On May 10, 9:36 pm, "Matt Barry" <bar....RemoveThis@bellatlantic.net> wrote:
> "Feuillade" <Feuill....RemoveThis@aol.com> wrote in message
>
> news:1178737352.438062.67900@q75g2000hsh.googlegroups.com...
>
> > I've taped scads of old films off TCM but sometimes it takes me a
> > while to get around to actually watching them.
>
> > Yesterday I watched MGM's "The Big House," from 1930. In parts a very
> > clunky early talkie, in others a riveting prison drama.
>
> > And it occurred to me more than once while watching the film that this
> > had to have been a huge influence on Chaplin -- in particular on the
> > prison sequence of "Modern Times."
>
> > Anyone else see the film? Agree? Disagree?
>
> > Tom Moran
>
> I can see the influence. Especially in the prison-break scene, with Charlie
> implausibly dodging bullets, and of course the mess-hall sequence.
> Evidently, "The Big House" was a pretty big film in its day, and was
> certainly an influence on Laurel and Hardy's "Pardon Us", who directly
> parodied certain sequences and even shot on some of the same sets.
>
> I'll have to watch the film again soon and see if I notice some more direct
> influences on "Modern Times".
> --
You've pretty much noticed the ones I saw. When they drop the slop in
Wallace Beery's tray in the mess-hall, I expected him to look up to
see where it came from, like Chaplin did in "Modern Times."
And Chester Morris in the break-out scene is very much like Chaplin.
(On a side note, I noticed that there's a French-language version of
the film from 1931 with Charles Boyer in the Chester Morris part. I e-
mailed TCM to request that they show it if they have any materials on
it. Sounds intriguing.)
Tom Moran
>> Stay informed about: Charlie in The Big House 
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