Because this movie was made at a time when there was still a Hays Code and that much of America was segregated, you won't get much passion out of the interracial teamings of either Dorothy Dandridge/John Justin (though there's some close embraces) nor Harry Belafonte/Joan Fontaine (he's too intense, she's too reserved). Also, the romance between Joan Collins and Stephan Boyd isn't much to write about either (though they do share a kiss). Anyway, this is mainly about James Mason's plantation character and his debates with Belafonte's labor leader character, his jealousy of his wife's (Patricia Owens) supposed affair with a counsel diplomat (Michael Rennie), and his and sister Collins' reaction to a family secret revealed from a reporter and confirmed by their parents (Diana Wynyard and Basil Sydney). Along the way, there's an officer (John Williams) cracking a murder case...With what I just mentioned, there should have been some fireworks but-other than some exciting close calls staged by director Robert Rossen-it's mostly dull with droning dialogue provided by Alfred Hayes as adapted from Alec Waugh's novel. Still, there are a couple of good songs written and performed by Belafonte and a nice dance by Dandridge and also a compelling confrontation between Mason and Belafonte at a speech rally. So on that note, Island in the Sun is at the least worth a look. P.S. The DVD has excellent commentary by historian John Stanley.
40 Reviews
I have never forgotten this movie!
inxs-120 January 2009
This came out when I was 9 and my cousin and I saw it at a theater 7 times! It was the first time I gave any attention to an adult movie! I have seen it a few times over the last many years and It still is provocative to me. When I was 9 I did not fully understand the interracial thing, and I was brought up to ignore color. What I remember was imagining what happened when the film faded out at the height of intense moments. What me imagine happening is far worse than anything they could ever show on film. that fact that it was shot in a beautiful location was not lost on my 9 year old mind and for years dreamed of living in a beautiful island paradise. The music ie: title song I learned every word! Unlike others who saw this 30 years later and through adult eyes with agendas of their own, I lived the editing, the acting and the photography. I sometimes think people expect to much out of a movie. It is after all, just entertainment! Watch this movie, without preconceived notions of script, editing, story etc, enjoy it!
Island in the Storm
JamesHitchcock19 July 2014
Warning: Spoilers
"Island in the Sun" was made in 1957, a date at which Britain still retained its colonial possessions in Africa and the West Indies, although it was clear that they were moving towards independence, following the example of India and Pakistan which had become independent in 1947. The film traces this process on the fictitious Caribbean island of Santa Marta. One of the main characters is David Boyeur, a rising young black trade union leader and politician whose radical views and popularity among the common people make him a threat to the island's traditional white ruling class.
Another main character, Maxwell Fleury, is a member of that class, or would be if he were wholly white rather than of mixed race. In the course of the action Maxwell, who has always believed himself to be white, learns that he also has black ancestry. At one time a Caribbean plantation owner's son would have been horrified by such a revelation, but Maxwell, who is trying to make a career in politics, welcomes it, believing that he will be able to use his black blood as an electoral asset. His younger sister Jocelyn, however, is troubled by the news, fearing that it will ruin her budding romance with Euan Templeton, the son and heir of the island's aristocratic Governor.
The film combines several interconnected plot lines. One deals with the political rivalry between David and Maxwell, another with the love of Euan and Jocelyn. Two, controversially for the fifties, deal with interracial romance. David is having an affair with Mavis Norman, the daughter of another elite white family, and Denis Archer, a young British official on the Governor's staff, has fallen in love with Margot, a local black girl. The romance between Denis and Margot ends happily, but David eventually sacrifices Mavis for the sake of his political career, breaking off the affair when he realises that marriage to a white woman, especially a woman from the island's ruling class, would prove an electoral liability and lose him votes from a predominantly black electorate.
The most important plot line concerns Maxwell's private life. His marriage is an unhappy one, and he is tormented by suspicions that his wife Sylvia is having an affair. He is probably mistaken, but his jealousy becomes an obsession, leading him to confront Hilary Carson, the man whom he believes to be his wife's lover, killing him in the course of their quarrel. Much of the film deals with the police investigation of the murder.
In one respect, that of age, James Mason was the wrong choice to play Maxwell. It is difficult to accept him as the brother of Joan Collins, in reality twenty-five years his junior, especially as we learn that Maxwell was not the oldest child. (He had an elder brother). It might have been better if the script had been rewritten to make Jocelyn Maxwell's niece rather than his sister. In every other respect, however, he was the right choice. Maxwell is a psychological mess. At the root of many of his problems is an inferiority complex arising from the fact that, as a boy, he was overshadowed by his brilliant older brother Arthur, and has been unable to emerge from that shadow even after Arthur's death in the war. His decision to run for office has less to do with any firm political beliefs (unlike his rival David, who has strong convictions) than with the boost to his ego that electoral success will bring him. His unfounded suspicions of Sylvia appear to derive from a lack of belief in his own manhood. Mason is excellent in portraying this complicated, troubled individual and gives a fine performance.
Another good performance comes from John Williams, an actor I had not previously come across, as Colonel Whittingham, the head of the island's police force. He knows that Maxwell was responsible for killing Carson, but has no evidence to prove it, so plays complex mind-games with Maxwell in a bid to get him to confess. Dorothy Dandridge is also good as Margot, although hers is a relatively small role. This was her first film since her success in "Carmen Jones", in which she played the lead, three years earlier. Hollywood's institutionalised racism seems to have prevented this beautiful and gifted actress from achieving her full potential.
Not all the acting is so good. Stephen Boyd, later to rise to fame as Charlton Heston's enemy Messala in "Ben-Hur", is particularly wooden as Euan. Harry Belafonte, who plays David, was perhaps more gifted as a singer than as an actor, and here gives an excellent rendition of the film's famous theme song. As an actor, however, he is not as good here as he was in "Carmen Jones", in which he also starred alongside Dandridge.
The film's title is partly literal and partly ironic. The islands of the Caribbean are often seen by outsiders as a carefree, sunny tropical paradise, and the colour photography, concentrating on the island's natural beauty, has something of the look of a tourist travelogue. To local people, however, the islands can often seem far from paradise. Their economy was, after all, originally based on slavery, and even after its abolition many class-based and race-based tensions and inequalities remained. Meteorologically, the Caribbean may be sunny; politically and socially it can be as stormy as anywhere else on earth.
It is therefore to the film's credit that it attempts to reflect some of these tensions in its storyline. Despite his shabby treatment of Mavis, the portrayal of David is generally a sympathetic one at a time when left-wing politicians were often depicted in the cinema as Communist rabble-rousers. "Island in the Sun" is interesting not only as a psychological drama but also for the picture it gives of life in a British colony in the years leading up to independence, a subject (India apart) not often treated in the mainstream cinema. 8/10
Another main character, Maxwell Fleury, is a member of that class, or would be if he were wholly white rather than of mixed race. In the course of the action Maxwell, who has always believed himself to be white, learns that he also has black ancestry. At one time a Caribbean plantation owner's son would have been horrified by such a revelation, but Maxwell, who is trying to make a career in politics, welcomes it, believing that he will be able to use his black blood as an electoral asset. His younger sister Jocelyn, however, is troubled by the news, fearing that it will ruin her budding romance with Euan Templeton, the son and heir of the island's aristocratic Governor.
