Condemned (1929)

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.

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). (***)

Copyright 1 December 1929 by Samuel Goldwyn. Released through United Artists. New York opening at the Selwyn: 3 November 1929. 10 reels. 93 minutes.1944 re-issue title: CONDEMNED TO DEVIL'S ISLAND.SYNOPSIS: A convict falls in love with the warden's wife.NOTES: Ronald Colman was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor, losing to George Arliss in "Disraeli".COMMENT: For his second talkie, Ronald Colman enjoys a considerable change of pace from "Bulldog Drummond". This time, he's not so romantic. He's dirty, disheveled, sweaty, sardonic, impulsive, self- deprecating, selfish, uncaring, even despairing. What a great performance! In fact he plays here with more animation than in many of his later roles, including Clive of India. Unfortunately, his realistic study of a brazen thief is slightly undermined by Ann Harding's overly theatrical posturing and Dudley Digges' overly theatrical delivery of his dialogue. Fortunately, Louis Wolheim is on hand to support Colman at crucial moments, though his part (after a splendid introduction) does turn out to be a bit disappointingly small.Despite its vintage (way back in 1929) and some unconvincing dramatics, as said, from Harding and Digges, "Condemned" seems not the least bit dated. Whilst other directors were moving over-cautiously into sound, or trying vainly to transplant outmoded silent techniques, Wesley Ruggles and two others, Tay Garnett and William K. Howard, managed to grasp all the essentials of sound cinema straight away. In fact, Condemned rates easily as Ruggles' best film. Look at the wonderful climax with Ann Harding moving diagonally out of the frame, or the tossing ship-board camera at the opening, or the fantastic pan into the silhouettes of the prisoners, or the fast tracking shot with Digges as he delivers his introductory speech to the new inmates. True, once the action settles down and the triangle romance rears its not unexpected head, the picture does become more static and dialogue-bound, but even these scenes are leavened by a marvelously realistic use of sound effects and other cinematic devices.The camera-work too is a constant delight. True, we are blinded by soft focus light every time the lens picks up Miss Harding, but some appealing, typical-Toland, atmospheric effects enliven the prison scenes.Also to be commended are the superlative sets designed by the masterful William Cameron Menzies.Present prints have been astutely shortened by nine or ten minutes, to make the thrills come faster. There are no lapses in continuity.

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.