The Man Who Wouldn't Talk (1940)
Directed by David Burton
Genres - Drama |
Sub-Genres - Crime Drama |
Release Date - Jan 23, 1940 (USA - Unknown) |
Run Time - 72 min. |
Countries - United States |
MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Hal Erickson
The Valiant, a stage play by Holworthy Hall and Robert M. Middlemass, starred Paul Muni in the 1929 film version. The play was filmed a second time in 1940 as The Man Who Wouldn't Talk, this time with Lloyd Nolan in the lead. Nolan is peripherally involved in a crime; he accidentally kills the main witness and surrenders to the police. Changing his name to avoid disgracing his family, Nolan is sentenced to death. The police aren't happy with the cut-and-dried solution to the homicide and investigate the details of the murder. The results allow Nolan to escape execution--an arbitrary happy ending not in the original play. Despite its shortcomings, Man Who Wouldn't Talk was Lloyd Nolan's favorite starring film.
Characteristics
Themes
Keywords
death-penalty, assumed-identity, confession [criminal], murder