The film combines several interconnected plot lines. One deals with the political rivalry between David and Maxwell, another with the love of Euan and Jocelyn. Two, controversially for the fifties, deal with interracial romance. David is having an affair with Mavis Norman, the daughter of another elite white family, and Denis Archer, a young British official on the Governor's staff, has fallen in love with Margot, a local black girl. The romance between Denis and Margot ends happily, but David eventually sacrifices Mavis for the sake of his political career, breaking off the affair when he realises that marriage to a white woman, especially a woman from the island's ruling class, would prove an electoral liability and lose him votes from a predominantly black electorate.
The most important plot line concerns Maxwell's private life. His marriage is an unhappy one, and he is tormented by suspicions that his wife Sylvia is having an affair. He is probably mistaken, but his jealousy becomes an obsession, leading him to confront Hilary Carson, the man whom he believes to be his wife's lover, killing him in the course of their quarrel. Much of the film deals with the police investigation of the murder.
In one respect, that of age, James Mason was the wrong choice to play Maxwell. It is difficult to accept him as the brother of Joan Collins, in reality twenty-five years his junior, especially as we learn that Maxwell was not the oldest child. (He had an elder brother). It might have been better if the script had been rewritten to make Jocelyn Maxwell's niece rather than his sister. In every other respect, however, he was the right choice. Maxwell is a psychological mess. At the root of many of his problems is an inferiority complex arising from the fact that, as a boy, he was overshadowed by his brilliant older brother Arthur, and has been unable to emerge from that shadow even after Arthur's death in the war. His decision to run for office has less to do with any firm political beliefs (unlike his rival David, who has strong convictions) than with the boost to his ego that electoral success will bring him. His unfounded suspicions of Sylvia appear to derive from a lack of belief in his own manhood. Mason is excellent in portraying this complicated, troubled individual and gives a fine performance.
Another good performance comes from John Williams, an actor I had not previously come across, as Colonel Whittingham, the head of the island's police force. He knows that Maxwell was responsible for killing Carson, but has no evidence to prove it, so plays complex mind-games with Maxwell in a bid to get him to confess. Dorothy Dandridge is also good as Margot, although hers is a relatively small role. This was her first film since her success in "Carmen Jones", in which she played the lead, three years earlier. Hollywood's institutionalised racism seems to have prevented this beautiful and gifted actress from achieving her full potential.
Not all the acting is so good. Stephen Boyd, later to rise to fame as Charlton Heston's enemy Messala in "Ben-Hur", is particularly wooden as Euan. Harry Belafonte, who plays David, was perhaps more gifted as a singer than as an actor, and here gives an excellent rendition of the film's famous theme song. As an actor, however, he is not as good here as he was in "Carmen Jones", in which he also starred alongside Dandridge.
The film's title is partly literal and partly ironic. The islands of the Caribbean are often seen by outsiders as a carefree, sunny tropical paradise, and the colour photography, concentrating on the island's natural beauty, has something of the look of a tourist travelogue. To local people, however, the islands can often seem far from paradise. Their economy was, after all, originally based on slavery, and even after its abolition many class-based and race-based tensions and inequalities remained. Meteorologically, the Caribbean may be sunny; politically and socially it can be as stormy as anywhere else on earth.
It is therefore to the film's credit that it attempts to reflect some of these tensions in its storyline. Despite his shabby treatment of Mavis, the portrayal of David is generally a sympathetic one at a time when left-wing politicians were often depicted in the cinema as Communist rabble-rousers. "Island in the Sun" is interesting not only as a psychological drama but also for the picture it gives of life in a British colony in the years leading up to independence, a subject (India apart) not often treated in the mainstream cinema. 8/10
It's Freddie Young's impressive Cinemascope photography of the tropical paradise that really dominates the film
Nazi_Fighter_David5 April 2007
Warning: Spoilers
At the center is Santa Marta, an imaginary small island in the British West Indies
Leading the story is David Boyeur (HarryBelafonte), a homegrown revolutionary, whose skin is his country
But the issue here is not just one of color
The issue here is who is really best fit to represent the people in the colorful island? Who knows them the best? Who feels for them the most? Who's really a part of them? On the other hand, one of the other important fights, for Boyeur, is against tradition as Santa Marta shackles with traditions
Sizzling around the edges is Mavis Norman (Joan Fontaine) who happens to be in love with this charismatic leader Mavis Norman feels that he is superior to most men
As a public figure, there is Maxwell Fleury (James Mason) who seeks the election to revenge himself upon the whites whom he now thinks despise him Fleury is ready to use the black people so that he can still rule in that world that he still belongs to
Delving into his personal life, we see him jealous of Hilary Carson (Michael Rennie), the gentlemanly English drifter Fleury envies him because he thinks that his wife (Patricia Owens) is attracted to him Blind by love, he thinks that his wife had fall in love with Carson who is better suited to her
There is also Euan Templeton (Stephen Boyd), the governor's son, who wants to be married before he goes back to England His fiancé, Jocelyn Fleury (Joan Collins), is the most difficult person to get a wedding ring on for some powerful reason Caught in a tangle of rumors, she comes out to her mother (Diana Wynyard) who placates her by revealing a secret of her own...
There's also the governor's aide Denis Archer (John Justin) who thinks that there's always a point at the beginning of a love affair where a man can draw back, where he's still safe His love interest Margot Seaton (Dorothy Dandridge) delivers some of the film's best moments
And let us not forget the police inspector John Williamsin a really outstanding performancewho easily identifies an unpremeditated murder Colonel Whittingham considers the murderer not strong enough to bear the burden of his guilt But to tell you more would be to reveal too much too soon
Robert Rossen manages a few winningly odd performances from Dorothy Dandridge, Harry Belafonte, and John Williams whose presence give the film some strong dramatic qualities
Sizzling around the edges is Mavis Norman (Joan Fontaine) who happens to be in love with this charismatic leader Mavis Norman feels that he is superior to most men
As a public figure, there is Maxwell Fleury (James Mason) who seeks the election to revenge himself upon the whites whom he now thinks despise him Fleury is ready to use the black people so that he can still rule in that world that he still belongs to
Delving into his personal life, we see him jealous of Hilary Carson (Michael Rennie), the gentlemanly English drifter Fleury envies him because he thinks that his wife (Patricia Owens) is attracted to him Blind by love, he thinks that his wife had fall in love with Carson who is better suited to her
There is also Euan Templeton (Stephen Boyd), the governor's son, who wants to be married before he goes back to England His fiancé, Jocelyn Fleury (Joan Collins), is the most difficult person to get a wedding ring on for some powerful reason Caught in a tangle of rumors, she comes out to her mother (Diana Wynyard) who placates her by revealing a secret of her own...
