This cheapie from Sam Katzman has the dubious distinction of taking an exotic locale and turning it into a very dull action picture where the only real action takes place at the end. Dennis O'Keefe is the hero who aids the Tahitian people in their fight with France over losing their independence through joining forces with Great Britain and the aide of the unseen Queen Victoria. There is a Tahitian queen (the elderly and adorable Frances Brandt) who doesn't oppose being a protectorate, but wants to maintain their own government. Francis L. Sullivan plays the French commissioner who could have been an interesting villain, but is more like the old kindly matchmaker that George Arliss played in all those biographical films back in the 1930's.
A romance between O'Keefe and Tahitian native Patricia Medina serves no purpose, and there's also a brief appearance by O'Keefe's British actress lover (Cicely Browne) that adds no further conflict. The only real excitement comes when a tornado stirs up the seas to hurricane proportions, and in 3-D, that must have looked incredible. But other than the colorful photography, the phony backdrops are obvious, and this ends up being a dull programmer that Universal was better known for in the 40's. The middle half of the film, set in England, takes away any of the exotic adventure set-up, and slows the film down to a giant snail's pace.
A romance between O'Keefe and Tahitian native Patricia Medina serves no purpose, and there's also a brief appearance by O'Keefe's British actress lover (Cicely Browne) that adds no further conflict. The only real excitement comes when a tornado stirs up the seas to hurricane proportions, and in 3-D, that must have looked incredible. But other than the colorful photography, the phony backdrops are obvious, and this ends up being a dull programmer that Universal was better known for in the 40's. The middle half of the film, set in England, takes away any of the exotic adventure set-up, and slows the film down to a giant snail's pace.