Quattro donne aspettano

War starts, the New Zealand men go off to fight, and four sisters are left to cope with that- and the arrival of the American fleet! It sounds like a recipe for the most hackneyed sort of wartime romance weepie, but this film is certainly not that.

First, this is an ensemble movie, where no one 'star' dominates. From Paul Newman (probably the best-remembered name now) on, we are given a whole clutch of accomplished and finely nuanced performances.

The cinematography is superbly judged: this is one of those lovingly observed pictures where a shot of 'two people talking' is rarely just that; the backgrounds and choice of shots are a delight. This must be viewed in the original format, not 'scanned'!

The script is intelligent and daring. Sexual topics such as promiscuity and having children outside marriage are dealt with in a surprisingly straightforward and sophisticated manner for a 1950s movie. And, it must be said, they are dealt with in a human and sympathetic fashion. There is no hint of the lurid sensationalism nor of the tight-arsed repressiveness that films of this era often display when dealing with such subject matter.

In a situation where the old well-patterned expectations have gone by the board, the sisters attempt to keep track of their universe with a wall-map of the world on which they plot where their men are now. The scope of this exercise is enlarged to include the dead, and then American 'friends'. Ultimately, the map is screwed up and thrown on the fire as the old world- including the old moral universe- goes up in smoke.

The only jarring note is the plot device allowing the film to open and close with a murder trial. One of the sisters has married a 'local'- clearly marked as unsuitable by his working class tones and chest hair! The relationship ends in worse than tears. This element of the film has all the sophistication of an Enid Blyton 'Famous Five' childrens book, and sits uneasily in such an- otherwise- intelligent performance!

A good deal made me want to see 'Until They Sail'. A fine director in Robert Wise, who directed two of my favourite films ('West Side Story' and 'The Sound of Music', is that going to be a popular opinion here?), a cast full of great actors (Paul Newman, Jean Simmons, Joan Fontaine), some interesting themes, my love for classic film and an equally interesting idea for a story.

While it was not mind-blowing or perfect, neither will it be one of my favourites any time soon, 'Until They Sail' was still a well done film with many great things, that had emotional impact, was brave in how it portrayed its themes, made the most out of its story and far from wasted its talent. Not the best work of all involved but all come off well. More one of those appreciated it rather than loved it ones.

'Until They Sail' is a little overwrought at times as could have done with a little less talk.

Also found the outcome of the Piper Laurie and Wally Cassell subplot forced and a jarring note in a film that otherwise was anything but. The odd pacing lull here and there, but a vast majority of the time the pace is measured but seldom dull.

However, there is nothing to fault the cast. Fontaine and Simmons give sensitive, deeply felt performances and Newman's is one of his better ones of his early career, comfortable and intensely cool. Piper Laurie's accent may stick out somewhat but her acting is committed and rich in emotion, while Sandra Dee is more than credible. Wise directs superbly.

Visually, 'Until They Sail' is beautifully and cleverly shot with some striking and vivid locations. The script is thought-provoking and remarkably daring in its sophistication-filled and not over-serious handling of themes seldom explored in film at this point, giving it much humanity. The story is mostly sympathetic and poignant, avoiding getting too over the top in melodrama, not easy to do with the subject and topics explored. The characters are realistically written.

In conclusion, well done and interesting, with few stumbling blocks and many great things. 7/10 Bethany Cox

James A. Michener's WWII tale of four sisters in a seaside New Zealand home who experience the highs and lows of love. With nearly all the men in their town off fighting in the war, the gals are at first apprehensive, but finally grateful when the streets fill up with American Yanks on leave. Joan Fontaine, as the eldest of the clan, falls for handsome soldier Charles Drake from Oklahoma (and has his child out of wedlock!), while Jean Simmons manages to get close to cynical, hard-drinking Paul Newman. Piper Laurie, as sort of the beautiful black sheep of the family, tires quickly of her sudden marriage and heads off to nearby Wellington to play the field. Sandra Dee, in her film debut, is very cute as a dimply, growing 15-year-old with a passion for boys. Attractive M-G-M production surprises in its openness of sexual matters, yet the flashback framework was unnecessary, as were the stock-shots of battleships on the horizon (making it seem as if the girls live on their own private island). Though each actor gets equal screen-time, Laurie nearly steals the picture with a finely-etched portrayal of a young woman desperately trying to find herself--and feeling the strangulation of family ties (she's also extraordinarily lovely here). Not up to the classics of the wartime movie genre, but certainly not bad. **1/2 from ****

Until They Sail might be the first Hollywood film about New Zealand that was filmed in New Zealand. Although you will find nary a Kiwi in the cast in the principal roles and no one even attempts an accent.

