Island in the Sun (1957)
When Harry Belafonte sings the title song during the opening credits, you think you’re in for a relaxing film about island life. The cast list might give you a little clue, though. Would Harry Belafonte, Dorothy Dandridge, James Mason, Joan Fontaine, Stephen Boyd, Joan Collins, and Michael Rennie all come together for a comedy? Island in the Sun is a heavy, melodramatic movie, reminding me of the types of films Otto Preminger directed.
Rife with racial tensions, the “island in the sun” is far from a paradise. James Mason has a strained marriage with Patricia Owens, who seems to have developed a fondness for Michael Rennie. Stephen Boyd, a politician’s young son, comes to the island on vacation, but he falls for James’s sister Joan Collins and considers staying permanently. Harry Belafonte is friends with Dorothy Dandridge, but neither one is accepted by white society, so as much as they become “friends” with Joan Fontaine and John Justin, respectively, they’re still involved in the great simmering social battle across the island.
Island in the Sun sounds really good, promising to be another Hurry Sundown or Pinky, but it becomes enormously predictable towards the end. There are many promising scenes that make you sigh by the time they reach their conclusions. Maybe if Hollywood waited ten years, the movie would have pushed more boundaries or felt a little racier, no pun intended. As it is, it feels a little watered down, as if the final version was severely censored.
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru. And thanks "Classic Movies Kristine Rose" for posting!
More James Mason movies here!
Rife with racial tensions, the “island in the sun” is far from a paradise. James Mason has a strained marriage with Patricia Owens, who seems to have developed a fondness for Michael Rennie. Stephen Boyd, a politician’s young son, comes to the island on vacation, but he falls for James’s sister Joan Collins and considers staying permanently. Harry Belafonte is friends with Dorothy Dandridge, but neither one is accepted by white society, so as much as they become “friends” with Joan Fontaine and John Justin, respectively, they’re still involved in the great simmering social battle across the island.
Island in the Sun sounds really good, promising to be another Hurry Sundown or Pinky, but it becomes enormously predictable towards the end. There are many promising scenes that make you sigh by the time they reach their conclusions. Maybe if Hollywood waited ten years, the movie would have pushed more boundaries or felt a little racier, no pun intended. As it is, it feels a little watered down, as if the final version was severely censored.
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru. And thanks "Classic Movies Kristine Rose" for posting!
More James Mason movies here!