The Big House

George W. Hill's 1930 film is an early example that largely set the conventions of the prison picture. After an accident he caused while drunk, Kent is convicted of manslaughter and enters a prison holding nine thousand men, where the cells hold three, the halls are packed and the food is terrible. His cellmates are far harder men than he is and he is quickly drawn into a plan to escape. The film criticises prison conditions directly, showing the overcrowding, the methods of discipline and the pressure the prisoners put on one another. It belongs to the first years of sound and its use of sound is notable: the din of the mess hall, footsteps in the corridors and the riot are built through the audio. It won an Academy Award for its writing. Who it's for: viewers who like classic Hollywood and prison films. Who it's not for: anyone expecting a modern pace; the film carries the conditions of its period.