There's also the governor's aide Denis Archer (John Justin) who thinks that there's always a point at the beginning of a love affair where a man can draw back, where he's still safe His love interest Margot Seaton (Dorothy Dandridge) delivers some of the film's best moments
And let us not forget the police inspector John Williamsin a really outstanding performancewho easily identifies an unpremeditated murder Colonel Whittingham considers the murderer not strong enough to bear the burden of his guilt But to tell you more would be to reveal too much too soon
Robert Rossen manages a few winningly odd performances from Dorothy Dandridge, Harry Belafonte, and John Williams whose presence give the film some strong dramatic qualities
A soapy film about an island in the final days of colonialism
planktonrules20 February 2017
"Island in the Sun" was filmed in Barbados and Grenada, though it's about a fictional British colonial island...roughly like Barbados or Grenada! In many ways, it's a film about the racism inherent in colonialism and in other ways is a soap opera set on a tropical island. It also features something shocking for its time...and interracial romance between Joan Fontaine and Harry Belafonte...something which, sadly, caused a bit of a commotion when it debuted.
The movie is odd in that it seems to have many, many plots...too many for my taste. Much of it involves the Fleury family-- especially the incredibly strange character played by James Mason. But in addition to the Fleurys, there are many others--and the common thread to all of this is soapy romance. Many of the romances are interracial and the stories thrust seems to be that with the ending of colonialism comes the elimination of racial boundaries in love.
As I mentioned, I actually think the film has too many plots. I also thought Mason's character was enough for one film....so either the film should have been all about him OR they should have eliminated him completely. Regardless, it's a confusing sort of film--with many excellent moments but not nearly enough focus. Decent but the film could have been so, so much better...especially since so many things that are brought up in this film are important and deserve a better presentation.
The movie is odd in that it seems to have many, many plots...too many for my taste. Much of it involves the Fleury family-- especially the incredibly strange character played by James Mason. But in addition to the Fleurys, there are many others--and the common thread to all of this is soapy romance. Many of the romances are interracial and the stories thrust seems to be that with the ending of colonialism comes the elimination of racial boundaries in love.
As I mentioned, I actually think the film has too many plots. I also thought Mason's character was enough for one film....so either the film should have been all about him OR they should have eliminated him completely. Regardless, it's a confusing sort of film--with many excellent moments but not nearly enough focus. Decent but the film could have been so, so much better...especially since so many things that are brought up in this film are important and deserve a better presentation.
Beautiful but disappointing
Tashtago24 March 2008
Island in the Sun is credited by others as the first movie to star an interracial couple. It was made in 1957 the same year as Sayonara in which Marlon Brando, Red Buttons, and James Garner are all involved in interracial romances with Japanese women. Also there is a Barbara Stanwyck film from I believe the 1930's where she is involved with a Chinese man so this is not the first interracial romance. Generally I would agree with what others have said about this movie. A beautiful looking dud, filled with beautiful people. Unlike others however I would blame the director and editor, rather than the script for the problem. In countless number of occasions the film dissolves to a slow fade just as the action is reaching it's dramatic peak. As in James Mason's attempted suicide, his wife comes into the room sees the gun and ..... dissolve to next scene. Terrible. The cat and mouse , Crime and Punishment murder subplot gives the film some vigor but then peters out in a very predictable way. A great cast , and great scenery photographed by Freddie Young ( Lawrence of Arabia) all of it wasted.
Richly entertaining...
jeldridg271 March 2015
Very easy to imagine this happening throughout the world. The setting of the film (island) creates the microcosm that drives the conflicts of the plot, much like Casablanca. The theme of desire throughout the film helps this wonderful cast create characters you can enjoy and understand, their motives quite transparent. The scene with Harry Belafonte (David Boyeur) singing with the fishermen hauling in the nets stands out. John Williams, who is always brilliant in such roles, works his magic to provoke and entrap James Mason's Maxwell Fleury into confessing his murder. Dorothy Dandridge is lovely as Margot, and the subplot of her love affair keeps the hope for happy endings alive in the film. The cinematography helps to develop the exotic yet isolating setting, and the sets do well to set the tone of the lifestyle (luxurious) of the prominent characters who live under the mercy of desire in the human condition. The themes of this film transcend its setting, and I imagine this film to have been quite enlightening to those who viewed it in 1957. Really enjoyed this film, even in its length.
Worth sitting through the racial tensions to hear Harry Belafonte sing
moonspinner554 April 2002
The wealthy whites are the hissable ones once again, lording their money-driven power over the black Caribbean field workers in this timely but talky issue-film. The Barbados locations are just beautiful, and so is Harry Belafonte's buttery voice, crooning Jamaican songs at sunset (his acting isn't bad either, and his relationship with Joan Fontaine is surprisingly chummy--if not especially romantic). The love story sidebars are soapy but not dull, and they give the film what passion it has. The heated racial debates haven't dated, giving the film some relevance, but who needs them? (Certainly not the principal audience targeted for this windswept travelogue). What we really want to see is more of Belafonte. He was at a peak here, and since he didn't get to use his own singing voice in "Carmen Jones", this is a great chance to watch and hear him perform unfettered. **1/2 from ****
Succeeds on several different levels; a personal favorite
algrant0129 March 2005
While there are many other more "contemporary" films which examine race relations issues equally as competently if not more so - considering this one was produced back in 1957 it should be recognized as genuine breakthrough! Sure, you may have heard about some of its cop outs, but bear in mind that interracial relationships were political dynamite at the time - and yet some of the film's observations remain poignant even today. But the ultimate beauty of this film is that even if you could care less about the racial issues, it still excels as a mystery / "whodunit" with some intriguing plot twists, as a mini musical with Harry Belafonte performing at the top of his game, and even as a sort of Travel Channel feature-of-the-week, which might leave you booking reservations to your own tropical paradise. So tune out the naysayers for a moment and give this one a fair shot. It may not be technically perfect, but most will be entertained, one way or another.
A 50s gem
matushka173127 June 2010
OK, so it's not a masterpiece but when I saw it listed on Retroplex the other day, I couldn't wait to see it again. Oh, the drama, oh, the intertwined relationships. How fitting that this came out the same year as "Peyton Place", considered the mother of all soap operas. Yes, it had its sappy moments and its overacting; but what a pleasure to see it again. I see it's out on DVD in all its wide-screen glory...i may have to buy this one as a definite "guilty pleasure". An interesting aside is the pairing of Joan Collins and Stephen Boyd (before his outstanding performance as Messala in Ben-Hur) and the information that they were being considered for 1963's "Cleopatra"--she in Liz Taylor's role as Cleopatra, he in Richard Burton's role as Marc Anthony. Could've changed the whole of cinematic history...something to ponder.
