King of the Damned

Conrad Veidt as usual does a lot by doing very little as he provides the brain and Noah Beery the brawn in this rollicking plea for prison reform; shot in a heatwave, and boy does it show!

Like no few other films from the 1930s especially, this one seems to have difficulty finding the right tone, and in fact almost seems like it doesn't even try. The broad thrust is certainly of major, building drama and thriller vibes as "Convict 83" spearheads a plot against cruel, tyrannical prison overseers. There is a light, sparing humor peppered throughout, scenes that emphasize the barbarous nature of the staff, the growing realization of Anna that her beloved isn't who she thought he was, and still more that deftly feeds into the core premise. These are all compelling narrative threads, and writers Sidney Gilliat and Charles Bennett are to be commended for the broad strength of their screenplay that ties these together, and which furthermore speaks directly to the corruption and arbitrary abuse of power within the so-called "criminal justice system." (This is hardly to say their work is perfect; a scene in which 83 proudly speaks of his ideals to Anna exceeds suspension of disbelief in the same way as villains who monologue in spy flicks.) However, between a lack of music that is otherwise forced far into the background where it does show up, and what sometimes feels like weak-kneed direction from Walter Forde, too much of the proceedings are washed over with the same grey indifference that means some of the sharpest cruelty and violence passes as easily as the softest conversation.

This is hardly to say that 'King of the damned' is bad; in fact, that tonal difficulty is possibly the most substantial flaw, with few others even in sight beyond sequencing and pacing that are a tad forced. By and large this is very well made, highly engaging, and entertaining, and it's a pity that the whole is somewhat flattened overall. Yet the production design and art direction are utterly stupendous, bringing the harsh environs of the island prison and its jungle to vivid life; those effects and stunts that are employed look fantastic. Not to be counted out, the costume design and hair and makeup are swell. Though I'm no fan of the brusqueness I admire Cyril Randell's editing generally, and likewise Bernard Knowles' cinematography. In the fundamental orchestration of shots and scenes Forde shows strong capability, even if the overarching ambience is anemic. And I think the cast give excellent performances that to some degree shine through the grayness, especially German superstar Conrad Veidt, token female cast member Helen Vinson, and bighearted and versatile Noah Beery. Really, this feature is somewhat a story of two consistencies - the unwanted even keel of the presentation, and the admirable vitality of most every other aspect that struggles against it. Though the entirety isn't necessarily perfect (including basic sound design and image quality), I'm inclined to say that overly flavorless overcoat is the only thing that distinctly holds this back.

Much more than not this is very well made and greatly enjoyable, with smart, meaningful writing above all. It's unfortunate that the end result is no more than equal to the sum of its parts - or arguably lesser than - when it would have taken little for this to be More. If the pacing were dialed back even only the slightest bit, each moment would have been allowed to resonate with all its worth. If a true, complete, consequential score were composed, and given due prominence, the import of each beat would have been amplified. Such as it is I think this is good; would that it met its full potential. When all is said and done I don't think this is a must-see, but if you do have the chance to watch it's worthwhile, and I hope other folks get more from it than I did. I think 'King of the damned' is ultimately a solid movie, and I'm just remiss that I can't bring myself to be more enthusiastic about it.

In this story, the fictional Island of Santa Maria is the setting...a place much like Devil's Island in French Guyana. The prison's philosophy is simple...the prisoners are scum and anything you do to them is acceptable. Inmates die all the time and are a miserable lot...so it's hardly surprising that they are plotting an uprising. And, considering how brutal and hellish the place is, you really cannot blame them. The leader of this movement is one of the trustees, prisoner #83 (Conrad Veidt). And what is 83's name? Who cares to the folks running this place...he's just another piece of filth who deserves all you give him!

I appreciate this film because you find yourself rooting for the prisoners...the guards and folks in charge are THAT vicious! Most prison films never achieve this, though "Brute Force" comes pretty close.

So is it worth seeing? Absolutely. The film is quite exciting, well written and kept my attention throughout. I wish it had ended a bit differently....but that's more due to personal preference as opposed to the ending being weak.

I can't think of a single bad performance by Conrad Veidt in any movie I've seen him in. That doesn't mean he was not in some poor movies, of course. It means he was always believable and interesting, whether playing Death, Jesus Christ or the Nazi-est of Nazis.

One of the poor movies he was in was KING OF THE DAMNED, one of British Gaumont's attempts to break into the American market in a big way with an expensive production and American stars -- here Noah Beery and Helen Vinson.

Veidt, Beery and an assortment of actors are prisoners on some sort of international Devil's Island, where Helen Vinson is visiting because her father is commandant. He's dying, and his replacement is so bad, the convicts stage an uprising and win. Of course, Veidt and Vinson fall into Production-Code-limited love, and of course, the evils of the convict system are similarly softened; the sort of sequences that had made I WAS A PRISONER FROM THE CHAIN GANG so powerful three years earlier are missing, and so the entire movie is softened. Perhaps it might have done better under the direction of some one other than comedy/thriller specialist Walter Forde, but I doubt it. This was not a time at which an effective movie of this sort could be made.

Despite the oddity of casting Americans in a British movie, there is little doubt that casting Veidt was a good idea. He makes the entire movie watchable, even though Beery gets to show off a sly sense humor. Miss Vinson is, alas, not up to the standards of her co-stars. Still, Veidt and Beery make this one watchable.

With the Great Depression still dragging on in 1935 and the Spanish Civil War already brewing, who could blame the US and other western nations for nervousness about the rise of socialism? In this thinly disguised parable about revolution by the oppressed masses, a brave creative team tackles a subject that was a political hot potato in its time. It's not too hard to see that the scriptwriters' sympathies lie with the downtrodden prisoners, and unfortunately there's a preaching quality to the slow-moving script which tends to carry over into the acting. For this reason it's not one of Conrad Veidt's best performances (you'll know him better as a nasty Nazi in Casablanca). The movie is partly redeemed by some quite high production standards in other areas, especially the staging of the large crowd scenes.