Condemned to Death (1932)
Directed by Walter Forde
Genres - Mystery, Horror, Drama, Crime |
Sub-Genres - Crime Thriller, Master Criminal Films |
Run Time - 76 min. |
Countries - United Kingdom |
MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Hal Erickson
On the surface just another quota quickie, Condemned to Death turned out to be quite a gem for those lucky enough to see it back in 1932. Taking a respite from his duties as moviedom's Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Wontner plays an incorruptible judge who sentences a criminal genius to the gallows. The villain then proceeds to hypnotize Wontner into murdering the jurors responsible for his convictions! Unaware of his crimes, Wontner is confronted with the evidence by Scotland Yard inspector Cyril Raymond, who has the decency to permit the good gray judge to commit suicide rather than face public disgrace and humiliation. Condemned to Death was based on Jack o' Lantern, a play by George Goodchild.
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Keywords
escape, schizophrenia, con/scam, condemned [building], criminal, death-row, hypnosis, justice, killing, mental-illness, mind-control, sentence [penal system], split-personality