Each Dawn I Die (1939)
Director: William Keighley
Starring: James Cagney, George Raft, Jane Bryan
Synopsis:
A reporter working to expose a corrupt DA is framed for manslaughter and sent to prison.
Impressions:
Movies about prison life tend to interest me and with all the crime films made during the 30s and 40s, it's nice to see what happens when you get sent up the river. The writers can't seem to decide if they want to keep James Cagney's character a good guy or have him go hardened convict. He has these episodes where it looks like he's going to move toward the latter but then they reel it back. If it was deliberate, I guess you could say it shows how unstable prison is making him and how he struggles to remain who he is in spite of his bitter experiences. I wouldn't call this an exceptional film, but Cagney's good in it and it's worth seeing.
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