Condemned!

This was produced just a year after those famous words - the first words in the first talking picture. What is amazing is how creative it was with sound - techniques that rarely appeared in theatre and some that were entirely new.

First there is the overlaying of the sound of the prisoners "choir" over sound and pictures inside the governors house cutting with continuity to pictures of the prisoners singing - all in sync. And, entirely novel the sound of the governors voice as he looks in the mirror - we are hearing the voices in his head. The sound of drums in sync with the guarding soldier's walk.

It was not until after WW2 that magnetic tape recording - with multitracks was available. I can only guess that this film was all done with gramophone discs.

I was for a while a videotape editor in the earliest days so appreciate how revolutionary and sophisticated was the use of sound just one year after it started. Had radio pioneered this or was it entirely the work of the new talkie movies?

Seen on Talking Pictures TV - yet another overlooked historic film with exceptional qualities.

This Ronald Colman film was his second talkie, following a rousing success in Bulldog Drummond earlier in 1929. For these two films, Colman received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and his work in this one is good. Samuel Goldwyn went through great pains to prepare Colman for talkies and for audiences' expectations of his voice to match his on-screen persona. In this film, Colman plays a suave thief who is sentenced to prison on Devil's Island. Once there, the warden employs him to aid his wife in household chores and there Colman falls in love with the beautiful Ann Harding.

The plot is surprisingly not too ridiculous as both Colman's and Harding's characters really don't want to start an affair out of respect for each other and for the warden (a solid Dudley Digges). However, once the warden buys into local gossip that his wife is having an affair, he cannot help but constantly become angry. Each time the plot has a chance to become silly and over-melodramatic, it takes a step back and seems to have a conscience. For an early talkie, that is impressive. Further more impressive were the many dolly moves employed by the cameraman. This is not too static for such an early sound film and there is good use of sound effects being layed over the montage. All that being said, it is not a great film. It is never fully engrossing as Alibi and Applause were at times, but for a film from the class of 1929 this one is a winner and Colman, Harding, Digges and Louis Wolheim as Colman's convict friend are all excellent.

There is such an element of unreality to the idea that the warden at the Devil's Island penal colony would allow one of the inmates to act as a servant in his home and to be alone with his wife throughout the day, that you'll have to go into this movie suspending your disbelief. Ronald Colman is suave as the convict, and it's always a joy to see him, and here he is opposite Ann Harding, who varies between down to earth and over-emoting. The film does set the stage with some nice 'hard prison' scenes, including one of a man howling in solitary confinement, but next to Colman smooth-talking Harding, something seems off. Perhaps Colman is a little too debonair. On the other hand, the film is entertaining and worth seeing. I liked the supporting cast most, and thought that Dudley Digges turned in the best performance as the warden, angrily spewing his bile.

Ronald Colman's second talkie feature film was Condemned and for that and Bulldog Drummond he received his first Oscar nomination. He lost in that second Oscar sweepstakes for Best Actor to Warner Baxter for In Old Arizona. Nevertheless Condemned holds up very well in this story set in the infamous French Devil's Island penal colony.

In the story Colman's a convict and since it's Ronald Colman he's going to have a bit of polish more than the others there like fellow new inmate Louis Wolheim. The warden's wife Ann Harding is unhappily married to warden Dudley Digges who insists that she get herself a house servant from the group. Colman is a bit less threatening so he's chosen.

The inevitable happens as Colman is better company than her lout of a husband. That's when they planned to escape.

Dudley Digges who also doubled as dialogue director for this new fangled talking picture said that stage trained actors like both Colman and Ann Harding were a pleasure to work with. Both grasped that a bit more subtlety in technique had to be used. Both also emoted well when that was called for.

According to Citadel Film series book on Ronald Colman, Colman said how grateful he was that sound came along and what a boon it was to him and other players like William Powell who was both staged trained and a good friend of Colman's. Powell also did well in his talkie debut in one of the Philo Vance films he made.

The depiction of Devil's Island was outstanding. Condemned still holds up well for today's audience.

I enjoyed the film in spite of the rather somber depressing theme. I am not usually a fan of Ann Harding's rather theatrical over the top acting but she is surprisingly down to earth in this picture and enjoyable. Dudley Digges plays his part as her husband well manages to be both repulsive and disgusting in his portrayal. Ronald Colman is very good as the convict who falls in love with the warden's wife, played by Ann Harding.

The film only seems to be available in a post 1934 reissue print.... the original titles have ending have been replaced so I can only assume some Pre-Code footage is missing as the new titles look like they date to the late 1930's or 1940's.