The film played at the 1984 Cannes Film Fest, where Mirren won the Best Actress award.

The Spaniard’s first-ever English-language feature received unprecedented 17-minute standing ovation when it premiered at the festival.

Mervyn Le Roy directed in a taut, straightforward mode, propelled by a compelling narrative and biting dialogue penned by Howard J. Green and Brown Holmes.

A social problem picture indicting social injustices, I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang exposed the inhuman conditions on the chain gangs in Southern prison camps.

They asked themselves: “Could we make something unexpected like the first one even though it’s a sequel?”