Devil's Island (Warner Bros.) (1939)

PUBL La vr Todays SCREEN STORY Sentenced to Devil's Island, Boris Karloff suffers the fate of one arousing the disfavor of the cruel Commandant, James Stephenson. Aided by the Commandant's wife, Nedda Harrigan, whose daughter's life he has saved, Karlottf escapes to sea in a power boat. Captured and brought back, he must face the dreaded guillotine. Mat 401—60c ———— convict, Dr. Gaudet (Karloff) Devil’s Island, penal colony. PRODUCTION SHORTS | Catalina Island in California. At one point a storm broke with such reality that the camera crews had to wait two days for sufficient abatement before setting up cameras to shoot, of all things, a tropical storm! The guillotine used in “Devil's Island” is an exact copy of an official machine that has executed many a doomed prisoner. * * a In a recent year 250 convicts escaped, 22 were recaptured, with the fate of the others unknown. Many die of starvation, fever, and as prey of the wild animals and reptiles in the swamps when they escape. The colony is hemmed in by swamps, dangerous rivers and the ocean. It is 750 miles to Trinidad. * * * Punishments depicted in the film, such as spread-eagling men: in the hot sun, solitary confinement in the ‘pits’ and similar medieval tortures, are true to fact. Boris Karloff had a permanent wave to give himself the curly hair which Makeup man Ray Romero decided was necessary to brand him as a gentleman and distinguish him from the straight haired common rabble of prisoners. * * * Karloff wore twelve changes of makeup and an equal number of wardrobe changes denoting time transition. Nine carefully aged and soiled prison uniforms of cotton had to be made for him at great expense. During most of the filming of the picture he was not permitted to shave. When his whiskers grew too long they were cut to the desired length with hair clippers. * ok * Hundreds of photos of actual scenes, buildings and life on Devil's Island were faithfully followed by Art Director Max Parker and his assistants in designing the sets, which range from the elaborate interiors of the Governor’s mansion and the interiors of a huge French courtroom to the prison barracks, pit, or hole in the ground in which prisoners are placed in solitary confinement: and the huge swamps which hem in the prisoners. * * A convict serves a double sentence. If sentenced to five years he must spend an additional five years earning his own living. Convict labor does all the work so, as he can’t leave until self-supporting, sentence to Devil’s Island essentially means a life sentence. | Grim Story of For treating an escaped wounded is arrested by the police. Charged with treason, he is convicted and sent to ‘“Devil’s Island’”’ Karloff rebels against the inhuman treatment that the convicts are forced to endure. He is sent to the ‘pits’, small cells dug into the ground and covered over with iron gratings. A Warner Bros. Picture Starring Boris Karloff Coming to the Strand Karloff Has Nine For Devil's Island Boris Karloff’s shirt and trousers, of cheap cotton, looked as if they had been taken from the rag bag and used as scrub cloths, then resurrected and given to him to wear in his new Warner Bros. starring picture, “Devil’s Island,” which will open Friday at the Strand Theatre. On his feet were a nondescript pair of sandals. Nine other begrimed outfits had to be prepared. “To match these nine changes of costume” says Karloff, “I have nine changes of makeup which Ray Romero, the makeup man, has perfected. There is the makeup I wear when I am apprehended in Panama after an escape from Devil’s Island and the makeup I wear at the end of the picture in addition to the nine makeups which are needed during my stay in the colony.” Mat 101 — l5c BEFORE AND AFTER—Boris Karloff, starring in “Devil's Island”, now at the Strand dons the makeup for an important scene. [15] Awaiting his chance, he overpowers the guard and escapes to sea in a small power boat, only to be captured and brought back to Devil's Island. He is sentenced to the guillotine, but escapes in a thrilling climax through jungles and rivers. (Review ) “Devil's Island’ Thrills Scenes in “Devil’s Island” requiring the open sea were filmed off Makeup Changes Audiences At Strand SYNOPSIS (Not for publication): Sent to Devil’s Island for aiding a wounded escaped convict, Dr. Gaudet (Boris Karloff) arouses the disfavor of the Commandant, James Stephenson. He makes friends with the Commandant’s wife, Nedda Harrigan, when he successfully operates on and saves the life of her daughter. Sent to the ‘pits’, Karloff awaits his chance, and escapes from the island in a boat. He is captured, brought back to the island, and faces the guillotine as punishment for his attempt at freedom. A thrilling climax finds Karloff rescued, a smash ending following. Fully worthy of the company which gave the world “I’m a Fugitive From a Chain Gang” is this new Warner Bros. picture entitled “Devil’s Island,’ with Boris Karloff in the leading role, which alternately horrified, thrilled and moved intensely the audience which saw its first local showing yesterday at the Strand Theatre. Although the locales are totally different, the comparison between the new film and “I’m a Fugitive” is an obvious one, for “Devil’s Island” is also primarily a depiction of the callous and even bestial cruelty that man can inflict on man in the name of punishment for crime. The story depicts Karloff as a man unjustly sentenced to Devil’s Island and shows him suffering the same cruelties and indignities as the lowest types of criminals although he is a man of culture and refinement who before his conviction on a_ tenuous charge of treason was a highly respected surgeon. Most of the excitement and melodrama in the story are attendant upon the efforts of a group of convicts headed by Karloff to escape from the penal colony. After an apparently successful escape, they are recaptured and when they are brought back to Devil’s Island, Karloff is sentenced to death by the guillotine. In a tense climax, he is not only saved from this fate but wins his freedom. The unsympathetic role of the commandant of the island is played with extraordinary effectiveness by James Stephenson, and another fine piece of acting is that of Nedda Harrigan as the commandant’s wife. Others in the large cast who do especially fine jobs are Adia Kuznetzoff, Rolla Gourvitch, Will Stanton, Robert Warwick, Pedro de Cordoba, Tom Wilson, Charles Richman, Stuart Holmes, Leonard Mudie, Egon Brecher and Frank Reicher. Based on an original story by Anthony Coldewey and Raymond L. Schrock, the well-devised screen play was prepared by Kenneth Gamet and Don Ryan, while the directorial bows go to William Clemens. Unusual TypesCast In Horror Roles Such an assortment of viciouslooking humanity has never been assembled, as were cast for “Devil’s Island,” the Warner Bros. picture opening next Friday at the Strand Theatre, dealing with adventures and life in the notorious penal colony. “We must have types,” Casting Director Trilling was told, “never before seen on the screen. They will represent the dregs of humanity as the convicts on Devil’s Island. They will represent almost every white race in addition to men of all kinds, and must include Sengalese, Moors, Algerians and Hindus.” Playing principal convict roles with Karloff are Will Stanton, Tom Wilson, John Harmon, Richard Bond, Sidney Bracy, Earl Gunn, George Lloyd, among others. These men and hundreds of extras selected represented 54 countries. Toothless, emaciated, and showing the effects of mistreatment, with eyes missing and deformed bodies, as a whole they would baffle description, Any one of them, it is obvious, would kill for money if not just for the sport of seeing a man die,