Despite this, the fact that it was written by James Michener who certainly was the American author who wrote stories of the South Pacific certainly guarantees authenticity and entertainment. The film is about the four Leslie sisters who are getting a bit lonely because all of the available males are in the service in some of the far flung fronts that the British Empire needed defending.

Although the danger wasn't as immediate for New Zealand as it was for Australia with Japanese occupied New Guinea spread like a canopy over that continent, still after Pearl Harbor for a couple of months fear of occupation was also added to the collective civilian psyche of the Kiwis. Then the American marines arrived and later the army as they did in Australia using the place as a training and embarkation point for the various island battles of the Pacific War.

The four sisters are Joan Fontaine, Jean Simmons, Piper Laurie, and Sandra Dee. Fontaine the eldest feels responsibility for the rest and she's in danger of becoming one prudish spinster, but she finds real romance with a marine captain in Charles Drake who is a Rhodes Scholar to boot.

Simmons is married with a husband off in North Africa and she resents all the Yanks, as they said in Great Britain, oversexed, overpaid, and over here. Paul Newman is a recently divorced marine who's quite cynical about the opposite sex and no threat. Later on Simmons and Newman do find a need for each other.

Newman is a staff officer and one of his jobs is to investigate claims for all the homesick marines who fall in love and decide they want to marry Kiwi girls. Piper Laurie has not let any grass grow under her feet, she marries Wally Cassell one of the few male Kiwis around and because she has needs. Then later she's got her pick of Americans for that chore after Cassell goes off to war. Truth be told Cassell is something of a low life, but not like Laurie didn't know what she was getting into.

Finally there's Sandra Dee in her motion picture debut creating her image of sweet virginity for the public. The youngest and wisest, she's content to wait for a boy in the service and hopes he'll come back safe and sound of wind and limb.

As the Citadel Film series book on The Films Of Paul Newman points out, this was Newman's first attempt at screen romance. The cynical part of his nature he always had down. But his scenes with Simmons were very tender indeed especially after his wall of cynicism comes crashing down.

The surprise for me was the performance that director Robert Wise got out of Wally Cassell. This is a guy who usually plays happy go lucky types, but good guys in many films. This portrayal opens quite a different dimension for me, for this particular player.

If it were remade today I think that it would be mandated that players from New Zealand or Australia have roles. I can certainly see Nicole Kidman in either the Simmons or Fontaine parts. Until a remake is done this version of Until They Sail is a fine wartime romance.

As I wrote in the summary, this is NOT your typical war movie full of action and battles with fire-arms scenes; so, if you want to see something similar to THE LONGEST DAY or BATTLE OF BRITAIN, this movie it's not for you!

Now I am not saying that UNTIL THEY SAIL it's bad. I am saying that this movie, instead of focusing on the war actions, it focuses on the women left behind waiting their husbands from the war and their woes and all the differences between them. And, even though it's not a must-see movie, it's actually pretty good.

Visually, this movie is beautifully shot, and the locations (in New Zealand) are simply a delight to watch; the soundtrack, even though it's not outstanding, it's also pretty good. And the pace, although it dragged half-way, it's measured.

The performances are all good: Paul Newman (in one of his first movies) it's charismatic and cool as always; Joan Fontaine, Piper Laurie and Sandra Dee are credible and give heart-felt performances, and Jean Simmons, like Newman, gives a deep and touching performance. And it's directed by Robert Wise, another great director of the 1950s-1960s.

The story is very realistic and never gets over the top despite the setting and subject explored. In substance, even with a few flaws, it's well done and worth-watching.