a year). He does all right, opening a gas station. He buys a car and goes to meet and marry Sydney.
Then things turn dark. He is picked up on suspicion of kidnapping, which of course he was not guilty of. Placed in jail, while a hick deputy sheriff (Walter Brennan) blabs around the community. A mob develops, but instead of lynching him, they burn the jail down, with Tracy and his little dog in it. Burned to death as his fiancé watches.
Or was he? Tracy suddenly appears as a dark, malevolent specter before his brothers...alive...and ready to exact his justice simply by letting the leaders of the lynch mob be found guilty and condemned to death in a court room. But, through an excellent trial sequence, Tracy slowly goes nearly mad with revenge, and ultimately his brothers begin to turn against him. But meanwhile, the guilt of 22 men and women is pretty much proved through newsreel footage. And then, when a surprise (and clever) bit of evidence is brought forward, Sydney realizes Tracy is still alive. The question is, will Tracy come forward, or remain silent. Apparently Lang was very angry over the edits MGM made to the film, particularly the final scene...and perhaps a kiss in front of the judge was taking it just a bit too far...perhaps embracing would have been enough.
Tracy is superb here. No longer a "junior" actor, but a calculated actor who masters his role. Sydney is just as wonderful.
Walter Abel performs well as the district attorney trying the men leading the mob. Bruce Cabot is fine as the worst of the mob leaders. Edward Ellis is excellent as the hard, but fair sheriff battling against overwhelming odds. It's unlikely you'll recognize many of the other supporting actors here, but they all play their parts well and lend a believability to the story.
A part of my DVD collection, and one of the rare films I will award an "8" to. A must if you love cinema.
The story begins easily enough -- a guy (Tracy) and a gal (Sylvia Sydney) are hoping to marry, but to earn more money (this was in the middle of the Great Depression) they separate temporarily (which turns out to be over a year). He does all right, opening a gas station. He buys a car and goes to meet and marry Sydney.
Then things turn dark. He is picked up on suspicion of kidnapping, which of course he was not guilty of. Placed in jail, while a hick deputy sheriff (Walter Brennan) blabs around the community. A mob develops, but instead of lynching him, they burn the jail down, with Tracy and his little dog in it. Burned to death as his fiancé watches.
Or was he? Tracy suddenly appears as a dark, malevolent specter before his brothers...alive...and ready to exact his justice simply by letting the leaders of the lynch mob be found guilty and condemned to death in a court room. But, through an excellent trial sequence, Tracy slowly goes nearly mad with revenge, and ultimately his brothers begin to turn against him. But meanwhile, the guilt of 22 men and women is pretty much proved through newsreel footage. And then, when a surprise (and clever) bit of evidence is brought forward, Sydney realizes Tracy is still alive. The question is, will Tracy come forward, or remain silent. Apparently Lang was very angry over the edits MGM made to the film, particularly the final scene...and perhaps a kiss in front of the judge was taking it just a bit too far...perhaps embracing would have been enough.
Tracy is superb here. No longer a "junior" actor, but a calculated actor who masters his role. Sydney is just as wonderful.
Walter Abel performs well as the district attorney trying the men leading the mob. Bruce Cabot is fine as the worst of the mob leaders. Edward Ellis is excellent as the hard, but fair sheriff battling against overwhelming odds. It's unlikely you'll recognize many of the other supporting actors here, but they all play their parts well and lend a believability to the story.
A part of my DVD collection, and one of the rare films I will award an "8" to. A must if you love cinema.