This is written from an English perspective, not an American one. This film in the main deals with capital punishment, and at the end, shows the equivalent of it. To most English sensibilities this is nauseating. In 1941 when this film was released we had the death penalty in the UK, but since the 1960's mercifully we have not inflicted this on anyone. In 1941 this film was given an 'A' certificate which meant a child could see it with an adult. It would have been more appropriate for it to have had an 'H' (horror) certificate for Adults Only, but during the Second World War 'H' certificates were not given, the logic being that what was happening in the UK with bombings etc was tame in comparison to what was happening on the screen. To my knowledge it has not been released in the UK on DVD and I am glad of it. The normality of executions is prevalent throughout this film and without questioning or irony. It is available to see on You Tube which again is unfortunate.
The film in its way is well acted and Anne Nagel is excellent. But for those of us who abhor Capital Punishment this is a flippant and nasty film. I do not believe in banning films, but I would make an exception for this one. This is not 'I Want to Live' or 'Yield to the Night' which were given 'X' certificates here, but which showed the true mental agony of 'eye for an eye' reasoning among uncivilized people.
Review of Man Made Monster
