Heiße Erde

"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 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 ****

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.

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.

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.