Bodas no Gelo

Having seen all previous Sonja Henie movies-including Sun Valley Serenade which also featured her leading man John Payne and was directed by Bruce Humberstone, same as this one-this one is perhaps even more contrived than those others. It concerns a mixup between Ms. Henie and Payne concerning whether a wedding between them will be held or not. This was made while the US was involved in World War II so the numbers are of the patriotic kind as performed by Sammy Kaye and his Orchestra with singer Joan Merrill. Those numbers were highly enjoyable as were Ms. Henie's skate dances of which one of them has her partnered with Eugene Turner, a US skating champion. Supporting player Jack Oakie provides some funny lines, Sterling Holloway was also amusing in his brief scenes. But the banter between Ms. Henie and Payne wasn't funny and got increasingly tiring at the end. Good thing the movie's only about 90 minutes. So on that note, Iceland is worth a look for any Sonja Henie fans and nothing more.

The storyline for the movie was nothing special. The skating was excellent for its' time and the music from the SK Orch. was excellent. Of course, I was partial to the music.....my Dad was in the band as lead trumpet player at the time and I watched the movie for that reason. He was front and center most of the time and it was neat to see him in the movie and think that as I was watching him in the movie, I was older than he was then. My Dad passed away in 1991 and it was really nice to finally find this movie on a few years ago. My sister and I "taped" it to have for the memories. John Payne did all he could with the poor storyline and made it enjoyable. Sterling Holliway was a pleasant surprise since my Dad talked about him often and that they were friends.

Of course, you couldn't expect much more from a Sonja Henie movie. The plot was thin, basically about an Icelandic girl who falls in love with a Marine stationed in Iceland, who is reluctant to get married.

The skating numbers and music were terrific. The one where Sonja Henie dressed in Chinese, Hawaiian, and Latin costumes and skates around is exceptionally well done. The end number is also fantastic, and the songs, especially "There Will Never Be Another You" were all good.

This doesn't hold a candle to Sun Valley Serenade, but if you like light entertainment that involves ice skating, I'd say give this a try.

Whatever the merits of Ms. Henie and Mr. Payne, this movie is a must for all World War II buffs. It is the only movie that I know of about the United States's invasion of Iceland. Hardly anyone knows that the United States occupied Iceland in July of 1941, five months before the attack on Pearl Harbor. The U. S. took over occupation from U. K. forces who had been there since 1940. The reason this occupation was that Iceland was a superb base to protect the North Atlantic sea lanes.

The invasion was part of conspiracy theorists's belief that Roosevelt and Churchill plotted to get the United States into the war.

Besides, Sonja may be the best ice skater of all time -- look up her Olympic record -- and is as cute as a button.

1942's Iceland is a wartime film about a playboy marine, James Murfin (John Payne) stationed in Iceland. There he meets Katina (Henie), a lovely young woman in a hurry to get married so that her sister can marry a man who will bring some much-needed cash into the family. As in many cultures, the older girl must marry first. Katina, however, isn't crazy about the man who has proposed something like 36 times (Sterling Holloway), so when she meets Murfin, she says they met a few years earlier and are in love. Before Murfin knows it, he's engaged, the marriage license has been registered, and at one point, the family believes that he's Katina's husband.

There's not much of a story here, but some of the music is pleasant enough and well sung by Joan Merrill. Sonja has some great skating sequences. Figure skating was different in those days - much more dance oriented with no big jumps - barrel rolls and singles were about it. Sonja was a dazzling performer who had great speed and a thrilling signature spin that started slowly and went faster and faster, until she resembled a whirling dervish. Her contribution to the world of figure skating is invaluable: She popularized figure skating, invented the skating show, and made white skating boots the thing to wear! John Payne is handsome and does a good job as Murfin, but he doesn't get to really sing. He had such a nice voice, it's a shame. Felix Bressart plays Katina's father and is a joy as always. Jack Oakie is Murfin's comic buddy, and he's good as well.

However, when you're watching a Sonja Henie movie, it's Sonja's skating that's the true star. This isn't her best film, but it's still entertaining.