New found black heritage
bkoganbing1 August 2015
Having never read the book I can't comment on it, but it seems that the political implications of Alec Waugh's novel was largely sacrificed for the romance. Island In The Sun is a big old romance novel set in a British crown colony just as the United Kingdom was getting shed of its colonial empire. The island at one time was a part of the French empire to explain the name of Fleury as one of the island's big plantation owners. Their romantic entanglements form the basis of the novel.
Basil Sydney and Diana Wynyard are the head of the Fleurys and they have two surviving children James Mason and Joan Collins. Mason is married to Patricia Owens and he suspects her of having an affair with a rather dissolute, but charming doctor Michael Rennie. Collins is kanoodling big time with Stephen Boyd the governor's son and would be peer. The governor's aide John Justin is having a fling with Dorothy Dandridge. But most shocking of all another plantation heiress Joan Fontaine is considering taking up with Harry Belafonte who sings a couple of Jamaican ballads which is always good.
That interracial kiss between Belafonte and Fontaine was daring and groundbreaking and no doubt Island In The Sun had zero bookings in the American South. How silly we were back then.
A story about the Fleury family reveals that Sydney's grandmother was black though I'm sure she could have passed. That sets in motion some radical reassessment of the family's status. They still have their money, but not entry into some of the best homes. Mason who has decided to stand for the local parliament with his opponent being Belafonte tries to exploit his new found black heritage with disastrous results. It ends in tragedy, but also in a strange twist happiness for one of the Fleurys as it is discovered the parents have their secrets.
Harry Belafonte and James Mason stand out in this film. Belafonte has some real screen charisma. As for Mason his is a complex role of a strange man with a brooding inferiority complex that was acting out even before the news of his great grandmother.
And of course the West Indies looks nice. I'm sure the original novel had more of the political situation of the time in it. Island In The Sun the movie drained most of that and we get a tropical soap opera instead.
Basil Sydney and Diana Wynyard are the head of the Fleurys and they have two surviving children James Mason and Joan Collins. Mason is married to Patricia Owens and he suspects her of having an affair with a rather dissolute, but charming doctor Michael Rennie. Collins is kanoodling big time with Stephen Boyd the governor's son and would be peer. The governor's aide John Justin is having a fling with Dorothy Dandridge. But most shocking of all another plantation heiress Joan Fontaine is considering taking up with Harry Belafonte who sings a couple of Jamaican ballads which is always good.
That interracial kiss between Belafonte and Fontaine was daring and groundbreaking and no doubt Island In The Sun had zero bookings in the American South. How silly we were back then.
A story about the Fleury family reveals that Sydney's grandmother was black though I'm sure she could have passed. That sets in motion some radical reassessment of the family's status. They still have their money, but not entry into some of the best homes. Mason who has decided to stand for the local parliament with his opponent being Belafonte tries to exploit his new found black heritage with disastrous results. It ends in tragedy, but also in a strange twist happiness for one of the Fleurys as it is discovered the parents have their secrets.
Harry Belafonte and James Mason stand out in this film. Belafonte has some real screen charisma. As for Mason his is a complex role of a strange man with a brooding inferiority complex that was acting out even before the news of his great grandmother.
And of course the West Indies looks nice. I'm sure the original novel had more of the political situation of the time in it. Island In The Sun the movie drained most of that and we get a tropical soap opera instead.
A Beautiful Look at Nature and the Nature of Romance in an Island Paradise
higherall711 February 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Once you get a gander of the beautiful scenery via Cinematographer Freddie Young and hear the sound of Harry Belafonte's voice, you will be willing to follow the narrative anywhere. This really does come across as a paradise on Earth, which makes it even harder to imagine that beneath the tropical lushness of the environs and the island social veneer seethes and rumbles the tension of racial and sexual unrest. It is hard to believe that once again in such an idyllic setting members of the white race are living high off the hog at the expense of an indigenous work force struggling to shrug off the yoke of exploitation and oppression. Malcolm Arnold and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra serve up the musical score with a light and rousing air, but it is Harry Belafonte who is manning the boat.
Harry Belafonte strides through the story with a youthful power and authority as he gives Joan Fontaine, his romantic interest and walkabout date, a guided tour through his culture and the places of his upbringing. It would have been interesting to see her return the favor as I believe that would have beefed up the narrative. But their relationship has a wholesomeness that comes across as high-minded despite their ethnic differences. Fontaine conveys her role with a mature beauty and dignity. Perhaps Grace Kelly would have brought more youth and heat to the role, but here the age differences between her and Belafonte are next to insignificant and we are really just comparing apples to oranges.
Belafonte is in great company here surrounded by a cast at their most glamorous. Dorthy Dandridge is at times a walking, talking, painting and Joan Collins gives Elizabeth Taylor a run for her money in acting talent and sex appeal. James Mason, Michael Rennie, and Stephen Boyd are suave and gentlemanly from their troubled perspectives, and Britisher John Williams has never presented a stiffer upper lip. John Justin comes across somewhat wooden and stiff as Dandridge's love interest, but then it really is hard to take your eyes off Dorothy anyway. Here producer Darryl F. Zanuck serves up a dish of old style Hollywood and the beauty factor is high.
While Belafonte plays the role of a black man romancing a white woman and Justin plays the role of a white man timorously involved with a bi-racial black woman, James Mason is fuming with a murderous jealousy over his own wife who is the same color as himself. I think it would have been good for the symmetry of the story to have a black man and woman struggle with the issue of jealousy as a parallel subplot to complete the exploration of relationships, but this isn't represented here.
Despite flaws in the narrative and the characterizations, Belafonte really does come across as a man rising up from the people and shouldering their aspirations. When he sings you can easily see why Joan Fontaine holds him in such high regard. Personally, I would have loved to see him singing while working on a banana or fishing boat. Just as it would have been great to see more looks of longing and passionate angst between all the romantic leads. But there is an air of reserve and social decorum pervading the entire film even down to Phyllis Dalton and David Ffolkes' costume design that, even while vitiating the heat and passion of island forbidden love, somehow gives gravitas to director Robert Rossen's tale of Paradise Found and Paradise Lost.
Harry Belafonte strides through the story with a youthful power and authority as he gives Joan Fontaine, his romantic interest and walkabout date, a guided tour through his culture and the places of his upbringing. It would have been interesting to see her return the favor as I believe that would have beefed up the narrative. But their relationship has a wholesomeness that comes across as high-minded despite their ethnic differences. Fontaine conveys her role with a mature beauty and dignity. Perhaps Grace Kelly would have brought more youth and heat to the role, but here the age differences between her and Belafonte are next to insignificant and we are really just comparing apples to oranges.
