April 23, 2014 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 21 Riveting prison drama makes its bow on Blu-ray by Dennis Seuling “Riot in Cell Block 11” (The Cri- terion Collection) is an early film from Don Siegel, who went on to direct “Dirty Harry,” “The Shootist,” and “Escape from Alcatraz.” Made on a modest budget, the 1954 picture was shot in California’s Folsom State Prison. The cast was com- posed of lesser-known actors with real inmates as extras. The black-and-white film, with almost documentary bluntness, addresses the problems facing the nation’s penal system. The film begins with a statement fault- ing political leaders for the neglect of penal institutions. In the cell block of the title, prisoners are kept in isolation and treated like caged animals. Career crimi- nal James Dunn (Neville Brand) leads a riot by overcoming several guards and taking them hostage. The prisoners demand less crowded cells, termination of brutal guards, educational opportunities to learn a trade, and better food. These demands mirror the requests made by Warden Reynolds (Emile G. Meyer) of politicians who turned a deaf ear. Dunn insists the press be allowed to cover the standoff and the governor sends politi- cally appointed Commissioner Haskell (Frank Faylen). Haskell fears that giving in to the prisoners would set a dan- gerous precedent. The rest of the prisoners then riot and hot-heads threaten to kill the hostages. The intelligent script by Richard Collins paints a fairly accurate picture of state pris- ons of the era. Interestingly, the prisoners’ goal is not to escape, as in so many prison flicks, but rather to obtain better living con- ditions. The villains here are not the pris- oners, at least not at first. Though they use force to be heard, they do not intend to hurt anyone until they are ignored for political expedience. The bureaucracy takes a hit by placing faces on a system that figures lock- ing up bad guys is an end in itself rather than a means to help them re-enter society. The two-disc dual-format Blu-ray/DVD contains audio commentary by a film scholar; excerpts from the director’s 1993 autobiography, “A Siegel Film,” read by his son, Kristoffer Tabori; excerpts from the ‘Riot in Cell Block 11’ is a gritty look at deplorable prison conditions. 1953 NBC radio documentary series, “The Challenge of Our Prisons;” and a booklet featuring a critical essay. “The Pawnbroker” (Olive Films) stars Rod Steiger as Sol Nazerman, a survi- vor of Nazi persecution who has lost his entire family and now runs a pawnshop in Harlem. He is both bewildered and guilt- ridden about why he survived. He has lost his faith in God and humanity and spends his days tending to his shop as assorted, usu- ally desperate people come in to exchange objects of varying value for a few bucks. Present encounters are affected by Sol’s anguished past. The more people reach out to him, the more closed and cruel he becomes. Both his assistant Jesus (Jaime Sanchez) and a social worker (Geraldine Fitzgerald) fail to get through to him. The only person Sol is able to deal with in a civil, even tender, manner is fellow con- centration camp survivor Tessie (Marketta