Dr. Socrates (1935)

If you're a fan of Paul Muni, as I am, you'll want to see this film as an example of one of his last films before he made it with "Louis Pasteur". Yet even though he went on to bigger and more successful films, his earlier work in "Fugitive from a Chain Gang" is my favorite Muni film.

Ann Dvorak, Robert Barrat and Barton Maclane are along for the ride, but they all made better films. It's interesting to watch Mayo Methot (Humphrey Bogart's future wife who gave them the name "Battling Bogarts) playing the gangster's moll.

Despite the low budget and the obvious production limitations, William Dieterle manages to keep it moving along. This is the first of the Muni/Dieterle films which included Pasteur, Zola, Juarez.

Apart from the historical interest, the film doesn't stand the test of time. There are dozens of films from this period which are far better.