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5.8/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5.8/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. I Stand Condemned remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have a thing for vintage black-and-white dramas where everyone is constantly worried about their honor, you’ll probably find something to chew on here. If you need pacing that moves faster than a Victorian carriage, maybe skip it. People who love early Laurence Olivier will find this interesting, but casual viewers might find the whole thing a bit dry.
There’s a weird, stifling energy to this movie. It’s 1935, and you can really tell they were trying to capture that old-world Russian weight, even if it feels a bit like a stage play trapped in a box. The jealousy plot is so thick you could cut it with a knife, though the industrialist Brioukow is less of a villain and more of a walking headache.
I found myself staring at the background furniture more than once. The production design has this heavy, cluttered feel that actually works for the story. It makes the characters look like they’re being crushed by their own possessions. It’s not quite as intense as The Darkest Hour, but it shares that same sense of looming doom.
Olivier is doing that thing where he’s trying to be a romantic lead while clearly wanting to do something more complex. Sometimes he succeeds, and other times he looks like he’s just waiting for his next cue. There’s a specific scene involving a debt that feels like it drags on for an eternity. My coffee went cold before they finished arguing about the money.
It’s not as snappy as Super Speed, that’s for sure. It feels like a relic, but a mostly well-meaning one.
It’s a bit of a slog, honestly. But there’s a flicker of something real in the middle when everything starts to fall apart. You can feel the director trying to pull it all together, but the seams show. It’s an imperfect, dusty little tragedy.
