L'île du diable

Excellent vehicle for the great Boris Karloff to branch out from playing horror roles and play the hero in a drama. Karloff plays a French brain surgeon who attends to a friend shot by the police. The friend is considered an enemy of the state so Karloff is tried and convicted of treason. He's sent to the penal colony on Devil's Island, where he suffers under the brutal conditions and the corrupt commandant in charge.

Warner Bros. was no stranger to making prison dramas. They made some of the best. This may not take place in a traditional American prison or chain gang but, make no mistake about it, this has many of the familiar plot elements you expect from those types of films. It's a B picture that barely clocks in at an hour but it's well-paced with terrific acting from Boris Karloff and a solid cast backing him up. It's one of Karloff's best non-horror roles and definitely something his fans will want to see.

Dr. Gaudet(Boris Karloff) is a respected brain surgeon, and is unjustly sentenced to ten years' imprisonment on Devil's Island. Gaudet draws attention to himself by complaining about the in-human conditions and leads an unsuccessful revolt. As punishment, the warden sentences Karloff and his comrades to death. Boris Karloff plays the lead convincingly, making himself as pathetic a character as possible. It is a very mild acting role for Boris, and that is probably why George Raft had turned the role down. France decided not to eliminate the notorious colony and attacked the film as anti-French at the preview in January 1939. They immediately banned all future Warner Bros. films. A year later it was released, but by this time, France was too busy with World War II to object.

WEST OF SHANGHAI is a real oddity. Although set in China, the film resembles a Western with lots of horseback riding and a set that looks like distinctly Mexican. Then there's a crime angle with lots of graft and double dealing concerning a local oil field. Finally there's BK himself playing a Chinese warlord (in politically incorrect Asian make-up) with more than a hint of black comedy. He has some choice dialogue which he makes the most of. Sheila Bromley scores as a tough minded American woman as does Vladimir Sokoloff as a weary Chinese general. At 62 minutes the movie is enjoyable and doesn't wear out its welcome.

The same cannot be said of THE INVISIBLE MENACE which despite its sci-fi sounding title, is just an ordinary murder mystery taken from an unsuccessful stage play called WITHOUT WARNING (it closed after just 17 performances). It is set on an Army base where a newly wed private and his smuggled in bride stumble across a grisly murder. At 59 minutes it feels roughly 30 minutes too long with stock characters and a totally wasted BK although, as usual, he has his moments. Both movies were directed by John Farrow (Mia's dad) who would move up the Hollywood ladder to bigger and better things.

The last movie in the set, and the best of the three, is DEVIL'S ISLAND about an unjustly accused doctor who is sent to the infamous locale for treating an injured criminal. The parallels to the real life case of Dr Samuel Mudd (who set John Wilkes Booth's leg after Lincoln's assassination) and to Henri Charriere (made famous by Steve McQueen in the movie PAPILLON) are fairly obvious. This film, directed by B movie specialist William Clemens, is full of atmospheric photography (on the same Western set as SHANGHAI) with solid performances from everyone involved. A decent script also adds to the viewer's enjoyment...For more reviews visit The Capsule Critic.

And also William Clemens' best movie for me. I watched several films from this obscure director and I would have never bet a dime that the great Boris Karloff would ever work with such a lousy director, more specialized in NANCY DREW DETECTIVE, THE FALCON or PHILO VANCE adventures than in real movies, such as this one. Such a plot could have been made by a Michael Curtiz, Mervyn Le Roy or Raoul Walsh. Because Boris Karloff is excellent, as usual, and precisely because of his presence, whatever the William Clemen's skills are, this short movie is worth watching. It is inspired from actual facts.

Boris Karloff was my reason for seeing Devil's Island, and when I did see it I found myself liking it very much. Of Warner Archive's Boris Karloff Triple Feature collection, it is easily the best of the three films, having liked West of Shanghai and hated The Invisible Menace(Karloff is the best thing about both those films though). Devil's Island, to me, is not without its faults either, the beginning did seem rather tacked on and the music was annoying and often not really appropriate. Devil's Island however is an atmospherically shot film and the settings are suitably moody. The dialogue is thoughtful and to the point, also written in a way that allows you to care for the characters, while the story is well-paced, sustains the short length(in the way that The Invisible Menace failed to do), is tightly structured and sticks like glue to its subject rather than going on a tangent. The acting is good, very good in the case of the two leads, the supporting cast are not faced with sketchy characterisations like with West of Shanghai and there is no annoying comic relief like in The Invisible Menace. James Stephenson makes for an understated and urbane villain, something that he seemed very well-suited for, while Boris Karloff is forceful and dignified in a role different to what we are used to seeing from him. All in all, a very impressive film, worth checking out. 8/10 Bethany Cox