La loi des bagnards

A much underrated prison picture starring Glenn Ford and Broderick Crawford, Convicted moves quickly, has some excellent dialogue, and is chock full of great character actors (Frank Faylen, Millard Mitchell, Whit Bissell). Ford doesn't belong in prison and compassionate warden Crawford seeks to help him out. Everything comes together nicely in this film, which has some fine dark-edged photography and a dingier than usual looking prison. Director Henry Levin handles his material as well as a Wellman or a Keighley would have done, and was somewhat of an enigma, capable of making both dreadful and very good films; his work here however is very sure.

Fresh from his Oscar in 'All the King's Men' Broderick Crawford stepped into Walter Huston's role in version Number Three of 'The Criminal Code', photographed by Burnett Guffey (who had worked with Crawford on 'All the King's Men' and later collected the second of two Oscars for his work on 'Bonnie and Clyde'). In places it recalls 'Each Dawn I Die' and the prison scenes in 'White Heat'; and even includes a scene as in the latter where the hero loses it upon receiving bad news in the slammer.

As usual for the period it's enlivened by it's supporting cast, this time including Millard Mitchell in the role played twenty years earlier by Boris Karloff, a relatively young Ed Begley, Will Geer (the latter soon blacklisted) and Whit Bissell, who since 'Brute Force' had moved to the other side of the prison bars and would do so again along with squealer Frank Faylen in 'Riot in Cell Block 11'.

The presence of a brunette Dorothy Malone as Crawford's demure young daughter makes you realise just how long ago this all was...

Glenn Ford is "Convicted" in this 1950 film that also stars Broderick Crawford, Dorothy Malone, Frank Faylen, Ed Begley, Carl Benton Reid, Will Geer, and Millard Mitchell.

Ford plays Joe Hufford, a war veteran who gets into a bar fight in which a man is killed. Though the DA, Knowland (Crawford) takes pity on him and wishes he had a better attorney, Hufford is sentenced from 1-10 years. Ultimately it's decided he'll serve 5 years, and come up for parole in 3.

He's desperate to see his elderly father again, so when some of the other prisoners plan a break, Joe begs to be part of it. Just before his parole hearing, he receives a telegram that his father died. When a guard yells at him for not doing his work in the laundry room, Hufford punches him and winds up in solitary.

He misses the escape, which ends up in death for the escapees. Ponti (Faylen) is the snitch who tipped off the guards.

When Hufford is released from solitary, there's a new warden - Knowland, the sympathetic DA. He makes Hufford a trustee, chauffeuring his daughter (Malone).

When Ponti is killed, Hufford is in the warden's office, but won't reveal who did it, causing him to lose his trustee status and threatening his parole.

There's good acting throughout, and a sympathetic portrayal by Ford in this film, which moves quickly. Crawford is excellent as a tough but fair warden.

Among the prisoners, veteran actor Faylen, who did such a terrific job as Dobie Gillis' father, does a bang-up job here in a dramatic, showy role. Everyone, though, is very good.

As an actor, boyish Glenn Ford didn't have much range, but he was so likable and attractive, it never mattered. His performances are always natural and underplayed, more on the style of today's actors. However, he was much more of a presence than many working today.

Good film.

Broderick Crawford, (George Knowland) plays the role of a District Attorney and has to bring to justice a man named Joe Hufford, (Glenn Ford) who was drunk and struck a man in a night club and killed him. George Knowland knew that Joe Hufford was a good man who had an excellent military service record and told Joe he should obtain a good lawyer to represent him in a court of law. However, Joe did not obtain a good lawyer and he had to serve one to ten years as a prison sentence. Years go by and eventually George Knowland becomes the Warden of the prison where Joe Hufford is serving his prison sentence. George Knowland shows some mercy to Joe along with his daughter, Kay Knowland, ( Dorothy Malone ) who starts to fall in love with Joe. There is plenty of problems in this prison and lots of surprises. Great 1950 Classic to view and enjoy.

Joe Hufford is an honest and affable man, but during an altercation in a bar he punches out a man who sadly dies from banging his head on the floor. All and sundry realise that this is a tragic accident, including the prosecuting DA who tries to feed the inept defence lawyer ammunition in which to keep Hufford out of jail. Found guilty, Joe is sentenced to one to ten years in the pen, working hard and buoyed by the support of his fragile father on the outside, Joe gets about doing his time and hoping for parole. However, bad news comes his way and pretty soon Joe's term in jail will turn bitter - can the new warden and his pretty daughter be his salvation?

Incarceration based films is a favourite genre of mine, so you can imagine how delighted I am when I happen upon a first time viewing. When the said film turns out to be a positive delight, well I'm in incarceration heaven! Convicted, directed by Henry Levin, adapted by William Bowers from Martin Flavin's play, and starring Glenn Ford, Broderick Crawford, Millard Mitchell and Dorothy Malone (Ed Begley has a cameo), is not so much underrated I feel, more like under seen and sadly forgotten.

One of the erstwhile reviewers on IMDb has suggested that this picture offers nothing new and that we have seen it all before! Really? In 1950? Are you sure? Truth is, that in spite of this being an update of Flavin's own 1931 piece, The Criminal Code, is that yes! this film now looks like standard formula - an unlucky prisoner is forced to join the convict code of ethics, the yellow snake in the grass, tough guards, the planned break outs, the crusty old lag destined to enact revenge for injustice, but arguably few prison based pictures from the black and white era are as tight and as enjoyable as this one. It boasts a wonderfully reined in performance from Glenn Ford as Hufford, with the first quarter - where Hufford is struck by the incredulity of his situation - is particularly memorable stuff from Ford. Then we also get a special effort from Crawford as DA/Warden Knowland, one scene as he fearlessly walks amongst the cons is a genre highlight to me. But both these men are in the shadow of a quite grizzled and effective turn from Millard Mitchell as Malloby, so much so it quickly became one of my favourite bitter lag performances.

It's not without failings, the love interest is misplaced and clearly improbable in practicality (though it should be noted that Dorothy Malone is fine here as Kay Knowland), and the finale blows out the basis for "solitary" confinement completely. But really to me these are minor quibbles for a 1950 prison based picture. Steadily directed and acted with skill, it also benefits from the considerable talents of Burnett Guffey in the photography department. All in all it's a fine picture that I highly recommend to genre hound dogs such as myself. You can probably knock off a point for my obvious bias, but I'm definitely giving this one 8/10.