20,000 Years in Sing Sing - Warner Archive Collection

Spencer Tracy starred opposite some of Hollywood's most legendary actresses - Jean Harlow, Myrna Loy, Joan Crawford, Sylvia Sidney, Lana Turner, and, of course, Katharine Hepburn - but a few years before Tracy hit his stride as a leading man at MGM, he was paired with another young hopeful who would later become queen of the Warner Bros lot and arguably the most famous screen diva of Hollywood's Golden Age. That actress was the inimitable Bette Davis, and although the two don't generate the kind of combustible chemistry Tracy would one day share with Hepburn, they make a striking team, and as both would do so often throughout their lengthy careers, they make mediocre material seem far better than it is.

Sadly, they only made one picture together, but the 32-year-old Tracy and 24-year-old Davis (who amazingly share the same birth date, April 5) brandish their respective and very different magnetisms and make what would have been a run-of-the-mill, assembly-line prison drama into something special. 20,000 Years in Sing Sing was popular enough at the time of its release, but it resonates far more today because of the lofty stature its two stars would later attain. Barely anyone knew who Tracy and Davis were in 1932, but because both are now such towering film figures, watching them work together at such an early stage in both their careers is especially fascinating.

Both are rough around the edges, but they're flush with that "it" quality that's an essential ingredient for screen success. They grab and rivet attention with ease, and their commitment to their sketchily drawn characters turns cardboard cutouts into flesh and blood. Though their oil and water acting styles - Tracy was a master of underplaying, while Davis favored fire and fury - might seem incompatible, they somehow mix here and make us rue the fact they never co-starred again. What I wouldn't give to see those two legends together when both were at the peak of their careers.

Based on a memoir by Lewis E. Lawes, the warden at the notorious Ossining, New York prison for 20 years (he was still serving in that capacity at the time the movie was shot and released), 20,000 Years in Sing Sing chronicles the time cocky career criminal Tommy Connors (Tracy) spends behind bars at the storied correctional institution. At first brash, recalcitrant, and disrespectful, Tommy becomes a (fairly) model prisoner after spending time in solitary, but his connections to the underworld remain. His loyal girlfriend Fay (Davis) acts as a liaison, hoping Tommy's crooked friends can find a way to spring him from the joint so they can resume their romance.

Revealing much more would spoil the many thrills packed into this taut 79-minute film that's a blueprint for Warner Bros' no-frills, rock-'em-sock-'em moviemaking in the early 1930s. Some of the plot is difficult to swallow and defies credulity, but the action rolls along at such a brisk clip we don't have much time to stew over any narrative deficiencies. Like many Warner Bros pictures of the period, underlying social themes add substance to the story. Prison reform and capital punishment are the issues this movie addresses, and location shooting in and around the actual Sing Sing prison lends an air of authenticity to the proceedings that most films of this sort lack.

Tracy and Davis both command the screen and beautifully feed off of each other's kinetic energy, but 20,000 Years in Sing Sing would only be half as good were it not for director Michael Curtiz. The future helmsman of such all-time classics as Casablanca, The Adventures of Robin Hood, Yankee Doodle Dandy, and Mildred Pierce juices the film with what feels like jolts of electricity from the prison's electric chair. A master storyteller who also possessed a keen visual sense, Curtiz seamlessly merges narrative, character, and atmosphere to create immersive movies that mask the artistry that fuels them. 20,000 Years in Sing Sing can't compare to his later, more refined works, but it's a shining example of his potential and commitment to quality, even when all that was expected of him at this point in his career was churning out a product on time and within budget.

A host of recognizable character actors populate the film and lend it additional flavor and spice. Lyle Talbot as Tommy's doomed cellmate, a young Louis Calhern as a slick gangster, Ward Bond in a brief bit as a police officer, and Grant Mitchell as a prison psychologist all make solid impressions.

20,000 Years in Sing Sing would be remade eight years later as Castle on the Hudson with John Garfield and Ann Sheridan (interestingly, Grant Mitchell would play the same role in that film as well), but it can't match the original's pugnacious tone or sense of urgency and futility. And of course it doesn't have Tracy and Davis. The chance to see these two icons team up and strut their considerable stuff, even if it's only for little more than an hour, is reason enough to grab this disc.

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray
20,000 Years in Sing Sing arrives on Blu-ray packaged in a standard case. Video codec is 1080p/AVC MPEG-4, and audio is DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono. Once the disc is inserted into the player, the static menu without music immediately pops up; no previews or promos precede it.

A brand new HD master struck from a 4K scan of the original nitrate camera negative yields a terrific 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 transfer that immerses us in the gritty prison setting and faithfully honors the cinematography of Barney McGill, who received his sole Oscar nomination the previous year for Svengali. Sleek shadows, deep blacks, and a wide grayscale distinguish this high-quality rendering that preserves the movie's original grain structure and exudes a lovely film-like feel. Sharp close-ups showcase glistening sweat, tear-stained cheeks, Tracy's rugged features, and both Davis' fresh-faced complexion and popping eyes. Thankfully, all the nicks, scratches, and speckling that plagued the 2009 DVD have been erased, so this is a no-brainer upgrade if you're a fan of this film and/or its iconic stars. 

The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono track has been cleaned up as well. No age-related hiss, pops, or crackle intrude and all the harsh sounds of prison life, from the slamming of cell doors to the clank of pick-axes on the rock pile, are crisp. Sonic accents like sirens, gunfire, fisticuffs are distinct, and all the dialogue is clear and easy to comprehend.

Several vintage extras are included on the disc.

• Vintage Short: 20,000 Cheers for the Chain Gang (SD, 20 minutes) - This two-reeler uneasily mixes comedy and music with the sober subject of a chain gang. The zany plot chronicles the escape of five goofy, hapless convicts and how the corrupt warden and his staff soften the living conditions at the prison before a government inspection. After life on the outside, the convicts decide life on the chain gang isn't so bad after all.
• Vintage Short: That Goes Double (SD, 20 minutes) - Crooner Russ Columbo headlines this two-reeler, playing both himself and an average joe bookkeeper who's a doppelgänger for him. A trio of unique specialty acts flesh out this breezy musical short.
• Vintage Cartoon: Crosby, Columbo and Vallee (SD, 7 minutes) - Despite the title, the three crooners are only tangentially a part of this frenetic cartoon.
• Vintage Cartoon: The Queen Was in the Parlor (SD, 7 minutes) - Another early Merrie Melodies cartoon, this one finds a returning king searching for his queen after some time away from the palace.
• Theatrical Trailer (SD, 2 minutes) - The film's original preview calls 20,000 Years in Sing Sing "an immortal screen accomplishment."

Tracy and Davis make a potent pair in this engrossing, fast-paced prison drama that still packs a punch today. 20,000 Years in Sing Sing may be 94 years old, but the performances of Tracy and Davis are timeless and Warner Archive's top-flight transfer struck from a 4K scan of the original nitrate camera negative revitalizes this antique film. Remastered audio and a bunch of vintage extras enhance the presentation. Highly Recommended. 

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