Revolt in the Big House

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

directed by R.G. Springsteen
USA 1958

This B-grade prison movie really packs a wallop, thanks to committed performances from a cast featuring Gene Evans, Tim Carey and Robert Blake. A stock story is brought to convincing, exciting life as hardened criminal Gene Evans is thrown into the "Big House". Right off the bat, he organizes a crashout. But he has other things on his mind as well. Routine as it may at first seem, this movie holds a number of surprises that make well worth anyone's time. Evans is solid as ever and expert at taking charge of the situation. He has no trouble standing up to and intimidating Tim Carey (a feat in itself). But the most impressive performance comes from young Robert Blake: his subtle use of accent and his consistency of character show true acting talent.

Excerpt of review from mackjay2 for imdb.com located HERE

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Theatrical Release: 21 December 1958 (USA)

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DVD Review: Warner Home Video (Warner Archive Collection) - Region 0 - NTSC

Big thanks to Gregory Meshman for the Review!

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	Warner Home Video Region 0 - NTSC
Runtime	1:19:03
Video	1.78:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 7.17 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate
Audio	Dolby Digital Mono (English)
Subtitles	None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Warner Home Video Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.78:1 Edition Details: • None DVD Release Date: October 28th, 2014 Keep case Chapters 21

Comments

Revolt in the Big House belongs to the common sub-genre of noir - prison pictures. Starting with MGM's The Big House many films explore various degrees of life in prison - Brute Force, Crashout, Riot on Cell Block 11, Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison, Le Trou, The Last Mile, Riot . Even recent TV series Prison Break and last year's Escape Plan tell the same story, bringing them closer to hi-tech 21st century.

What makes Revolt in the Big House stand out from the rest of the pack is the great cast featuring Gene Evans, Tim Carey and Robert
Blake. The able direction by R.G. Springsteen, mostly known for poverty row westerns and crime dramas (The Red Menace), speeds up the action to the exciting conclusion giving a very memorable role for Tim Carey.

The progressive anamorphic transfer on made-on-demand single-layered disc from Warner Archive shines with excellent contrast and some damage on the print, but it's never excessive. The film is presented in original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The mono audio is decent, but alas, there are no extras, not even a trailer. A highly recommended release for any fan of the genre.

- Gregory Meshman

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