Devil's Island

Released Jan 7, 1939

1 hr. 2 min.

Drama

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50%

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Audience Score

A French doctor (Boris Karloff) sentenced for treason performs brain surgery on the prison commandant's (James Stephenson) daughter.

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Steve S

The parallels to "Papillon" are obvious. What a horrid place Devil's Island must have been. A few familiar faces can be seen throughout the movie (the captain of the rescue ship is Perry White in the TV show Superman; one character was also in the 1973 version). Karloff was terrific in a limited but lead role…he was just a good actor. Make sure you stick around for the end…a very close shave, so to speak!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/25/21

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Bernard K

Usually Boris Karloff movies are better, but oh well....

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/19/18

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Audience Member

Not a horror movie but a fictional portrayal of a French penal colony.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/14/23

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Audience Member

good escape from jail tale

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

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Audience Member

I do enjoy seeing Boris Karloff in non-horror film roles, but sadly most of those films were never that that great and that unfortunately includes this film (John Ford's "The Lost Patrol" is my favorite of his non-horror roles). Karloff plays an doctor who's wrongly imprisoned on the titular Devil's Island. On the island prison he's faced with harsh conditions and a warden who's labeled him a trouble maker. This picture is better than a lot of Karloff pictures, but it's really nothing specials.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

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Audience Member

The Story is a Remake from The Prisoner of Shark Island and just transplatented to Devil's Island which is under French Occupation but is well made a great Drama about a Medicus who aid a Revolutionary and get judged to a Life Long Setence on a Prisoner's Island and get the Local Medicus to help the sick Gouvenour beautiful Pictures of the Devil's Island which lies before the Coast of French Guyana

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

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William Clemens

Director

Boris Karloff

Dr. Charles Gaudet

Nedda Harrigan

Madame Helene Lucien

James Stephenson

Col. Armand Lucien

Adia Kuznetzoff

Pierre Lareau

Will Stanton

Bobo

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Bosley Crowther

New York Times

While the camera probes the brutalities inflicted on the prisoners, the drama is savagely realistic.

Rated: 3.5/5

Oct 6, 2007

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Marc Savlov

Austin Chronicle

Rated: 3/5

Oct 6, 2007

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Socially relevant drama about abusive conditions in France's Devil's Island penal colony.

Rated: C+

Oct 1, 2007

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Synopsis

A French doctor (Boris Karloff) sentenced for treason performs brain surgery on the prison commandant's (James Stephenson) daughter.

Director: William Clemens
Screenwriter: Kenneth Gamet, Don Ryan
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Production Co: Warner Brothers/Seven Arts
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 7, 1939, Original
Release Date (DVD): Oct 14, 2004