(1951)
2.5
Craig Butler
By 1951, there was no reason to remake Bird of Paradise, a dated property that was incredibly cliché-ridden. Yet Paradise returned nonetheless, written, produced, and helmed by Delmer Daves, who clearly must have been fascinated by something in the material. Perhaps it's merely the doomed star-crossed lovers theme, combined with an appealingly exotic location, that drew him inexorably to Paradise. Whatever it was, the result is lovely to look at but a dramatic mess. Modern viewers who stumble upon Paradise may wonder where it's ultimately going, unable to believe that in 1951, a studio could still turn out a film in which an island princess sacrifices herself to a volcano to appease gods angry at her for consorting with a white man -- but that, unfortunately, is exactly what they did do. The screenplay is littered with unintentional laughs, especially when the dreadfully miscast Maurice Schwartz is holding forth as The Kahuna. The rest of the actors are at least somewhat better cast, and Louis Jourdan, Debra Paget, and Jeff Chandler are all easy on the eyes. Chandler is all wooden in his acting; Jourdan and Paget are not a great deal better, but they do have a certain amount of chemistry. What does make Paradise worth a viewing is the glowing Winton Hoch lensing, especially when it takes in some breathtaking location shots of Hawaii. Even when studio-bound, though, Hoch's work is beautiful, creating an exotic, tempting atmosphere that helps to cover up some of the film's flaws. Those who are willing to tune out the dialogue and concentrate on the visuals may find Paradise a fairly diverting, if incredibly silly, way to waste a couple of hours.
Bird of Paradise on AllMovie
Bird of Paradise (1951)