Belafonte is in great company here surrounded by a cast at their most glamorous. Dorthy Dandridge is at times a walking, talking, painting and Joan Collins gives Elizabeth Taylor a run for her money in acting talent and sex appeal. James Mason, Michael Rennie, and Stephen Boyd are suave and gentlemanly from their troubled perspectives, and Britisher John Williams has never presented a stiffer upper lip. John Justin comes across somewhat wooden and stiff as Dandridge's love interest, but then it really is hard to take your eyes off Dorothy anyway. Here producer Darryl F. Zanuck serves up a dish of old style Hollywood and the beauty factor is high.
While Belafonte plays the role of a black man romancing a white woman and Justin plays the role of a white man timorously involved with a bi-racial black woman, James Mason is fuming with a murderous jealousy over his own wife who is the same color as himself. I think it would have been good for the symmetry of the story to have a black man and woman struggle with the issue of jealousy as a parallel subplot to complete the exploration of relationships, but this isn't represented here.
Despite flaws in the narrative and the characterizations, Belafonte really does come across as a man rising up from the people and shouldering their aspirations. When he sings you can easily see why Joan Fontaine holds him in such high regard. Personally, I would have loved to see him singing while working on a banana or fishing boat. Just as it would have been great to see more looks of longing and passionate angst between all the romantic leads. But there is an air of reserve and social decorum pervading the entire film even down to Phyllis Dalton and David Ffolkes' costume design that, even while vitiating the heat and passion of island forbidden love, somehow gives gravitas to director Robert Rossen's tale of Paradise Found and Paradise Lost.
historical movie about racial tensions
xtralogn7 January 2006
Warning: Spoilers
I was prompted to comment because of the previous reviewer's comments about "the hissable whites" and that "what we really want from the movie is some windswept romance and more of Belafonte." I was in my preteens when this movie came out and I saw it in the segregated South. It was the talk of the town because it was the first movie that dared show an interracial couple. It was such a controversial topic, however, that while the movie makers showed daring in matching Harry Belafonte with Joan Fontaine, they allowed them to only hug and not actually kiss. That's why there was no "windswept romance".
Here it is nearly 50 years later and I just watched part of the movie Alexander with Colin Farrell and read some reviews on the movie. Several reviewers commented that while Alexander was shown often with his gay lover, the two were only allowed to hug and not to kiss. So intolerance persists--albeit with a different set of protagonists.
Back to Island in the Sun: It was a ground-breaking movie and worth viewing by those who are willing to judge it by the standards of the time and not today's standards. And yes, Harry Belafonte was and still is gorgeous.
Here it is nearly 50 years later and I just watched part of the movie Alexander with Colin Farrell and read some reviews on the movie. Several reviewers commented that while Alexander was shown often with his gay lover, the two were only allowed to hug and not to kiss. So intolerance persists--albeit with a different set of protagonists.
Back to Island in the Sun: It was a ground-breaking movie and worth viewing by those who are willing to judge it by the standards of the time and not today's standards. And yes, Harry Belafonte was and still is gorgeous.
Odd Man-and Woman-Out
sol-kay27 August 2009
Warning: Spoilers
***SPOILERS*** Never ending soap opera that takes place on the fictional Caribbean island of Santa Marta involving arrogant white plantation,of coffee beans and sugar cane, owner the insecure and high strung Maxwell Fleury, James Mason. Maxwell always felt that he was considered by his late father as a second stringer, in the Fleury clan, to his dead older brother, killed in WWII, the highly respected and looked up to Arthur.
Maxwell's insecurity starts to get the best of him when he suspects his wife Sylvia, Patricia Owens, of having a secret affair with roving British diplomat and adventure Hilary Carson, Michael Rennie, when he spotted him leaving the Fleury Mansion in a huff while leaving a clue to him being there behind: A half smoked Egyptian cigarette something that only Carson, and no one else on Santa Marta, smokes. Maxwell is also worried about black labor leader David Boyeur, Harry Belafonte, who's stirring up trouble at his plantation by demanding that the native workers get their fair share of the profits, in labor costs, as well respect from their white, Maxwell Fleury, overlord.
Meanwhile while this is all going on there's a number of mixed, between blacks and whites, love affairs spinning out of control notably with handsome British embassy worker Denis Archer, John Justin, and pretty half-breed island native Margot Seaton, Dorothy Dandridge, who works as a cashier at the local Santa Marta drug store. What makes things even worse is that Margot just happens to be labor leader Boyeur's girlfriend! And to complicate things even more Boyeur is starting to get it on with royally bread and lily white, she seems to glow in the dark, British socialite Mavis Norman, Joan Fontaine, who's just nuts about him while he's, in not trying to stray from his people and heritage, trying like hell not to fall in love with her! We of course can't overlook the hot and steamy affair going on between Maxwell's younger sister Jocelyn and war hero and British Aristocratic Euan Tempelton, Stephen Boyd, who's old man is a major maker and shaker back in Jolly Old England and a good friend of the Royal Family.
****SPOILER ALERT**** All this fooling, as well as horsing, around comes to a sudden and tragic end when the truth-through an exclusive newspaper article-comes out about Maxwell, as well as Jocelyn's, genetic backgrounds that involves their dad Julian's, Basil Sydney, real mother who's identity, or racial background, he had hidden all these years. This sets off a number of ugly events that leads Maxwell to go completely bananas as well as, in the case of poor Hilary Carson, homicidal. It also has Julian's wife, Diana Wynyard, reveal to her distraught daughter Jocelyn, in order to keep her upcoming marriage to Euan from being deep sixth-ed, that she isn't really her father's daughter! What a Relief!
Well anyway in the end everybody-in the cast-is happy the way the movie "Island in the Sun" turned out with both love, in the case of Euan Denis and their girlfriends Jocelyn & Margot, winning out over ignorance and prejudice. In the case of the by now ready for the funny farm Maxwell Fleury he finally saw the light in what he did, to the drunk on his feet Hilary Carson, and gladly accepted the consequences. As for David & Mavis they went their separate ways knowing full well that fate would not be kind to them if they didn't.
Maxwell's insecurity starts to get the best of him when he suspects his wife Sylvia, Patricia Owens, of having a secret affair with roving British diplomat and adventure Hilary Carson, Michael Rennie, when he spotted him leaving the Fleury Mansion in a huff while leaving a clue to him being there behind: A half smoked Egyptian cigarette something that only Carson, and no one else on Santa Marta, smokes. Maxwell is also worried about black labor leader David Boyeur, Harry Belafonte, who's stirring up trouble at his plantation by demanding that the native workers get their fair share of the profits, in labor costs, as well respect from their white, Maxwell Fleury, overlord.
