I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

Excellent but underrated film

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

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.

I've just watched "Condemned!" on the Talking Pictures TV channel and was impressed with the quality of the print and the film in general. As another reviewer has noted here on IMDb, the plot isn't too ridiculous.What most dates this film as being made in the 1920s is Ann Harding's acting in an emoting (that is to say, theatrical) manner.The film was produced before the Hays Code was introduced, and there a couple of scenes that might not have been allowed after it was: men fighting over a nice-looking young convict, and Vidal wanting to exercise his marital rights and Madame Vidal not wanting him to.SPOILER: I did wonder how long Michel's original sentence was and how much was added to it following his escape attempt.

No story value here but worth for Ronald Colman - always emotional in his own restrained way.I have alas never seen this obscure early talkie with a fair 35mm print but the 16mm used for the french VHS Samuel Goldwyn 1990 edition allows to see that the sets and photography of this "Condemned" were of absolute first rate : William Cameron Menzies (sets), George S. Barnes & Greg Toland (photography) make for quite a team !A bit like Susan Lenox two years later and its magnificent William H. Daniels lighting/framing and Cedric Gibbons angled sets : script-wise a very passable and previsible film but visually a true feast for the eyes.The 16mm print/edition is also mushy, unfocused and the video transfer is at least 6 stops below... Hopefully a proper 35mm original still exists somewhere - if only for the end sequence in the train station.