The Big House
"¡La película que estremece al mundo entero!"
Plot
Kent Marlowe, a young man from a good family, is sentenced to ten years in a brutal state penitentiary after accidentally killing two people while driving under the influence. Upon arrival, he is placed in a cramped cell with two hardened criminals: Butch, a violent and manipulative lifer, and Morgan, a more level-headed forger who dreams of reform. The prison is a powder keg of overcrowding and systemic abuse, where Marlowe is eventually coerced by Butch into framing Morgan, leading to the loss of Morgan's parole. Desperate and betrayed, Morgan escapes, only to return during a massive, bloody inmate uprising intended to break the walls of the 'Big House.' The film culminates in a violent confrontation where loyalties are tested and the true cost of the penal system is laid bare.
About the Production
This film was one of MGM's 'Multiple-Language Versions' (MLVs), produced during the early sound era before dubbing and subtitling became standard. It was filmed on the same sets as the English version, often at night after the American cast had finished for the day. While Ward Wing is the primary credited director, Spanish screenwriter Edgar Neville is frequently cited as a co-director or dialogue director, ensuring the linguistic and cultural nuances were appropriate for Spanish-speaking audiences. The production utilized the same massive prison sets and expensive riot footage (including the use of real army tanks) as the English-language original to maximize production value.
Historical Background
In 1930, Hollywood was facing a crisis: the transition to 'talkies' threatened the lucrative international market because silent film intertitles could no longer be easily swapped for different languages. Studios like MGM and Paramount experimented with Multiple-Language Versions (MLVs) to retain their global dominance. 'The Big House' (Spanish version) was part of this brief but fascinating era where Hollywood became a multilingual production hub. Historically, the film also reflects the 'Pre-Code' era's fascination with social realism and the failures of the American justice system, themes that resonated globally during the onset of the Great Depression.
Why This Film Matters
While the English version is credited with defining the 'prison movie' genre, the Spanish version is culturally significant as a primary example of Hollywood's attempt to colonize the Spanish-speaking film market. It provided a platform for Latin American and Spanish actors like José Crespo and Juan de Landa to gain international exposure. For many Spanish-speaking audiences of the time, these films were their first experience with high-budget 'talking' cinema in their own language, influencing the development of domestic film industries in Mexico and Spain as these actors and creators eventually returned home with Hollywood technical expertise.
Making Of
The making of 'El Presidio' was a logistical marathon. Because the sets were shared with the English-language production directed by George Hill, the Spanish cast and crew typically worked the 'graveyard shift,' starting their day at midnight and filming until dawn. This led to a unique atmosphere on set, where the Spanish-speaking actors often socialized and collaborated in ways the daytime crew did not. Director Ward Wing had to follow the 'blueprint' of the English version almost shot-for-shot to ensure the expensive action sequences and crowd shots from the original could be seamlessly edited into the foreign versions. This required precise matching of lighting and actor positioning.
Visual Style
The film utilizes the innovative 'German-style' cinematography of the era, characterized by high-contrast lighting and moving camera shots. It famously uses low-angle shots to make the prison walls feel more oppressive and 'dolly shots' to move through the crowded mess hall. Because it used the same setups as the English version, it benefited from the work of Harold Wenstrom, who was praised for his gritty, realistic depiction of the penitentiary's interior.
Innovations
One of the first Spanish-language films to utilize complex synchronized sound for a large-scale action epic.,Seamless integration of foreign-language dialogue with pre-recorded English-language action footage.,Pioneering use of multiple-camera setups to capture the chaotic prison riot scenes.
Music
As an early 'talkie,' the film relies heavily on diegetic sound rather than a traditional musical score. The 'soundtrack' is defined by the rhythmic, mechanical noises of prison life—the clanging of cell doors, the shuffling of feet in unison, and the roar of the riot. This use of sound was considered revolutionary at the time and won the English version an Academy Award, a technical achievement that carries over into the Spanish production.
Famous Quotes
¡Aquí no hay amigos, solo prisioneros! (Context: Butch explaining the harsh reality of the cell block to Marlowe.)
Me tendieron una trampa y me quitaron mi libertad. (Context: Morgan expressing his bitterness over his lost parole.)
Memorable Scenes
- The Intake Scene: A stark, medium shot of Kent Marlowe being measured and stripped of his identity, emphasizing the dehumanization of the prison system.
- The Mess Hall Riot: A masterfully edited sequence where the rhythmic banging of spoons on tables escalates into a full-scale violent uprising.
- The Tank Assault: The climactic moment where an army tank crashes through the prison walls, a sequence that remains one of the most iconic images of early sound cinema.
Did You Know?
- The film is a 'Multiple-Language Version' (MLV), a common practice in the early 1930s where films were reshot entirely with different casts for foreign markets.
- Juan de Landa, who played Butch, was noted by critics for a performance that was more 'psychopathic' and 'childlike' compared to Wallace Beery's more famous portrayal.
- Tito Davison, who played the role of Kent Marlowe, was praised by some historians as being more realistic and subdued than Robert Montgomery in the English version.
- The Spanish version features a different ending for the character of Morgan's arm injury; in the French version, his arm is in a right-side sling, while in the Spanish and English versions, it is on the left.
- Edgar Neville, the co-director/writer, was a key figure in Spanish cinema who was brought to Hollywood specifically to help bridge the gap for Spanish-language productions.
- The film used real army tanks for the climax, a shocking sight for 1930s audiences that was shared across the English, Spanish, and French versions.
- Despite being a Spanish-language film, it was produced entirely in Culver City, California, as part of MGM's 'Hollywood Goes Latin' initiative.
- The film's title in Spanish-speaking territories was often 'El Presidio'.
What Critics Said
At the time of release, Spanish-language critics were often divided; while they appreciated the high production values, they sometimes criticized the 'Hollywood-ized' Spanish dialogue which could feel unnatural or mixed with various regional accents. Modern film historians, however, have revisited the film with interest, often noting that the Spanish cast brought a more 'subdued' and 'realistic' tone to the melodrama compared to the more theatrical performances in the English version. It is now studied as a vital piece of 'Hispano-Hollywood' history.
What Audiences Thought
The film was a significant hit in Latin America and Spain, where audiences were eager to see major Hollywood spectacles in their native tongue. In cities like Mexico City and Lima, it was often screened alongside or shortly after the English version, sometimes outperforming the original due to the local star power of the Spanish-speaking cast.
Film Connections
Influenced By
- The Big House (1930, English version)
- The growing social realism movement in 1920s literature
- German Expressionist lighting techniques
This Film Influenced
- Pardon Us (1931)
- All prison dramas following the 1930s
- The development of the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema
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Film Restoration
The film is preserved and was notably restored by the Warner Archive. It was released as part of a 'Triple Feature' DVD set alongside the English and French versions, though the Spanish print shows more signs of age and wear than the English original.