One can just about tell from its title that Pearl of the South Pacific is not going to be a movie that has "Best Picture Oscar" written all over it. Indeed, Pearl is a pretty dumb little picture, and if one approaches it with that in mind, it can provide a decent amount of entertainment. The entertainment, of course, doesn't come from great acting, impressive direction or an imaginative screenplay. It comes from sitting back and pretending one is a twelve-year-old boy who is willing to sit through a lot of boring sections for "the good stuff:" the voluptuous Virginia Mayo, some neat underwater shots, a cool jungle set, and, best of all, a giant octopus. But approached as a film that is intended to be taken at all seriously, Pearl falls far short. None of the leads turn in a good performance, but how could they with this story and the inane, stilted dialogue they're forced to spout? Allan Dwan's direction is strictly by the book; one can practically imagine him shouting "cut" when achieving a half-decent shot so that he could hurry on to the next set-up and get this baby out of the way. Viewing it, one might feel the same way oneself, unless one sets one's sights at the appropriate low expectation level.
Pearl of the South Pacific (1955)
Directed by Allan Dwan
Genres - Action, Adventure |
Sub-Genres - Adventure Drama |
Release Date - Sep 16, 1955 (USA - Unknown), Sep 16, 1955 (USA) |
Run Time - 86 min. |
Countries - United States |
MPAA Rating - NR
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