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Condamné

Original title: Condemned!
  • 1929
  • Tous publics
  • 1h 26m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
654
YOUR RATING
Ronald Colman, Dudley Digges, Ann Harding, and Wilhelm von Brincken in Condamné (1929)
Drama

A suave thief arrives at Devil's Island, where he becomes romantically involved with the wife of the sadistic prison warden.A suave thief arrives at Devil's Island, where he becomes romantically involved with the wife of the sadistic prison warden.A suave thief arrives at Devil's Island, where he becomes romantically involved with the wife of the sadistic prison warden.

  • Director
    • Wesley Ruggles
  • Writers
    • Sidney Howard
    • Blair Niles
  • Stars
    • Ronald Colman
    • Ann Harding
    • Louis Wolheim
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.4/10
    654
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Wesley Ruggles
    • Writers
      • Sidney Howard
      • Blair Niles
    • Stars
      • Ronald Colman
      • Ann Harding
      • Louis Wolheim
    • 21User reviews
    • 5Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 3 wins & 1 nomination total

    Photos13

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    Top cast27

    Edit
    Ronald Colman
    Ronald Colman
    • Michel
    Ann Harding
    Ann Harding
    • Mme. Vidal
    Louis Wolheim
    Louis Wolheim
    • Jacques
    Dudley Digges
    Dudley Digges
    • Vidal
    William Elmer
    William Elmer
    • Pierre
    Albert Kingsley
    • Felix
    Wilhelm von Brincken
    Wilhelm von Brincken
    • Vidal's Orderly
    Ernie Adams
    Ernie Adams
    • Convict Clerk
    • (uncredited)
    Lionel Belmore
    Lionel Belmore
    • Convict
    • (uncredited)
    Baldy Biuddle
    • Convict
    • (uncredited)
    Count Cutelli
    Count Cutelli
    • Vocal Effects
    • (uncredited)
    John George
    John George
    • Convict
    • (uncredited)
    Harry Ginsberg
    • Convict
    • (uncredited)
    Otto Hoffman
    Otto Hoffman
    • Convict Barber
    • (uncredited)
    Sydney Jarvis
    • Ship's Captain
    • (uncredited)
    Tiny Jones
    Tiny Jones
    • Small Gossipy Townswoman
    • (uncredited)
    Arturo Kobe
    • Convict
    • (uncredited)
    Bob Kortman
    Bob Kortman
    • Prison Guard
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Wesley Ruggles
    • Writers
      • Sidney Howard
      • Blair Niles
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews21

    6.4654
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    Featured reviews

    6AlsExGal

    Ronald Colman's second talking film

    This film was based on the bestselling fictionalized account of the escapes of René Belbenoît, a prisoner on the Devil's Island penal colony in French Guiana, written by Blair Niles. The novel helped raise awareness of conditions there which eventually led to its closure.

    In his second talking film Ronald Colman plays Michel Oman, an unrepentant thief condemned to Devil's Island. Michel is not a noble guy or an innocent guy, so immediately the niceties are out of the way. Madame Vadal (Ann Harding) is the wife of the warden of the prison (Dudley Digges). He is a big slob, harsh and rude to his wife. I wondered how this pretty and demure woman came to be married to this brute beast, but apparently at the time of their marriage he looked like St. John. I doubt that St. John ever looked like Dudley Digges! But I digress.

    Vidal is quite a snob considering he is also a slob, and thinks someone of "his station" should have a servant. He makes Michel his houseboy because he seems more refined than the other convicts, and Michel likes this job because it keeps him from having to do hard labor with the rest of the convicts. But Michel and Vidal's wife fall in love, although they don't act on it. But the wives of the other prison employees begin to gossip based on absolutely nothing but their own boredom, and soon the gossip gets back to Vidal, who reacts exactly like you'd expect him to.

    I have to wonder...what would this pair be like in everyday life? Would they make it? Or would ordinary life in a world populated with plenty of other people to which they could turn break them up? What happens when one of them forgets to pay the electric bill, when the sex stops being hot, when the upstairs neighbors turn out to be flamenco dancers? This film isn't alone in being one about people from completely different backgrounds falling in love because they are the only people available to one another, but these scripts never have the subjects in love talk about these obstacles. But, again, I digress.

    Originally this was supposed to be shot on Devil's Island, but the expense and practicality of it all prevented that from happening. Colman gives a very subtle performance as Michel, contrasting with Digges and Harding being more theatrical. That surprised me, since Digges and Harding have acting styles here that seem somewhat like holdovers from the silent era, yet they never acted in silent films, where Colman was a veteran of silent films and does not display that style.

    The camera work here is excellent, really giving off the feeling of being shot in a prison even though it was not.

    And if you think Louis Wolheim is being wasted here, I will tell you he is a very key part of the resolution. This is a precode, but it is definitely not one in the Warner Brothers tradition.
    6CinemaSerf

    Condemned

    Ronald Colman is "Michel", a debonair thief who ends up in prison on Devil's Island. Sandwiched between the shark-infested waters on one side and the bug-infested forest on then other, he is condemned to live out his days under the brutal custodianship of "Digges" (Jean Vidal), the prison warden. When he befriends Ann Harding, the put-upon wife of his nemesis, they begin to work on a daring plan to escape from their living hell. Though he was Oscar nominated for this, Colman doesn't yet have the glint in his eye that gave him star quality and so this is a bit of an unremarkable melodrama with cages and flies - but the quality of the production has held up well over it's 90 years and Wesley Ruggles keeps it all moving along nicely, if a little too predictably. If you do get an opportunity, give it a go.
    6bkoganbing

    A subtle technique

    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.
    9Brucey_D

    ".....only since I could walk..."

    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.
    6lugonian

    Prisoners of Love

    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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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      Also released in a silent version.
    • Goofs
      All entries contain spoilers
    • Quotes

      Michel: The question is: What becomes of a man here?

    • Crazy credits
      Opening credits prologue: The action takes place at the French Penal Colony in South America, commonly known as"Devil's Island."
    • Connections
      Referenced in Chasseuses d'autographes (1943)
    • Soundtracks
      Song of the Condemned
      (uncredited)

      Written by Jack Meskill and Pete Wendling

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    FAQ16

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 24, 1930 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Condemned!
    • Filming locations
      • Santa Catalina Island, Channel Islands, California, USA
    • Production company
      • The Samuel Goldwyn Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $600,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 26m(86 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.20 : 1

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