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| Prisoners | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | William A. Seiter |
| Written by | Forrest Halsey Ferenc Molnar (novel:Rabok) |
| Produced by | Walter Morosco Richard A. Rowland |
| Starring | Corinne Griffith Ian Keith |
| Cinematography | Lee Garmes |
| Edited by | LeRoy Stone |
| Distributed by | First National Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 87 minutes; 8 reels |
| Country | USA |
| Languages | Sound (Part-Talkie) English Intertitles |
Prisoners is a 1929 American sound part-talkie film produced by Walter Morosco and directed by William Seiter for First National Pictures. In addition to sequences with audible dialogue or talking sequences, the film features a synchronized musical score and sound effects along with English intertitles. According to the film review in Variety, 10 percent of the total running time featured dialogue. [1] The sound was recorded via the Vitaphone sound-on-disc process. The screenplay was written by Forrest Halsey, based on the novel by Ferenc Molnar. Lee Garmes was the cinematographer.
The film stars Corinne Griffith, James Ford, Bela Lugosi, Ian Keith, and Otto Matiesen. Lugosi, in his first talkie, played Brottos, the owner of a Vienna nightclub. Lugosi was very happy that his first sound film was set in Hungary (where he was born) and that the story was based on a Ferenc Molnar Hungarian novel. While Lugosi was off filming "Prisoners", he was temporarily replaced in the San Francisco "Dracula" stage play by one Frederick Pymm (who normally played Butterworth, the attendant). [2]
The relatively short segment with dialogue (most of the film has intertitles with music) picks up with the climactic trial sequence. Critics stated "Bela Lugosi makes a very European villain", but were disappointed that Griffith's character is sent off to prison at the end of the film while a "cold-blooded murderer (in one of the subplots) is kept from receiving his just punishment". Corinne Griffith (who was married to producer Morosco) later went on to become a movie producer herself, as well as a very successful novelist. [3] [4]
Lenke Rimmer (Julanne Johnston) returns home to Budapest after graduating from a select girls’ school in Berlin. Until her marriage in the fall, she is to stay with her family at the prison where her father, Warden Rimmer (Charles Clary), is in charge. Raised with a sense of duty and admiration toward her fiancé Nicholas Chathy (Ian Keith), a newly minted Doctor of Laws, Lenke believes it is an honor to be loved by him.
Nicholas’s first legal case concerns Riza Nagy (Corinne Griffith), a young waitress accused of stealing 300 florins from the café where she worked. Nicholas had been one of many patrons charmed by her. Another patron, Sebfi (Otto Matiesen), a struggling and idealistic student actor, has fallen passionately in love with her. Riza claims she stole the money to fund a move to Vienna, hoping to rise in the world and escape her poverty. However, her employer, Kore (Baron von Hesse), embittered by Riza’s past rejections of his advances, refuses to forgive her and presses charges.
Nicholas visits Riza in prison. She confesses everything: she used the money to buy a fine dress, hoping to catch Nicholas’s attention through her appearance. When she was arrested, she destroyed the dress out of despair. In a desperate plea, she declares her love for him. Nicholas, believing it a manipulative tactic, remains professionally detached but deeply troubled.
When Nicholas tells Lenke of the encounter, she becomes anxious, sensing the emotional undercurrents. Nicholas reassures her that Riza holds no place in his heart beyond the case.
Meanwhile, Sebfi tries to plead Riza’s case with Kore but is forcibly removed from the café. Misreading Riza’s intentions, he convinces himself that she returns his affections. Later, he sees Nicholas caress Riza’s hair compassionately in parting and misinterprets it as a romantic gesture. Riza, bold and unwavering, writes a letter to Lenke declaring her love for Nicholas and her intention to win him.
Nicholas rushes to see Lenke, hoping to reassure her. Though shaken by the letter, Lenke believes Nicholas’s explanation that he remains loyal. He promises not to see Riza again except in his professional capacity.
Sebfi, bitter and jealous, lures Lenke to a park and tells her Nicholas is in love with Riza. Lenke’s Aunt Maria (Ann Schaeffer) intervenes and later informs Warden Rimmer, who grants permission for Lenke to confront Riza herself. The warden also authorizes Maria and Sebfi to offer Riza money to leave Budapest and Nicholas behind.
Riza, proud and passionate, refuses. She will not sell her love, nor abandon her integrity.
At trial, Riza is sentenced to seven months for theft. She accepts the punishment with dignity. But in the courtroom, Nicholas is struck by the unwavering truth of her love—its strength, clarity, and depth. In that moment, he realizes that he too has come to love her. The film ends as Nicholas commits to wait for Riza and marry her after her release.
The film features a theme song entitled "When My Dream Of Love Comes True" which was composed by Norman Spencer and Herman Ruby.
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