Review of The Prisoner of Shark Island (1936) by Jon C — 09 Nov 2017

Prisoner of Shark Island is an early John Ford film giving an only roughly accurate version of the story of Dr. Samuel Mudd, who treated John Wilkes Booth for the injuries he sustained in assassinating Lincoln, was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment as part of the assassination conspiracy, and was later exonerated.

The film is well done and tautly directed, though it also occasionally displays Ford's typical weaknesses of sentimentality, stereotyping, and low humor. Warner Baxter (probably best remembered today for 42nd Street) does a creditable job as Mudd, and John Carradine is a standout as a sadistic prison guard.

Though generally minor Ford, the piece does have a few good set pieces, such as the portrait of Lincoln ordering the band to play "Dixie" as a token of reconciliation, and the grim scenes of the trial and execution of the conspirators.

All in all, generally worth watching still today, and certainly a film that serious students of Ford's work will want to see. Advisory: the film's treatment of African-Americans, while clearly well intentioned, is likely to strike today's viewers as stereotyped and patronizing.