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The Criminal Code

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description The Criminal Code Overview

The Criminal Code is a pre-Code American drama film released in 1931, directed by Howard Hawks and distributed by Columbia Pictures. The narrative stars Walter Huston as a strict district attorney who is later appointed as a prison warden, forcing him to confront the harsh realities of the penal system he helped enforce. The film features Phillips Holmes as an inmate and includes an early, notable supporting performance by Boris Karloff as a prisoner. The film is recognized as a foundational entry in the 1930s prison film genre and a key example of early sound-era Hollywood cinema.

help The Criminal Code FAQ

Who directed and starred in The Criminal Code (1931)?

The Criminal Code was directed by Howard Hawks and stars Walter Huston as a district attorney turned prison warden. It was distributed by Columbia Pictures and released in 1931, during the pre-Code era of Hollywood filmmaking.

Is The Criminal Code based on a play?

Yes, the film was adapted from a 1929 Broadway play of the same name by Martin Flavin. The stage production had also been successful, and Columbia Pictures acquired the rights for the screen adaptation, which was one of several prison-themed films popular in the early 1930s.

What is the basic plot of The Criminal Code?

The story follows Walter Huston's character, a strict district attorney who secures a conviction and then later becomes the warden of the prison where the convicted man is held. He is forced to confront the brutal realities of the penal system and the human cost of the rigid enforcement he once championed.

How does The Criminal Code relate to other Howard Hawks films of that era?

The Criminal Code was one of Hawks's early sound-era films, released the same year as his aviation drama The Dawn Patrol. It helped establish Hawks's reputation for tackling masculine, socially charged subjects, and it was a precursor to other prison films of the 1930s like I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932).

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