Quite a watchable lo little drama but not a great one.
What makes this seem better than it actually is, isn't the story, it's the direction and the photography. It's as though William Wellman suddenly realised that he could take his camera outside of the studio and the result, even by today's standards, are pretty spectacular. Unless we're talking about Tarantino or Hitchcock, we'd normally watch a film for the story or the actors, not for the directorial style but Wellman really is the star of this. It's not just the external scenes which are so brilliant, he adds some clever and imaginative touches such as off-screen acting and close-ups which tell a thousand words, a technique picked up from his time making silent movies. As for symbolism, that's supplied in bucket-loads. The lives of the hapless characters are reflected as the giant unstoppable machines confined to doing the same thing every day, never deviating from their rigid steel tracks but also just seconds away from being dangerously out of control.
Overall however, although it's superbly made, it's a fairly predictable story so in terms of entertainment, it's hardly riveting. Also, the most unbelievable aspect of the story is that 'Jack' prefers straight-laced Mary Astor to Joan Blondell!
What makes this seem better than it actually is, isn't the story, it's the direction and the photography. It's as though William Wellman suddenly realised that he could take his camera outside of the studio and the result, even by today's standards, are pretty spectacular. Unless we're talking about Tarantino or Hitchcock, we'd normally watch a film for the story or the actors, not for the directorial style but Wellman really is the star of this. It's not just the external scenes which are so brilliant, he adds some clever and imaginative touches such as off-screen acting and close-ups which tell a thousand words, a technique picked up from his time making silent movies. As for symbolism, that's supplied in bucket-loads. The lives of the hapless characters are reflected as the giant unstoppable machines confined to doing the same thing every day, never deviating from their rigid steel tracks but also just seconds away from being dangerously out of control.
Overall however, although it's superbly made, it's a fairly predictable story so in terms of entertainment, it's hardly riveting. Also, the most unbelievable aspect of the story is that 'Jack' prefers straight-laced Mary Astor to Joan Blondell!