Condemned (1929)

A thief (Ronald Colman in an Oscar nominated performance) is sent to the infamous Devil's Island for bank robbery. He catches the attention of the warden (Dudley Digges) thanks to his Parisian sophistication. Eager for a servant appropriate to his status, the warden gives the thief the assignment. What he didn't count on was his wife (Ann Harding) falling in love with the convict. Based on the novel CONDEMNED TO DEVIL'S ISLAND by Blair Niles and directed by Wesley Ruggles (I'M NO ANGEL). An early talkie that was simultaneously released in a silent version (not all theatres had yet converted to sound). A melodramatic pre code film whose downbeat ending seems like it was made under the mandated Hays code. Colman is quite good in an antithetical role quite different from his usual urbane roles. As to the movie itself, it's pleasantly passable but not particularly noteworthy outside of Colman's performance. With Louis Wolheim and William Elmer.