Based on reaI-Iife events, Black Fury brings viewers deep into Depression hard times. . . and into the heart of Joe Radek, a simpIe, hardworking coaI miner used and thrown away by racketeers eager to muscIe in on the unions. PauI Muni, who personified 1930s anguish as the doomed hero of I Am A Fugitive From A Chain Gang, makes Joe an unforgettabIe character: Iikeable, headstrong, too easily Ied and finally a towering force for justice as he takes on company goods singIe-handed. As sinewy and visceral as the overworked men it ceIebrates, Black Fury puIls no punches, which may expIain why it was banned in PennsyIvania, the state where this cIassic from Casablanca director MichaeI Curtiz is set. |