Devil's Island (1939 film)

Devil's Island
	Film poster
Directed by	William Clemens
Produced by	Bryan Foy
Written by	Anthony Coldeway; Raymond L. Schrock; Kenneth Gamet; Don Ryan
Starring	Boris Karloff; Nedda Harrigan
Cinematography	George Barnes
Edited by	Frank Magee
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date	January 7, 1939;
Running time	62 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Devil's Island is a 1939 American prison film directed by William Clemens and starring Boris Karloff. This film is notable for Karloff as the protagonist, opposed to the villain-like characters in his various horror roles.[1]

Plot

For treating a wounded revolutionary, respected surgeon, Dr. Charles Gaudet (Boris Karloff) is sentenced to life imprisonment to the infamous French penal colony on Devil's Island. It isn't long before he speaks out against the inhuman conditions and incurs the anger of the brutal prison commander, Colonel Armand Lucien (James Stephenson). But when Lucien's daughter Collette receives life-threatening wounds in an accident, the only person on Devils Island who can save her, is Gaudet.

Cast

Boris Karloff as Dr. Charles Gaudet
Nedda Harrigan as Madame Helene Lucien
James Stephenson as Colonel Armand Lucien
Adia Kuznetzoff as Pierre Leroux
Rolla Gourvitch as Collette Lucien
Will Stanton as Bobo Hawkins
Edward Keane as Duval, Camp Doctor
Robert Warwick as Demonpre, Minister of the Colonies
Pedro de Córdoba as Defense Attorney Marcal
Tom Wilson as Emil
John Harmon as Andre Garon
Sidney Bracey as Soupy, a Prisoner (as Sidney Bracy)
George Lloyd as Dogface
Charles Richman as Governor Beaufort
Stuart Holmes as Gustave LeBrun
Leonard Mudie as Advocate General
Egon Brecher as Debriac, LeBrun's Henchman
Frank Reicher as President of Assize Court

Reception

The depiction of Devil's Island upset the French government. Fear of something similar happening resulted in a proposed 1947 film from Columbia, The End of Devil's Island, being cancelled.[2]

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References

Stephen Jacobs, Boris Karloff: More Than a Monster, Tomahawk Press 2011 p 221-223
THOMAS F. BRADY Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES.. (April 11, 1947). "STUDIO DROPS FILM ON DEVIL'S ISLAND: Columbia Abandons Project in Line With Industry Policy on Foreign Markets". New York Times. p. 30.

External links

Devil's Island on IMDb
Devil's Island at the TCM Movie Database

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[karloff-1] Stephen Jacobs, Boris Karloff: More Than a Monster, Tomahawk Press 2011 p 221-223

[2] THOMAS F. BRADY Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES.. (April 11, 1947). "STUDIO DROPS FILM ON DEVIL'S ISLAND: Columbia Abandons Project in Line With Industry Policy on Foreign Markets". New York Times. p. 30.