It has been a long time since I have seen this movie, but it was very enjoyable and moving. I am not familiar with the facts of Dr. Mudd's life sentence after he was imprisoned, but he was not a victim of circumstance. According to the novel I am reading regarding the escape of John Wilkes Booth, Dr. Mudd was an acquaintance of John Wilkes Booth prior to the assassination and had at one time agreed to aid Booth in escaping with Lincoln after kidnapping him, a plot that fell through a year before the assassination occurred. With his leg broken, Booth sought out Dr. Mudd as he was a Southern sympathizer, an acquaintance, and a doctor. He fed Booth, let him sleep in his house, and lied to the soldiers hunting Booth as to aid him in his escape from justice, all with full knowledge of his deeds. Sadly, this is not what is seen in the movie, but much like most of history has been distorted to make people feel guilty about someone with supposedly good intentions. Still, an enjoyable movie with a good heart, even if it is not based in fact.
Review of The Prisoner of Shark Island
