Raw Wind in Eden

This is one of the mostly male oriented "moody" adventure films that were so popular in the 1950's.. it has excellent casting in Jeff Chandler and Esther Williams, some say TOO good ... that this film was beneath their skill level and was nothing more than a simple showcase for them. However, I like the story (it HAS one) and the setting.. the location is as much a star as the actors ... It is well done. It is a basic story about basic, not perfect, people and this is the strength of the film.

This is a meandering, rather oddball film which hopefully gave its stars a nice vacation in Italy (at a time when production was booming there), but did nothing for their careers. Esther plays a successful model working in Rome, but involved with a wealthy American tycoon back home. He sends word to her via his sleazy European partner and friend Carlos Thompson that his wife will not give him a divorce to marry her. Dejected Esther immediately agrees to go with Thompson on a yachting party thrown by another millionaire off Majorca. Thompson, however, crashes his private plane carrying them in a storm onto a tiny island near Sardinia.

This island is populated only by Eduardo de Filippo, his nubile and soon-to-be of age daughter Rosanna Podesta, and Jeff Chandler, a mysterious beachcomber who is betrothed to Podesta and helps out de Filippo. Rik Battaglia plays a date farmer from the mainland who is Chandler's rival for Podesta's affections. The rest of the film, which keeps a fairly light tone while throwing in bits of melodrama and a badly done attempt at action at the end, involves Williams' and Thompson's efforts to get off of the island while unraveling the mystery of who Chandler is and what he is doing there.

The only real interest the film has is the pretty Mediterranean scenery and the only teaming of Williams and Chandler, who were engaged for a time. Williams later did her best to posthumously trash Chandler's reputation in her autobiography by describing him as a cross-dresser! Not a very gallant thing for her to do, but whether or not it was true at least it might have livened things up a bit if Jeff had modeled some of Esther's frocks in this pointless exercise.

I really enjoyed this movie, A moral piece, with delectable Esther Williams, smoking Jeff, The classy rich good looking educated spoiled rich boy, A Drop out in life to find out his truth. Exploding into his world of escape all that he had ran from to the ends of the earth "The beautiful born poor model about to hook an easy life" The dilemma that befalls both he and she, go with your heart, flow with your passion. Follow the buck. This might have been a B movie; it might had been made on a shoestring budget. I found that on sight poverty wild style of living only enhanced the story line, It branded me "this" movie into my mind for all time. I saw it the first time over thirty years ago, and I still remember it with a smile. A very good movie, only for the steak movie consumer of moral/lust/love/ with a seasoning of ironic twist at the end. I really loved it can't you tell!!!!!

Made in Italy, and financed on the cheap by Universal, "Raw Wind in Eden" isn't a particularly good-looking movie, but there are some compensations for its tatty look. Esther Williams plays a surly fashion model working in Rome who flies off on a date with a handsome millionaire; forced down on a small island near Sardinia--inhabited by a gypsy girl, her father, and a reclusive American--the couple renovate a boat in hopes of being rescued. Tedious romantic adventure, albeit one with a jaunty pace, has enough tart lines in the script to hold interest in the characters. Performances from both Williams (who gets to swim) and Jeff Chandler aren't too bad, though the filmmakers have no idea how to end this saga, and the hectic last reel is a squashy mess. Still, you have to give Esther credit: even while stranded in the sticks, she manages several changes in her hairstyle and goes through a myriad of colorful outfits. *1/2 from ****

Director Richard Wilson creates a super heated atmosphere of desire in this erotic story set in an exotic locale. Esther Williams reveals a different side to herself as she sets the screen afire in this film. She is all woman and smolders with a sensuality seldom captured in cinema. Jeff Chandler is excellent playing opposite her volcanic beauty. Williams not only proves herself as an actor of consequence, she seems to actually become the good time girl looking for passion and all she can get of it. It is a memorable performance and one that no one will forget who witnesses it explode like a fire ball before their eyes.