Island in the Sun
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Movie Reviews of Island in the Sun
Movie Review: good photography, dull movie
Summary: 3 Stars
I remember seeing this movie years ago when it was released. I was a child and I had not seen it since. I was quite surprised to find out that it had been released on DVD so I ordered it. When I saw it in the theatre as a child, it seemed larger than life with the palm trees, vibrant colors, etc. I also fell in love with Dorothy Dandridge who I thought was absolutely beautiful.
Looking at this movie now, it seems rather bland and it did not hold my interest. There are a lot of story lines going on in the movie and none of them are particularly exciting. The women looked beautiful (except for Joan Fontaine who seemed quite plain and devoid of any personality) but their characters did not contribute much to the story lines.
The theme of race relations was not really explored the way I thought it would be, except as an undercurrent. The only black person in the movie to address the issue was Harry Belafonte and who does he wind up with but the ever-exciting Joan Fontaine. At the end he basically tells her to get lost.
I compare this movie with one of my all-time favorites, "Black Orpheus" which, while not having a complicated plot, was extremely well done.
In conclusion, while I would recommend this movie for historical reasons and for the boldness (at the time) of addressing the race issue, I would caution that it is not very interesting or exciting.
Movie Review: Not what it could have been
Summary: 3 Stars
On an island in the West Indies, four couples struggle to find happiness, with varying results. Plantation owner Maxwell Fleury (James Mason) fears his wife is unfaithful to him, his sister (Joan Collins) falls for a young British nobleman but carries a dangerous secret, his sister-in-law (Joan Fontaine) falls for a political organizer (Harry Belafonte), and a store clerk (Dorothy Dandridge) has an affair with a British officer.
This movie deals with two inter-racial romances and was quite controversial in 1957. It tried to be daring and ground-breaking, but any semblance of inter-racial affection was censored out, resulting in a shallow, uninvolving melodrama. It moves too quickly from couple to couple in order to serve the large cast, and the result is that none of the plot lines is developed and all are fairly incoherent. Mason overacts but at least is interesting and Dandridge is beautiful, but Fontaine is totally miscast and Belafonte remains an enigma.
This is a noble effort that suffers from a poor script, terrible editing, and the worst fault that can befall a movie - it's boring. On the plus side, the Extras include a very good biography of Dorothy Dandrige.
Movie Review: DOROTHY DANDRIDGE IS THE REASON TO WATCH!
Summary: 3 Stars
Interracial romance is just one of the topics covered in "Island in the Sun", a Darryl Zanuck production,directed by Robert Rossen(The Hustler).Politics and political crime are also covered,especially those areas that touch the Fleury family of James Mason,in a so-so performance.The REAL star of this film is the utterly fantastic Dorothy Dandridge,who sizzles EVERY moment she is on screen!The rest of the cast Stephen Boyd,Joan Collins, and Michael Rennie is just average.The "other" interracial romance between John Fontaine and Harry Belafonte is a bore.Included in the DVD is at he original theatrical trailer,a fine documentary from A&E concerning Dorothy,and a poor commentary,on the film, by John Stanley,who is listed as a film historian.Movie Review: Island In The Sun
Summary: 3 Stars
This is a movie about relationships - interracial, parental, romantic - set in the beauty of the Caribbean. The visuals in this film are just spectacular. Harry Belafonte and Dorothy Dandridge are sparingly used; Dandridge's character is never really explored. I enjoyed watching this film although all of the relationships were not clearly developed. The story moved along at a good pace and the ending left me quite satisfied. I found it amusing that with all of the passion that Dandridge had for her paramour, they weren't allowed to kiss. Glad to have this in my collection.Movie Review: Interesting, but frustratingly slow-paced race-relations soap opera
Summary: 2 Stars
Set on a fictional West Indian island under British rule, Island in the Sun has all the elements to be a great 1950s soap opera: exotic locations, all-star cast, jealousy, angst-ridden male protagonists, racial tensions, sex, interracial desires, political intrigue, murder. What a great movie someone like Douglas Sirk (Written on the Wind, the 1959 Imitation of Life) would have made with the same cast, location and storylines!
Unfortunately, producer Zanuck and director Rossen spend more time showing off the West Indian locations than developing the characters and speeding the pace so that we can keep up with the different storylines. By the time you get back to some of the characters, youve lost interest or forgotten what happened the last time we saw them. Of the all-star cast, only James Mason (as the angst-ridden male) and Harry Belafonte (as the angry black man) get to have showy scenes and make an impression. Joan Fontaine (as a wealthy woman who falls for Belafonte) and Dorothy Dandridge (as a sassy West Indian who falls for a white man) are criminally wasted in this film. Even though their storylines got the most publicity (the interracial romances) when the film was released, all the two actresses are made to do is look good (which they do) in their costumes. Joan Collins is just okay as James Mason's sister and Diana Wynyard has one good scene as their mother.
Overall, the most interesting aspect of the movie, and the only reason worth watching it nowadays, is the 1950s Hollywood depiction of interracial romance, although there were so many compromises made that none of the two couples really seem to have much sexual chemistry or desire for each other.
The film's Cinemascope location shots look great on the DVD transfer and the DVD also features the Biography episode on Dorothy Dandridge. (I skipped the commentary track.)
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