| | Prisoner Of Shark Island (Masters Of Cinema) | |
Description
Based on the true-life case of the incarceration of Dr. Samuel Mudd
(Oscar-winning Warner Baxter), The Prisoner of Shark Island is a fast-moving and
gripping drama - rarely seen and remarkably timeless - following Mudd through a
calamitous series of brutal encounters. Regarded as a personal favourite by the
director, it was also the film with which he was said to be most happy.
Written by Nunnally Johnson (The Grapes of Wrath, Tobacco Road), The Prisoner of
Shark Island dramatizes the fatal shooting of Abraham Lincoln (Frank McGlynn
Sr.) and the subsequent visit by the assassin John Wilkes Booth (Francis
McDonald) to Dr. Samuel Mudd's house to fix his broken leg. Unaware of Booth's
treason, Mudd is later arrested - narrowly escaping execution after a one-sided
military trial - and sentenced to a life of hard labour at Fort Jefferson in Dry
Tortugas (an infamous prison in the Gulf of Mexico surrounded by shark-infested
waters).
Featuring a blistering, muscular performance by John Carradine as a sadistic
prison guard, The Prisoner of Shark Island is a tautly scripted, vividly
directed examination of Dr. Mudd's struggle to overcome inhuman justice.
Special Features
- Newly restored high definition transfer
- Audio commentary
- New video interview with film critic David Ehrenstein
- Promotional material gallery
- 24-page booklet featuring writings by director Lindsay Anderson and others
Technical Details
Region 2
Year 1936
Screen Fullscreen 4:3
Colour B & W
Languages English - Dolby Digital (1.0) Mono
Subtitles English for the hearing impaired
Duration 1 hour and 32 minutes (approx)
Genre: Drama
Certificate: U Universal - Suitable for all
Directed by: John Ford