Meanwhile while this is all going on there's a number of mixed, between blacks and whites, love affairs spinning out of control notably with handsome British embassy worker Denis Archer, John Justin, and pretty half-breed island native Margot Seaton, Dorothy Dandridge, who works as a cashier at the local Santa Marta drug store. What makes things even worse is that Margot just happens to be labor leader Boyeur's girlfriend! And to complicate things even more Boyeur is starting to get it on with royally bread and lily white, she seems to glow in the dark, British socialite Mavis Norman, Joan Fontaine, who's just nuts about him while he's, in not trying to stray from his people and heritage, trying like hell not to fall in love with her! We of course can't overlook the hot and steamy affair going on between Maxwell's younger sister Jocelyn and war hero and British Aristocratic Euan Tempelton, Stephen Boyd, who's old man is a major maker and shaker back in Jolly Old England and a good friend of the Royal Family.
****SPOILER ALERT**** All this fooling, as well as horsing, around comes to a sudden and tragic end when the truth-through an exclusive newspaper article-comes out about Maxwell, as well as Jocelyn's, genetic backgrounds that involves their dad Julian's, Basil Sydney, real mother who's identity, or racial background, he had hidden all these years. This sets off a number of ugly events that leads Maxwell to go completely bananas as well as, in the case of poor Hilary Carson, homicidal. It also has Julian's wife, Diana Wynyard, reveal to her distraught daughter Jocelyn, in order to keep her upcoming marriage to Euan from being deep sixth-ed, that she isn't really her father's daughter! What a Relief!
Well anyway in the end everybody-in the cast-is happy the way the movie "Island in the Sun" turned out with both love, in the case of Euan Denis and their girlfriends Jocelyn & Margot, winning out over ignorance and prejudice. In the case of the by now ready for the funny farm Maxwell Fleury he finally saw the light in what he did, to the drunk on his feet Hilary Carson, and gladly accepted the consequences. As for David & Mavis they went their separate ways knowing full well that fate would not be kind to them if they didn't.
Strong cast, weak story, vague look at race relations in Caribbean...
Doylenf27 September 2006
Alec Waugh's novel dealt with murder, incest, racism and other assorted social problems including politics--and one would think that the film made from his best-selling novel would have to be something really important and vastly entertaining. Sorry--not so. The script is a major dud requiring a viewer to sit through two hours of boredom relieved only by a chance to gape at some nice scenery.
The actors have all done better work elsewhere--and that includes JAMES MASON, HARRY BELAFONTE, JOAN FONTAINE, JOAN COLLINS, STEPHEN BOYD, PATRICIA OWEN and DOROTHY DANDRIDGE. At the time of release it may have stirred up some controversy because of the racial theme but none of the love interest is graphic enough to quicken anyone's pulse, then or now.
The Fontaine/Belafonte match suffers from poor writing and she looks vaguely uncomfortable in her role most of the time. It all comes off as cheap soap opera material, cleansed of any serious look or discussion of racial problems among the upper and middle class set depicted in the film.
But what matters most of all is that the film is a boring mess, long and very undistinguished despite its stellar cast.
The actors have all done better work elsewhere--and that includes JAMES MASON, HARRY BELAFONTE, JOAN FONTAINE, JOAN COLLINS, STEPHEN BOYD, PATRICIA OWEN and DOROTHY DANDRIDGE. At the time of release it may have stirred up some controversy because of the racial theme but none of the love interest is graphic enough to quicken anyone's pulse, then or now.
The Fontaine/Belafonte match suffers from poor writing and she looks vaguely uncomfortable in her role most of the time. It all comes off as cheap soap opera material, cleansed of any serious look or discussion of racial problems among the upper and middle class set depicted in the film.
But what matters most of all is that the film is a boring mess, long and very undistinguished despite its stellar cast.
1950s tale of interracial relationships and racial tensions on a British Caribbean island.
oneflighthoop30 April 2005
This was a very unique movie for Hollywood in the 1950s because it explored interracial relationships from both a political as well as romantic perspective. No doubt, it made audiences extremely uncomfortable.
The cast is very strong (with Dorothy Dandridge, Joan Fontaine, John Williams and James Mason--who never disappoints,) and the storyline both intriguing and unpredictable. Harry Belafonte portrays a proud, outspoken labor leader who fights racial injustice on a British Caribbean island, but this is only a secondary plot line. The "forbidden fruit" of interracial relationships is explored from several different perspectives giving this movie an important place in the history of American Cinema. Although racism and class-ism are common elements, the characters are empathetically portrayed. This movie was released in Jim Crow America and, younger viewers may not fully appreciate its' unique portrayal of Blacks in non-subservient roles. Blacks were typically cast as inarticulate maids and butlers, but Dorothy Dandridge (nominated as Best Actress for Carmen Jones in 1954) and Harry Belafonte (a top ten pop singer) were particularly stunning and sophisticated, an anomaly for Black actors in films roles at the time. Nevertheless, Belafonte's acting is often stilted, revealing that this was an early role while Dandridge's character lacks depth--though her acting superb, given that she has been given so little with which to work.
An important side note is that Harry Belafonte was a top-selling West Indian Calyso singer (Day-0-The Banana Boat Song) at the time that this movie was released and performed the title song. In addition to making a strong political statement about the need for racial justice--via his character in this film--he also was a high-profile figure within the Civil Rights Movement, marching with the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King.
The cast is very strong (with Dorothy Dandridge, Joan Fontaine, John Williams and James Mason--who never disappoints,) and the storyline both intriguing and unpredictable. Harry Belafonte portrays a proud, outspoken labor leader who fights racial injustice on a British Caribbean island, but this is only a secondary plot line. The "forbidden fruit" of interracial relationships is explored from several different perspectives giving this movie an important place in the history of American Cinema. Although racism and class-ism are common elements, the characters are empathetically portrayed. This movie was released in Jim Crow America and, younger viewers may not fully appreciate its' unique portrayal of Blacks in non-subservient roles. Blacks were typically cast as inarticulate maids and butlers, but Dorothy Dandridge (nominated as Best Actress for Carmen Jones in 1954) and Harry Belafonte (a top ten pop singer) were particularly stunning and sophisticated, an anomaly for Black actors in films roles at the time. Nevertheless, Belafonte's acting is often stilted, revealing that this was an early role while Dandridge's character lacks depth--though her acting superb, given that she has been given so little with which to work.
An important side note is that Harry Belafonte was a top-selling West Indian Calyso singer (Day-0-The Banana Boat Song) at the time that this movie was released and performed the title song. In addition to making a strong political statement about the need for racial justice--via his character in this film--he also was a high-profile figure within the Civil Rights Movement, marching with the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King.
Good movie!
DottiezBiggestFan7 September 2006
Warning: Spoilers
I actually liked this movie. It doesn't seem to get as much credit as it should, seeing that it is the first movie to ever star an interracial couple (between the beautiful Dorothy Dandridge and the cute John Justin. Also, would've been between much older, but good actress Joan Fontaine and handsome Harry Belafonte). The scenery is beautiful and the plot is very good, but I think it's the storyline and script that make it so bad. It really doesn't count for a romance seeing that Ms. Dandridge and Mr. Justin were hardly aloud to touch each other and another character got pregnant out of wedlock, who was white. But this if you want a great movie with a beautiful tropical set (filmed on location in the Caribbean), interracial romance, suspense, mystery, a little singing, race relations, and politics, I suggest this movie.
