MY SIX CONVICTS
US, 1952, 104 minutes, Black and white.
Millar Mitchell, Gilbert Roland, John Beal, Marshall Thompson, Alf Kjellin, Harry Morgan.
Directed by Hugo Fregonese.
My Six Convicts is one of several small budget but effective films produced by Stanley Kramer in the early '50s. Other examples were Death of a Salesman, The Sniper, High Noon, Member of the Wedding. This is an interesting film about the introduction of psychology into prison administration and treatment of prisoners. It seems rather dated now ? but gives some indication of the status of psychology at the end of the '40s. The cast is not a star cast but a good group of character actors. Millard Mitchell stands out in a very engaging role, reminiscent of Art Carney roles. There is a mixture of comedy, sentiment, melodrama. The musical score is lavish and is by Dimitri Tiomkin. Not outstanding when compared with so many films about prisons from Riot in Cell Block 11, 1 Want to Live, and such films of the '70s as Brubaker and Escape From Alcatraz.
1. Entertaining small budget film of the early '50s? Entertainment value? Social comment?
2. Production values: black and white photography, prison locations, atmosphere? The cast? Score?
3. The voice-over narrative and its effectiveness? The invitation to the audience to observe and understand? Contact with the audience, persuasion, intellectual arguments, sentiment?
4. The status of psychology around 1950? Suspicions, presuppositions? The warden and his hostility? The convicts and their antagonism? The poor conditions for the doctor to work in? His interviews, files? Therapy? Changes? His expertise? The range of success and failure?
5. The doctor and his beginning his job, hopes, antagonism, suspicions, the reactions of the convicts and their ridicule? The Poor room? The various devices and tricks played by the convicts? His persuasiveness? The initial failure? working on individuals? His feeling alone? The reactions of Scott, Conney, Punch etc.? His being accepted by the prisoners? His not informing against them? His being held hostage? The long patient presence with the convicts for their final acceptance? His training them to be assistants? The reaction to success? Various incidents: the smuggling in of Randall's wife, the escape attempt and his being saved? The character of the doctor? dedicated idealist learning to be practical? The persuasiveness of the arguments for the use of psychological study and treatment in prisons?
6. The character of Conney: the background of the Damon Runyon type convict? Photo? Trying to break the doctor? Help? Influence? The hundred dollars? His becoming competent?
7. Scott and his drinking?
8. The character of Punch, antagonism, contribution?
9. The build-up to the escape attempt? The pressures on the various prisoners? Acceptance, refusal? The breakout? The violence? Death?
10. The atmosphere of violence and death ? and the safety of being in prison?
11. How effective the sketch of the various convicts? A blend of realism, seriousness, humour? An example of the message film and its style of the early '50s?
