Der Gefangene der Teufelsinsel

The celebrated Dreyfus affair of turn-of-the-20th-century France gets the British TV treatment courtesy of one of its past masters, Ken Russell (thankfully restrained), and starring a famous (and alleged) relative of the man himself, American actor Richard Dreyfuss (albeit playing a different role)! Although in the past there had been more prestigious film versions of the case – most notably THE LIFE OF EMILE ZOLA (1937) which even earned the Best Picture Oscar of that year – the starry cast roped in for this modest production delivers the goods nevertheless and keeps one watching: apart from the afore-mentioned Dreyfuss, we also get Russell regular Oliver Reed, Peter Firth, Jeremy Kemp, Brian Blessed, Peter Vaughan and even iconoclastic film-maker Lindsay Anderson making one of his infrequent appearances as an actor and being entrusted with the important role of the Minister of War! Oddly enough, despite the on screen title of the film being PRISONERS OF HONOR, every online reference to it (including the IMDb) seems to drop the final 's' and turn it into singular!

This original HBO movie chronicles the events of the real-life "Dreyfus Affair" that took place in France in the final years of the 19th century. Army captain Dreyfus (Kenneth Colley, "The Empire Strikes Back") is convicted of treason (selling secrets to the Germans) based on flimsy evidence, and sent to Devils' Island. An officer named Picquart (Richard Dreyfuss, who was also one of the producers) is assigned to make sure that the sentence is just, and he ends up discovering a conspiracy involving other high-ranking military officers. The events here would ultimately sow the seeds for what led to the first World War in 1914.

Knowing director Ken Russells' track record of utter flamboyance, it's interesting that this decent history-based drama largely refrains from exuberance. It's pretty straightforward, telling a good story capably. It manages to make its points without being melodramatic. There is, of course, the theme of honor vs. Duty which is explicitly stated, but also the bigotry going on in the country with so many people expressing disdain for its Jewish community. Even Picquart is not immune from this type of thinking, so characters are presented as flawed and basically human.

American star Dreyfuss does an excellent job as a man devoted to the Army yet also devoted to letting the truth of the matter be known. He leads a mostly British cast; although relatively few cast members actually attempt French accents, the actors do disappear into their roles. The supporting actors read like a who's who of great British thespians: Oliver Reed ("Gladiator"), Peter Firth ("The Hunt for Red October"), Jeremy Kemp ("The Blue Max"), Brian Blessed ("Flash Gordon"), Peter Vaughan ('Game of Thrones'), and the esteemed filmmaker / actor Lindsay Anderson ("This Sporting Life", "O Lucky Man!", etc.) as the minister of war.

Scripted by Ron Hutchinson ('The Josephine Baker Story'), this intelligent and impassioned tale may well motivate some viewers to research the true story.

Seven out of 10.

how in the name of movie making could richard make such a boring movie about a relative of his that was "given the shaft" because of his heritage? a big disappointment. if my relative was treated the way richard's was i would be darn sure the world would feel his suffering, pain, abuse and heartbreak caused by his peers and those over him in the military. dick, do it over, do it right and this time put some real electricity in it.

There is more than enough intensity of emotion in this overlooked movie to suit me. The acting is quite good. What else do you expcct from British stage pros? I wonder if Richard Dreyfuss had the good sense to be scared sh..... to go in with these guys? Afterall this is not a rock and roll sitcom that Dreyfuss excells at. I think he did quite well. I am not a rah rah, temple attending Jew, looking for anti=semitism everywhere, but I think it worthwhile every generation, to remind everyone that in France about a century ago, the army knowingly sent an innocent man to disgrace in Devil's Island, and attempted to let the German spy in their ranks go free, just so they could, "Get the Jew". This was "honor", according to the French army. I love the country, the culture, and have been a tourist there and will go again, but I think we have to remember that when the Nazis marched in in 1940, there were a lot of people that were not that unhappy, to see them, and Nazi officers did not want for bedmates, from shopgirls to movie stars. There was an active and brave resistance(would you risk your neck against the Gestapo) but we have to be realistic about France's paradoxical attitude toward's the Nazis. I highly recommend this movie which may be the last appearance of the great Bill Sikes from "Oliver", Oliver Reed, may he rest in peace.

I saw this film when it first came out in 1991. It features a theme common to most HBO original movies: prejudice and bigotry directed towards minorities. Unlike nearly all of those other films, however, this one isn't pedantic or cloying; Prisoner of Honor is the one that HBO "got right". Credit must go to the director, and to a fine cast. Richard Dreyfuss gives his best screen performance, bar none. A very entertaining film, and one that might spark an interest in history.