Yet another entry in a long line of socially relevant dramas from Warner Brothers, Devil's Island (1939) began to take shape as a feature film in 1938. For Warners, a studio renowned for their prison movies, the reason behind the Devil's Island production was twofold: to pursue the more sensational elements from their enormous success of the previous year, The Life of Emile Zola, and, more importantly, to cash in on the 1937 headline-making closing of the infamous French penal colony. Originally planned for George Raft, the picture immediately hit several snags - the first being the temperamental star's refusal of the project. Raft, who would become famous for turning down script after script (including The Maltese Falcon (1941) and Casablanca, 1942), had the Warner suits tearing their hair out, prompting frustrated production executive Hal Wallis to remark that finding a proper Raft subject was difficult since "...he hasn't made a picture at this studio since I was a kid."

Strangely enough, the Raft part was then handed to Boris Karloff as part of his three picture deal. After appearing in the 1936 horror gangster hit, The Walking Dead, Karloff, weary of always playing the monster, expressed delight in being offered the role of a genuine human being. Actually, Warners had planned to feature the popular actor in Witches Sabbath, but abandoned the project due to the sudden decline in the horror film market. Also, Karloff needed to be put in a property quickly, or Warners would have to exercise the "pay or play" clause in his contract.

With the topicality of Devil's Island threatening to be lost with continuing delays, the now vastly re-written lead of Charles Gaudet was tailored for Karloff, and handed off to Bryan Foy's efficient B-movie unit, thereby assuring an early 1939 release. Prolific editor-turned-director William Clemens, one of the key players in the Warners B-picture stable, was then assigned the job of helming Devil's Island. Known for his fast-paced no-nonsense thrillers, Clemens also directed the slick Nancy Drew mysteries. Later, moving to RKO, the director would film the best of the lively Falcon series. Benefiting from leftover The Life of Emile Zola sets, as well as those under construction for upcoming Warner "A" items, including The Letter and Tropic Zone (both 1940), Devil's Island certainly belies its modest budget. The assigning of master cameraman George Barnes was yet another plus, and his bravura lighting and expressionistic compositions are spectacularly apparent throughout. The film also shares many similarities with The Prisoner of Shark Island (1936), directed by John Ford, in that the main character, Dr.Gaudet, is also sentenced to hard labor on Devil's Island for aiding a traitor.

With shooting completed, Devil's Island was quickly pushed into theaters - and into controversy. The French government, now down playing the sadistic brutalities of the hellish atoll, beseeched the studio to shelve the movie as they wanted to avoid any further reminders of the institution and it's inhumane practices. Fearful of losing the profitable foreign market, Warners reluctantly agreed, shearing several sequences, and adding a treacly prologue. However, by mid-1940, with France and most of Europe under Nazi rule, the international exchange had dried up to the point of non-existence. Devil's Island hit theaters on July 11th, 1940, becoming a modest moneymaker for the studio, thanks to positive support from The New York Times, who heralded the 62 minute programmer as "...pull(ing) no punches..." and being "...savagely realistic."

Producer: Bryan Foy
Director: William Clemens
Screenplay: Anthony Coldeway (story), Raymond L. Schrock (story), Kenneth Gamet, Don Ryan
Cinematography: George Barnes
Film Editing: Frank Magee
Original Music: Howard Jackson (uncredited), Max Steiner (uncredited)
Principal Cast: Boris Karloff (Dr. Charles Gaudet), Nedda Harrigan (Madame Lucien), James Stephenson (Colonel Armand Lucien), Adia Kuznetzoff (Pierre), Rolla Courvitch (Collette).
BW-62m.

by Mel Neuhaus