Intruiging, but not well developed
BLG-29 February 2001
Hollywood was clearly not ready for this type of drama, which is full of compromise. Screen lovers Dorothy Dandridge and John Justin are clearly not allowed to kiss. Ditto for Joan Fontaine and Harry Belafonte (incidentally, Fontaine's comment about the two of them being children together should have been left out; she looks good, but it's still obvious that she's a good ten years older than he.)
Of Historical Interest
harry-7622 February 1999
The main reason and pleasure of reviewing this film today, is to enjoy the very good cast in a beautiful setting. Here are some stars in their physical prime: James Mason, Harry Belafonte, Joan Fontaine, Joan Collins, Stephen Boyd, and last but certainly not least, the gorgeous Dorothy Dandridge. All in a lovely tropical setting. Ignore the script (which is admittedly a dud) and just enjoy the beautiful scenery.
Island in the Sun is Far From Paradise **
edwagreen15 March 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Disappointing film dealing with life in the Caribbean.
The film might have fared better if it had been a musical.
The movie marked the re-teaming of Harry Belafonte and the late Dorothy Dandridge from "Carmen Jones" fame 3 years before. Belafonte sings well at the beginning before this film evolves into too many plots, pregnancy, murder, racial tension, politics, etc. The subject matter is totally uneven and the film suffers as a result. Dandridge was never weaker before in any of her brief film career. She evokes little to no emotion and the luster of Carmen, 3 years before, is totally gone.
There is entirely too much going on here. James Mason is caught up in a killing, running for political office, and facing the reality that he is partially black. Belafonte loves Joan Fontaine, of all people, but by the end can't marry her due to racial-political considerations on the island. Joan Collins loves Stephen Boyd, he is given so little to do here, but he will be in The House of Lords, so how can she marry him if their children might be black. (Collins and Mason are brother and sister in this Peyton Place circus-atmosphere.)
To complicate matters still further, old timer Diana Wynyard, an Oscar nominee for 1933's "Cavalcade," appears in the film as the mother of Collins and Mason. She is effective in the part but the plot twists again when it is revealed that she had Collins from another man.
Robert Rossen who directed this mess, did so much better years before with his winning "All the King's Men." That 1949 Oscar winner for best picture stuck with basically one theme. This one is all over the mull berry bush.
The film might have fared better if it had been a musical.
The movie marked the re-teaming of Harry Belafonte and the late Dorothy Dandridge from "Carmen Jones" fame 3 years before. Belafonte sings well at the beginning before this film evolves into too many plots, pregnancy, murder, racial tension, politics, etc. The subject matter is totally uneven and the film suffers as a result. Dandridge was never weaker before in any of her brief film career. She evokes little to no emotion and the luster of Carmen, 3 years before, is totally gone.
There is entirely too much going on here. James Mason is caught up in a killing, running for political office, and facing the reality that he is partially black. Belafonte loves Joan Fontaine, of all people, but by the end can't marry her due to racial-political considerations on the island. Joan Collins loves Stephen Boyd, he is given so little to do here, but he will be in The House of Lords, so how can she marry him if their children might be black. (Collins and Mason are brother and sister in this Peyton Place circus-atmosphere.)
To complicate matters still further, old timer Diana Wynyard, an Oscar nominee for 1933's "Cavalcade," appears in the film as the mother of Collins and Mason. She is effective in the part but the plot twists again when it is revealed that she had Collins from another man.
Robert Rossen who directed this mess, did so much better years before with his winning "All the King's Men." That 1949 Oscar winner for best picture stuck with basically one theme. This one is all over the mull berry bush.
island in the sun
mossgrymk18 October 2020
Like directorRobert Rossen's later work, "Lilith", this film is at first dismissed as a total mess but then you start to re-evaluate it and by the time you're done you've elevated it into the somewhat loftier realm of interesting failure. To begin with the obvious flaws: 1) It was made 15 years too soon. If it had appeared around 1973, when there were beginning to be numerous sources of independent film financing, then it would not have had to worry, as Darryl Zanuck did at Fox, about distribution in the American South and you wouldn't have had those embarrassingly tepid "love scenes" between Joan Fontaine and Harry Belafonte and the slightly steamier Dorothy Dandridge/John Justin. 2) Alfred Hayes' script is too damn long and has too many needless subplots. The one between Joan Collins and Stephen Boyd, two of Hollywood's less compelling actors, is especially enervating. 3) Rossen shamefully neglects what could have been a fascinating study in Carribean political intrigue. The one scene of electoral drama is the rally at the docks with dueling speeches by James Mason and Belafonte. Its power is an indication that there should have been more such stuff, especially from the director of "All The Kings Men." Now the interesting aspects: 1) Wonderful studies of decadence, poignance, and excessive pride from Mason, Joan Fontaine and Belafonte. Indeed, it is not a stretch to say that these first two have rarely been better and the third, never. 2) Wonderful, lush cinematography from Freddy Young that ironically contrasts with and thus visually comments on the internal rot of many of the characters. 3) Two great Belafonte songs, even though the second is awkwardly stuck into the middle of what should be an intense scene with him and Fontaine.
Bottom line: Flawed but it stays with you. Give it a B minus.
Bottom line: Flawed but it stays with you. Give it a B minus.
Worth a look...hypocrisy and discrimination....
MarieGabrielle6 April 2009
This film, having been made in 1957 has a very intriguing and slanted portrayal of a wealthy plantation owner (well-portrayed by James Mason) and a few over-privileged white women (Joan Fontaine, Joan Collins and her vapid mother, who owns a large estate).
Harry Belafonte is wonderful as the West Indies native of this fictional island. He (ostensibly) is pursued by Fontaine, but rejects her world. Why is her American world supposed to be considered so ideal?. Well, this was written in 1957.
Having lived in South Florida, and traveled, in this day and age a story regarding poverty wages and slave labor would be much starker and realistic. Sugar cane plantations still exist to this day, in Belle Glade, and the Everglades area. A story we rarely hear about, unfortunately.
This film is worth watching for the hypocrisy of the time, as a curiosity piece. I also consider the Lana Turner film ("Imitation of Life")to fall into the category of denial and repression of human rights, which still exist in America to this day. 8/10.
Harry Belafonte is wonderful as the West Indies native of this fictional island. He (ostensibly) is pursued by Fontaine, but rejects her world. Why is her American world supposed to be considered so ideal?. Well, this was written in 1957.
Having lived in South Florida, and traveled, in this day and age a story regarding poverty wages and slave labor would be much starker and realistic. Sugar cane plantations still exist to this day, in Belle Glade, and the Everglades area. A story we rarely hear about, unfortunately.
