www.noiroftheweek.com Coming as a big surprise to me, the forgotten gem Riot in Cell Block 11 is being released by Criterion on DVD soon. The film is a semi-documentary noir released in the early 1950s. The film documents a fictional riot at the famous California prison, Folsom. The film has none of the dramatic shadows found in classic noir. It's shot like a documentary. No showy camera angles. But don't…

This begins with a television interview given by real-life prison reformer Richard McGee who reacts to a well documented spate of prison riots by informing the audience that they, too, must bear their share of responsibility for the conditions endured by the inmates. We are then taken to Block 11 where it does prove remarkably easy - especially given the prevailing tensions across the system - to nobble a guard,…