Angry mobs have been featured in film for a very long time. Films from the silent era such as Metropolis and Battleship Potemkin constructed these scenes. We still see it today, even in some kid’s film featuring green ogres, torches and pitchforks. This week I wanted to talk about a couple that happen to be very dear to my heart.
Ox-Bow Incident” (1943) with Henry Fonda is an amazing western. A group of angry men ride up a mountain to find three travelers they suspect of murdering a member of their community. Once they capture the men, they are faced with a decision. They can lynch the men right there on the mountain, ensuring their own brand of swift justice. Or, they can bring them back down the mountain to stand before a judge and jury, possibly getting off scot free. This most fascinating part of this film is not the decision they eventually make, but actually watching the process. Originally, some are hell-bent on killing the men where they stand, others passionately disagree and some probably wish they just would have stayed out of it. By the end of the film, all parties are changed. 
The next film for the week, “Fury” (1936) is Fritz Lang’s first American film. He fled here from Germany when he refused to make propaganda films for the Hitler. I think this film is pretty evident of some of his resentments towards certain philosophies. The main character, Joe Wilson (Spencer Tracy) is wrongfully accused and jailed for a murder while traveling to meet his fiancé. Again with this film, I think the end result is less interesting than what it takes to get there. What starts out as subtle gossip soon turns to a raging group-think with more torches and less pitchforks.
Both of these films are great. They not only stress the importance of due process, they carry a message of the importance of individualism.
Enjoy.
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