L'île des damnés

1940's "Island of Doomed Men" was among the 11 Columbia titles included in the SON OF SHOCK television package in the late 1950s, one of three to star Peter Lorre, followed by "The Face Behind the Mask" and "The Boogie Man Will Get You." The ill-fated actor Robert Wilcox ("The Man They Could Not Hang") is cast as Mark Sheldon, undercover agent from the Department of Justice, who certainly picks a roundabout way to conduct his investigation; convicted of a murder he didn't commit, orchestrated by the very man he's investigating, Lorre's Stephen Danel, winding up exactly where he intended to be all along after several uncertain months of good behavior. Dead Man's Isle is the place where Danel employs parolees as slave labor to mine diamonds when not being flogged for disobedience, with only three armed guards (Charles Middleton, Don Beddoe and Bruce Bennett) and an electrified fence to protect his home ("to keep out the animals and snakes!"). Also held captive is Danel's beautiful wife Lorraine (Rochelle Hudson), habitually clinging to Sheldon despite her husband's protests and seeking aid from houseboy Ziggy (George E. Stone), whose pet monkey throws a fit at the sight of the boss ("keep that monkey away from me!"). The script's characters are fairly one-dimensional, much like Warners' 1939 Karloff vehicle "Devil's Island," but Lorre's quiet, soft-spoken presence is more unnerving than any bombastic, overdone performance, making those moments when he does lose his cool quite chilling (what was it about that monkey anyway?). Every time he needs a light someone is there to fearfully do it with shaking hands, and the reactions of others matter more since Hollywood didn't dare show any depravity. The supporting cast is surprisingly strong but it's Lorre's show all the way, actually one of the few vehicles in which he's top billed as the main heavy (he and Rochelle Hudson had previously co-starred in "Mr. Moto Takes a Chance"). Despite its SHOCK! pedigree, "Island of Doomed Men" aired just once on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater on Oct 1 1966.

Okay so this is NOT "Island of Lost Souls" or "The Big House" but I do think that fans of Peter Lorre would enjoy it. No need to hash out the plot here, and yes of course this is nothing more than a 1940s B-Movie. Nonetheless, if you grew up decades ago and have fond memories of staying up late and watching the old horror movies and science fiction monster movies on TV over the weekends, then watching this movie might be an enjoyable way to spend a late Friday or Saturday night, even though it's more of a "semi-noir" movie instead of a horror film.

Given his reputation as the archetypal crazed villain, in his long film career Peter Lorre played relatively few such characters, but his Stephen Danel in "Island of Doomed Men" is powerful enough to imprint such an image in generations of movie-watchers. With typical grace and intelligence, Lorre crafts this pulp heavy into an intricate portrayal of the quintessential fascist bully, winning through intimidation, gratified at bending others to his will yet genuinely puzzled and hurt by his inability to earn the love of his cherished captive-wife. As with so many other films he appeared in, the mercurial actor brings something real and human to this typically false and silly Hollywood pantomime.

Peter Lorre is perfect in this role, a calm, controlling madman with a terrifying temper bubbling underneath. Flashes of his temper are the highlights of the movie. Whomever played his wife could've probably been out-acted by a beanbag, but she's pretty, so it's ok. The other main man was okay, and I was rooting for him like I was supposed to. I guess the underlying question is: Could an island of slavery actually exist? Just kidding. The movie is not that deep, or worthy of further thought. The underlying question actually is: What does Peter Lorre have against monkeys?

Special agent Sheldon (Robert Wilcox) is sent to a desolate island where Danel (Peter Lorre) keeps convicts for forced labour. Danel took his wife Lorraine (Rochelle Hudson) to the island, but the promise of a tropical paradise was not exactly true; meanwhile she hates him. Sheldon now has the double task to put an end to the slave trade methods of Danel and help Lorraine to escape, while the prisoners don't sympathize with him, either.

Peter Lorre (previously starring in the Mr Moto series) is a brilliant villain in this movie. With his quiet voice and mild manners, he becomes menacing like a devil in disguise. I remember Rochelle Hudson from "The Savage Girl", she also appeared in one of Lorre's Mr Moto movies. The problem of the movie is that the hero (Wilcox) doesn*t make a big impression; partly that is in the script because he has to keep his mouth shut not to reveal his identity to Danel. Still the movie is worth watching for its dominant villain.