Review of The Prisoner of Shark Island (1936) by Brian B — 28 Jul 2009

While historians continue to debate Dr. Mudd's guilt, John Ford portrays him as a victim of circumstance swept up in the hysteria following the assassination of President Lincoln. In one of his best roles, Warner Baxter gives a searing portrait as Dr.

Mudd. While some of the plot situations are purely fanciful, Baxter never lets the viewer forget that this is the story of a real man unfolding before us. Whether proclaiming his innocence, vainly struggling to escape his hideous confinement or valiantly attempting to fight an outbreak of yellow fever, Baxter is never anything less than completely compelling.

John Carradine is chilling as a sadistic prison guard, like something out of a horror movie.