Blood Money (1933)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Rowland Brown

Writers:

Rowland Brown (written by)
Hal Long (continuity)

Release Date:

17 November 1933 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

HIS "IN" ALWAYS GOT THEM OUT! Only to get them in his merciless grasp! What price bail?

Plot Keywords:

Election | Butcher | Luau | Racketeer | Bank Robbery

Cast

George Bancroft	...	Bill Bailey
Judith Anderson	...	Ruby Darling
Frances Dee	...	Elaine Talbart
Chick Chandler	...	Drury Darling
Blossom Seeley	...	Singer
Etienne Girardot	...	Bail Bond Clerk
George Regas	...	Charley

Runtime:

65 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Certification:

USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-PG (TV rating)

Company:

20th Century Pictures

Trivia:

Several people are in studio records/casting call lists as cast members, but they did not appear or were not identifiable in the movie. These were (with their character names): Frank Moran and Frank Austin (Laborers), Eugene Storm (Employment Manager), Edward Gargan and William L. Thorne (Men at Police Headquarters), Fred Kohler (Editor) and Hal Price (Cigar Clerk). A modern source also lists J. Carrol Naish as Charley (who was played by George Regas) and Paul Fix, but they also were not seen in the movie.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood (2008) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Frankie and Johnny

Entertaining and absolutely fascinating pre-code crime thriller

"Blood Money" shows just how risqué Hollywood could get before the Hayes production code was imposed. There's never any actual nudity or graphic violence shown, but there's a sleazy undercurrent running throughout the whole film that only the most oblivious wouldn't be able to pick up on. The main character is a corrupt and unlikable criminal who completely gets away free at the end, one of the female protagonists is obviously a sado-masochist who wants a man to "be my master and give me a good thrashing", and there isn't a remotely redeemable character in the whole affair. From a historical standpoint, this is one of the most fascinating pre-code dramas.

In addition to being genuinely interesting and ahead of its time, its a very entertaining film. Its quickly paced and seems to be free of much of the awkwardness associated with early sound cinema (maybe the material was just so shocking I was a bit distracted from the shortcomings). The acting is over-the-top for the most part, but never actually bad. There's a lot of exciting situations and amusingly quirky characters as well. "Blood Money" isn't exactly a masterpiece, but its certainly both interesting and entertaining. I've wanted to see it after reading about it in "Ultimate Guide For the Film Fanatic" by Danny Peary, and I'm certainly not disappointed. Its very difficult to track down, but entirely worth the search. (7/10)