Fury (1936)

Director:

Fritz Lang

Writers:

Bartlett Cormack (screenplay) and
Fritz Lang (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

29 May 1936 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

TWO LOVERS...VICTIMS OF MOB VIOLENCE! (original 1936 window card poster)

Plot:

When a prisoner barely survives a lynch mob attack and is presumed dead, he vindictively decides to frame the mob for his murder.

Plot Keywords:

Mob | Murder | Lynch Mob | Money | Revenge

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win

Cast

Sylvia Sidney	...	Katherine Grant
Spencer Tracy	...	Joe Wilson
Walter Abel	...	District Attorney Adams
Bruce Cabot	...	Kirby Dawson
Edward Ellis	...	Sheriff Thaddus Hummel
Walter Brennan	...	'Bugs' Meyers
Frank Albertson	...	Charlie Wilson
George Walcott	...	Tom Wilson
Arthur Stone	...	Richard Durkin
Morgan Wallace	...	Fred Garrett
George Chandler	...	Milton Jackson
Roger Gray	...	Strike Breaker Stranger
Edwin Maxwell	...	Will Vickery
Howard C. Hickman	...	Governor Burt (as Howard Hickman)
Jonathan Hale	...	Defense Attorney

Also Known As:

Mob Rule (USA) (working title)
The Mob (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Canada:14A (video rating) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Argentina:13 | Finland:(Banned) (1937) | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #2229) | Spain:13 | Germany:12

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Terry, better known as Toto from The Wizard of Oz (1939), appears in this film as the dog that Spencer Tracy takes in from the rain at the beginning of the movie, becoming his traveling companion into the netherworld of small-town America.

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: At end of movie when Spencer Tracy is standing in front of judge, the wide shot shows nothing above his head but when he shares the shot with Sylvia Sydney the boom mic is shown just above their heads.

Quotes:

District Attorney: [after several witnesses had lied on the stand] I wonder if I haven't been calling the defense witnesses by mistake.

Movie Connections:

Featured in A Night at the Movies: The Suspenseful World of Thrillers (2009) (TV)

A mob of All-American peasants are out to burn Spencer Tracy at the stake (and his little dog too)

A compelling "message picture" with good performances from both Sylvia Sidney and Spencer Tracy and deft direction from Fritz Lang. 'Fury' is tautly dramatic and not without lessons for a modern audience, but it still falls just a little short of masterpiece status.

This was Lang's first American film, the studios were presumably in fierce competition to sign him to a contract and seems clear that MGM was quite proud of itself and thought they could safely fit the Austrian master into their mold while also revisiting some of his past successes. 'Fury' is by no means a remake of 'M' but it does share some key themes. However, the style is a marked departure from the director's German work and the Hollywood treatment keeps this film from being as compelling as its older brother.

Hailing from the Midwest as I do, the Hooterville Junction take on small-town America rankled with me a bit. Gossipy housewives and self-important businessmen are played for laughs and then suddenly turn into a howling mob bent on the death of a man against whom the "evidence" is literally peanuts. It's a serious matter, as we're later reminded by the prosecutor's speech about the number of lynchings in America's then recent history, it should never have been treated lightly.

Do watch it though, and keep an eye out for a very familiar Cairn terrier. Also, early on when Joe and Katherine are looking at bedroom furniture there's a distinct chuckle at the expense of the Hays Code (which was enforced starting in '34).