Yes, I love Ronald Colman. Most of all for his starring role in "Random Harvest", but also for "A Tale Of Two Cities", "Lost Horizon", "Prisoner Of Zenda", "The Light That Failed", "The Talk Of The Town", and "Arrowsmith". But this film -- only his second talkie -- is simply too decrepit for me to enjoy...other than to see him in such an early role.Nevertheless, Colman is the one bright spot here. The acting of Dudley Diggs...did anyone...even way back then...think this man could be a movie actor. It may very well be the worst acting performance I've ever seen. And Ann Harding -- now I've seen Harding in a number of other films and rather enjoyed her. But here the overacting is just terrible.Clearly, for its time, this was an ambitious film. But as much as I like films beginning around 1933 (give or take a year), this one is just too decrepit. I'll keep the DVD simply because I love Ronald Colman.

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.

There is such an element of unreality to the idea that the warden at the Devil's Island penal colony would allow one of the inmates to act as a servant in his home and to be alone with his wife throughout the day, that you'll have to go into this movie suspending your disbelief. Ronald Colman is suave as the convict, and it's always a joy to see him, and here he is opposite Ann Harding, who varies between down to earth and over-emoting. The film does set the stage with some nice 'hard prison' scenes, including one of a man howling in solitary confinement, but next to Colman smooth-talking Harding, something seems off. Perhaps Colman is a little too debonair. On the other hand, the film is entertaining and worth seeing. I liked the supporting cast most, and thought that Dudley Digges turned in the best performance as the warden, angrily spewing his bile.

CONDEMNED! is an early talkie prison film for screen star Ronald Colman, then riding high after the success of BULLDOG DRUMMOND. Colman would go on to cement his suave reputation with his turn as RAFFLES the subsequent year. This film is set on the notorious Devil's Island prison, a place where Colman's slightly smarmy thief is sent. It doesn't take long for him to begin an ill-fated romance with the governor's wife, and of course his sights are soon set on escape.For an early talkie, CONDEMNED! is acceptable enough fare. It has dated somewhere in the subsequent decades and fans of prison movies will be hard pressed to enjoy the slow-moving and over-obvious antics on display here. The romantic sub-plot really serves to drag things down considerably although things pick up towards the climax.