Condemned
Condemned
| 03 November 1929 (USA)
Condemned Trailers

Suave thief Colman is sent to Devil's Island, where he becomes romantically involved with the wife of sadistic warden Digges.

Reviews
Hellen

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

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Kamila Bell

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

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Deanna

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

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Guillelmina

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

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Brucey D

Talkies were still a very new idea when this film was made, and this was star Ronald Coleman's second film with sound. Surprisingly perhaps the film isn't particularly archaic in the way it is made; the camerawork, the lighting, the direction etc all bear comparison with later films. Of particular interest is the soundtrack; for a 'new idea at the time' the soundtrack is surprisingly good, for example you hear the taunting voices echoing in the warden's mind in one scene. The plot and acting are of their time, of course; one only needs to (say) listen to popular music of the time to see how certain cultural ideas have changed, but the language of cinematography it seems remains more constant.Interestingly this film was originally also released in a silent version; presumably many cinemas were not then sound equipped and it wasn't yet certain whether this 'new sound thing' would just be a fad or not.For something that should be completely anachronistic, a museum piece even, this is a surprising watchable film.

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lugonian

CONDEMNED! (Samuel Goldwyn/United Artists, 1929), directed by Wesley Ruggles, is an early sound prison movie where "The action takes place at the French penal colony to South America's community known as Devil's Island." Starring Ronald Colman in his second full-length talkie, it seemed unlikely finding Colman, best known for romance stories of the silent screen, in such a premise. Founded upon the book, "Condemned to Devil's Island" by Blair Niles, with screenplay by Sidney Howard, CONDEMNED! turned out to be another winner for the popular actor, even to a point of earning him an Academy Award nomination as Best Actor (along with his talkie debut as BULLDOG DRUMMOND) to his resume.Following the opening credit titles super imposed over the ocean water waves with vocalization to "The Song of the Condemned," the story begins as a prison ship docking on Devil's Island with its handful of new prisoners behind bars, including Michel Oban (Ronald Colman), a gentleman thief of Paris, and his friend, Jacques Duval (Louis Wolheim), sentenced to life for murder. Jean Duval (Dudley Digges), a tough warden living on the penal colony with his young wife (Ann Harding), who's biggest fear is living amongst the surroundings of convicts, meets his new prisoners giving them warning that there is no escape on Devil's Island, which "lies between the jungle and the sea of sharks." Vidal, who finds Michel (Number 7232) to be an "unusual type of criminal thief," assigns him as servant houseboy to his wife's daily duties. While out on the market grounds, Michel brings a smile to Madame Duval's face with a good deed by buying her a pet monkey so she won't be so lonely at home. Losing her fear over this debonair prisoner, she soon becomes attracted him. Rumors by gossipers spread about these two, forcing the jealous warden to place Michel in solitary confinement for six months, and substituting Jacques as his wife's new household servant. After learning the warden is to send his wife back to Paris, Michel makes his daring escape to be with her, only to be surprised by the outcome. Also in the cast are William Elmer (Pierre); Frank Campeau (Gilbert); Ernie Adams, Lionel Bellmore and Constantine Romanoff.While not as famous or stronger than some of the latter prison movies of the early 1930s, CONDEMNED! is sadly an overlooked item. A bit advanced in camera angles and movement as opposed to other 1929 sound releases, CONDEMNED! holds interest throughout its 87 minutes. Cast against type, Colman allows himself go be shown unshaven, and brave danger while being chased by prison guards through the marshes. Other than that, he continues his debonair style with his distinguished voice and mannerisms that has made him popular throughout his career. Dudley Digges as the sadistic warden whom his wife fears and hates, does a splendid job. He gives the sort of performance most worthy for a Charles Laughton had he been assigned the part. Ann Harding, a stage actress also appearing in her third talkie release, is believable, although looking way too sophisticated for playing a woman who loves a convict. Louis Wolheim is also unforgettable, right down to the giant eye tattoo posted on his chest.Seldom shown on television since the mid 1970s, CONDEMNED! did show up on occasionally on cable TV over the years as Wometco Home Theater (1986); Nostalgia Television (late 1980s); Turner Network Television (1989-91; and many years later, Turner Classic Movies (TCM premiere: August 21, 2017) as part of an all-day Ann Harding movie tribute. Never distributed on video cassette or DVD, CONDEMNED! remains a curiosity as best for early Ronald Colman years before he became THE PRISONER OF ZENDA (1937). (***)

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Leofwine_draca

CONDEMNED! is an early talkie prison film for screen star Ronald Colman, then riding high after the success of BULLDOG DRUMMOND. Colman would go on to cement his suave reputation with his turn as RAFFLES the subsequent year. This film is set on the notorious Devil's Island prison, a place where Colman's slightly smarmy thief is sent. It doesn't take long for him to begin an ill-fated romance with the governor's wife, and of course his sights are soon set on escape.For an early talkie, CONDEMNED! is acceptable enough fare. It has dated somewhere in the subsequent decades and fans of prison movies will be hard pressed to enjoy the slow-moving and over-obvious antics on display here. The romantic sub-plot really serves to drag things down considerably although things pick up towards the climax.

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Equinox23

First of all I have to contradict my fellow reviewer.Colman's character Michel is far from being innocent, in fact he is convicted for being a thief and trying to rob a bank. The anguish that the convicts encounter on their journey to devil's island is among the most impressive scenes of this early talkie.Another is when Michel has to endure solitary confinement because of his alleged liaison with the warden's wife. These depictions of the prisoners' conditions on devil's island -though they may seem rather mild nowadays- together with the book by Blair Niles had such a strong impact on the public opinion that it led to public protest in the USA and eventually helped to enlighten the conditions of the real-life prisoners.

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