This film is worth watching for the hypocrisy of the time, as a curiosity piece. I also consider the Lana Turner film ("Imitation of Life")to fall into the category of denial and repression of human rights, which still exist in America to this day. 8/10.
Slow, melodramatic and hasn't aged well
grantss4 April 2021
On the Caribbean island of Santa Marta change is in the air. A British Crown Colony there are moves afoot to gain independence. This is leading to racial tensions among the inhabitants. At the centre of the storm is the Fleury family, a wealthy landowning family, and in particular Maxwell Fleury, a man out of step with the times.
Apparently this film was quite revolutionary for its time, examining racism and interracial relationships. It may well have been one of the first films to feature an interracial relationship.
However, examined with a 2021 lens it seems pretty tame. More than that, some things are quite unrelatable, e.g. The whole keeping-up-appearance aspect, white folks getting freaked out because their ancestry might have some non-white blood in it. I'm sure these were relevant issues for 1957, but in 2021 it does not feature.
Even without the racial themes there was potential to make a movie that still had relevance in all eras. Sadly, this is all squandered on empty soap opera-like melodrama. The murder had the most potential to make this film interesting and while that had its moments, it was also a bit of a damp squib. This said, the interplay between Colonel Whittingham, the Chief of Police, and Maxwell Fleury was the highlight of the movie.
Apparently this film was quite revolutionary for its time, examining racism and interracial relationships. It may well have been one of the first films to feature an interracial relationship.
However, examined with a 2021 lens it seems pretty tame. More than that, some things are quite unrelatable, e.g. The whole keeping-up-appearance aspect, white folks getting freaked out because their ancestry might have some non-white blood in it. I'm sure these were relevant issues for 1957, but in 2021 it does not feature.
Even without the racial themes there was potential to make a movie that still had relevance in all eras. Sadly, this is all squandered on empty soap opera-like melodrama. The murder had the most potential to make this film interesting and while that had its moments, it was also a bit of a damp squib. This said, the interplay between Colonel Whittingham, the Chief of Police, and Maxwell Fleury was the highlight of the movie.
A matter of black or white
tomsview13 October 2016
I first saw this at the cinema in 1957. I was young and probably didn't fully appreciate the issues the film dealt with, but over the years I realised that it was an important film that had something to say about race relations.
With Barbados standing in for the fictional Santa Marta in the West Indies, the plot centres on the Fleury family - Maxwell Fleury (James Mason) and his sister Jocelyn (Joan Collins). Other characters and relationships weave through the story including the ones between David Boyeur (Harry Belafonte) and Mavis Norman (Joan Fontaine) - black boy, white girl - and Denis Archer (John Justin) and Margot Seaton (Dorothy Dandridge) - white boy, black girl.
The crux of the story is the inequality between the white establishment and the native population descended from African slaves or of mixed race - 'the colour problem'. But times are changing and the native population is gaining political power.
Maxwell Fleury, who represents the white patrician families of the island, becomes paranoid over just about everything, especially when he learns that a mixed-race grandmother crept into his family tree.
The film features four actors with great presence: Harry Belafonte, James Mason, Michael Rennie and Steven Boyd, and four actresses so striking it's almost overload: Joan Fontaine, Patricia Owens, Joan Collins and Dorothy Dandridge.
The film was a daring decision by Daryl Zanuck at the time. It dealt with race issues that were boiling to the surface in the 1950's and would boil over in the 1960's and regularly thereafter. Director Robert Rossen tackled the issues head on - the last conversation between David Boyeur and Mavis Norman expressed uncomfortable truths.
However, this good-looking movie with its good-looking cast also had to work as entertainment, and it does from the opening frame as Harry Belafonte sings the brilliant title song, which he also co-wrote.
The song gave composer Malcolm Arnold something to build the score of the film around. Although Arnold was a fine composer for the concert hall, much of his film work sounded the same. Belafonte 's title song and "Lead Man Holler", which he sang later, lifted Arnold's score from his usual by-the-numbers approach.
Other films at the time were also focussing on the race issue, but this one went closest to the bedroom. Although the interaction between the sets of interracial lovers stopped short of a passionate kiss, "Island in the Sun" otherwise didn't hold back on what it had to say.
With Barbados standing in for the fictional Santa Marta in the West Indies, the plot centres on the Fleury family - Maxwell Fleury (James Mason) and his sister Jocelyn (Joan Collins). Other characters and relationships weave through the story including the ones between David Boyeur (Harry Belafonte) and Mavis Norman (Joan Fontaine) - black boy, white girl - and Denis Archer (John Justin) and Margot Seaton (Dorothy Dandridge) - white boy, black girl.
The crux of the story is the inequality between the white establishment and the native population descended from African slaves or of mixed race - 'the colour problem'. But times are changing and the native population is gaining political power.
Maxwell Fleury, who represents the white patrician families of the island, becomes paranoid over just about everything, especially when he learns that a mixed-race grandmother crept into his family tree.
The film features four actors with great presence: Harry Belafonte, James Mason, Michael Rennie and Steven Boyd, and four actresses so striking it's almost overload: Joan Fontaine, Patricia Owens, Joan Collins and Dorothy Dandridge.
The film was a daring decision by Daryl Zanuck at the time. It dealt with race issues that were boiling to the surface in the 1950's and would boil over in the 1960's and regularly thereafter. Director Robert Rossen tackled the issues head on - the last conversation between David Boyeur and Mavis Norman expressed uncomfortable truths.
However, this good-looking movie with its good-looking cast also had to work as entertainment, and it does from the opening frame as Harry Belafonte sings the brilliant title song, which he also co-wrote.
The song gave composer Malcolm Arnold something to build the score of the film around. Although Arnold was a fine composer for the concert hall, much of his film work sounded the same. Belafonte 's title song and "Lead Man Holler", which he sang later, lifted Arnold's score from his usual by-the-numbers approach.
Other films at the time were also focussing on the race issue, but this one went closest to the bedroom. Although the interaction between the sets of interracial lovers stopped short of a passionate kiss, "Island in the Sun" otherwise didn't hold back on what it had to say.
The tropical paradise dominates the film
Mandreu5 October 1998
Warning: Spoilers
Zanuck chose a spicy story of inter-racial love on a West Indian island. The head ( James Mason) of a ruling family murders a gentlemanly English drifter ( Michael Rennie) who, he believes, is having an affair with his wife ( Patricia Owens). He is thereafter doggedly pursued by a police inspector ( John Williams ) until the suspect gives in. In the meantime, his sister-in-law almost has an affair with a handsome leader ( Harry Belafonte ) of a black community, who finally decides it wouldn't be good for his political future , while the governor's aide-camp ( John Justin ) resigns his commission and marries the black girl ( Dorothy Dandridge ) he loves.
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