1928-29 – Chester Morris
Alibi
I’ll admit that the first time I watched and reviewed this movie, as it was nominated for Outstanding Picture, I didn’t think much of it, and I gave it a pretty negative review. Upon watching it a second time, having had a few more years’ experience in watching films, especially older films like this one, I have a lot more respect for the movie, as a whole. And I think the film’s leading man, Chester Morris, had a lot to do with that.
Yes, his acting suffered a bit from that pesky transition between silent films and the beginning of the talkies, but that’s understandable. In fact, this was one of those films in which some scenes were filmed twice, and two different movies were made. One was the surviving copy we have today, and the other was actually shown in the movie theaters that were not equipped to show films with synchronized sound.
Morris played gangster Chick Williams. He has recently been released for prison, still claiming that he’d been framed by the coppers. Continuing his criminal behavior, he marries the Police Chief’s daughter. Morris’s job as an actor was to convince the audience that he had gone straight, that is, until the movie’s big twist reveal. Yes, he’s still a hardened crook, murdering people left and right.
Where Morris’s acting talents really shined was in the scene where a police detective convinces Chick that he is going to murder him in cold blood instead of taking him to jail. That’s where the character’s true colors are displayed, and they were all yellow. As he begs and pleads for his life, Morris shows us a bit of depth and range to his acting skills. I also liked the scenes where he turned on his mean face. His eyebrows became pointed and his jaw became hard. His mouth turned into this crooked scowl that topped off the alarming transformation. He could go from nice to scary in the blink of an eye.
Also, his death scene, which is more of a testament to the visual effects team, was done very well. He tries to jump across an alley, from the top of one high-rise to another, and just… fails. Bye-bye Chick Williams, and well-done Chester Morris.