King of the Damned

Last updated

King of the Damned
Directed by Walter Forde
Written by Charles Bennett
Sidney Gilliat
Based onplay by John Chancellor
Produced by Michael Balcon
Cinematography Bernard Knowles
Edited byCyril Randell
Music by Jack Beaver
Louis Levy
Production
company
Distributed by Gaumont British Distributors
Release date
  • 1935 (1935)
Running time
81 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

King of the Damned is a 1935 British prison film directed by Walter Forde and starring Conrad Veidt, Helen Vinson, Noah Beery and Cecil Ramage.

Contents

Plot summary

Convict 83 is a prisoner on an island, where the harsh regime of the Governor pushes him to lead a revolt. [1]

At a convict settlement in the Caribbean, the convicts suffer under a new commandant, who sends them to do road work. The convicts, led by Convict 83, lead a revolt. Convict 83 falls for the commandant's daughter, Anna. The commandant dies in the fight. Anna escapes and sends a message to a warship which arrives at the settlement. Anna returns with Convict 83 to see that he gets a fair trial.

Cast

Production

The script was based on a stage play which was set on Davil's Island had a run in 1934. Variety, reviewing a production, wrote "some very good character acting makes this good entertainment." [2]

Film rights were bought by Gaumont British who converted the play into a vehicle for Conrad Veidt. [3]

To avoid the usual French protests on films depicting Devil's Island, the producers gave all locations Spanish names and set the film in the Caribbean. [4] Variety reported in its review of the movie that it was "difficult to locale the settlement. It is somewhere in the Caribbean. The officers have Spanish names and the garrote is used at executions, but most of the officers and practically all of the convicts speak with a pronounced British accent...It makes for a rather polyglot affair." [5]

Nonetheless, the film was banned in France. [6]

Filming took place in July 1935. [7]

Reception

Variety felt Veidt "excellent actor though he is.. is miscast in this role of the convict leader. He is seldom convincing, and rarely dominant. Beery takes the honors away from him because of a more vibrant personality and the fact that he gets what little comedy there is." [5]

References

  1. ↑ BFI.org
  2. ↑ "King of the Damned". Variety. 12 June 1934. p. 54.
  3. ↑ "Priestley Writes For Arliss". The Herald. No. 18, 013. Victoria, Australia. 7 February 1935. p. 33. Retrieved 28 August 2025– via National Library of Australia.
  4. ↑ p.91 Slide, Anthony Banned in the USA': British films in the United States and Their Censorship, 1933-1960 I.B.Tauris, 1998
  5. 1 2 "King of the Damned". Variety. 5 February 1936. p. 33.
  6. ↑ "Paris". Variety. 25 March 1936. p. 60.
  7. ↑ "THEIR UGLY FACES ARE THEIR FORTUNES". The Border Star . Vol. VIII, no. 13. Queensland, Australia. 25 July 1935. p. 5. Retrieved 28 August 2025– via National Library of Australia.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.