The Legion Of The Condemned

The Legion Of The Condemned

Paul Murphy's World War 1 action-packed love story.

A long-time fan of the work of legendary Hollywood actress Fay Wray, novelist and songwriter Paul Murphy discovered that the 1928 silent classic The Legion of the Condemned had now been declared an officially Lost Film; no known prints are in any film library or private collection worldwide.

"... and so, I decided to write my own film. I had to. You look at the couple of film stills that remain, Fay Wray and Gary Cooper - who wouldn't want to see that film? And it's gone forever, in fact, anybody who ever saw it has gone forever now.

"There are a couple of few-word synopses about the storyline on IMDB and Wiki - a spy, an aircraft pilot, love, and Germans. I knew what the stars looked like, so, envisioning them, I came up with my own plot, and placed them into it. Actually, it started as a song, to be honest, to go into 'Rays', [short-story collection], but what I thought might run 8, 10 pages, with the title as a refrain... well, by mid-afternoon, I had 24 pages written. Ok - so - not a song then [laughter].

"All my books are written in rhyme, of course, so that wasn't a problem, although the refrain constrained me. But, as I was writing it as a movie, only without stage directions, I adjusted the cadence and meter as per the action. So it starts off shorter, punchier lines - you get the current circumstances, and the hero and heroine's backstory. Then, as other characters came in, lengthen the lines, draw the pace slower so the reader is getting a little ahead of the word they're on, seeing what might be coming... and doubtless thinking, 'Uh-oh, not sure I like the look of this...' [laughter]. Then, as the end appears, faster pacing and sharp cuts, as all the various plot threads come to their conclusions.

"While I was writing it, there were - are ... bad things happening in the world of today. So, that impacted on some of the characters. Obviously, you have the valour and heroics of the lead characters - but in wars, a parent putting food on the table for their children is a heroic deed. Doesn't come with medals, either. That's why the book is dedicated to life. And, why it ends on the tie-up it does, rather than on an action piece. Well - a different kind of action! [laughter]." - author, taken from online podcast.

Gripping, thought-provoking, humorous and heartwarming, this homage to the golden era of fast-paced romantic adventure tales is another must-read from the pen of this master of narrative storytelling.


Bonus Material includes an essay, 'A Movie You've Never Seen', detailing the backstory to, and creative process of, the book; author sketches, placed as scene-dissolve chapter breaks; and the original 24-page song-format story, presented in the handwritten manuscripts.


NB: recommended age 18+, for mild implied violence and mild described intimacy.