Bodas no Gelo

The reason US Marines went to Iceland prior to Pearl Harbor was part of a deal to relieve English troops so they could fight in North Africa and other locations. Denmark, the country actually responsible for Iceland allowed this to happen . It was not part of any conspiracy.

Contrary to many of the reviews, this is a fine, entertaining movie. I like this movie better than "Sun Valley Serenade". Anyone interested in Sonja Henie films will find this delightful.

The cast is actually quite good. Sterling Holloway is quite amusing. Jack Oakie is laugh out loud. The stars are very attractive.

And you can swing and sway with Sammy Kay.

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.

Sonja Henie was always watchable, even in her weakest films, and a marvel at ice skating.

Her filmography was very much a mixed bag. There are charmers and gems such as 'Sun Valley Serenade', 'Second Fiddle' and 'Lovely to Look At'. However, there are also wildly uneven and average films such as 'It's a Pleasure', 'Everything Happens at Night' and 'One in a Million'. Have yet to see a film of hers, though there is more to see, that's less than mediocre or terrible.

'Katina' (or 'Iceland') falls more in the latter category. Certainly not a terrible film, but is a case of some elements working far better than others. Some elements such as the music, Henie, the production values and the ice skating float beautifully, others such as the comedy, the romance, the script and the story sink badly.

It's beautifully photographed and the production values are suitably elegant and couldn't have been more perfectly complemented by the photography. Another high point is the music which is delightful and every bit as delightfully played and sung. "There Will Never Be Another You" is particularly note-worthy. John Payne sings gloriously, while Sterling Holloway is effective in his role as is Felix Besshart.

The best things about it are Henie, who charms as an actress and dazzles in the ice skating routines, and the ice skating sequences, which are full of energy and grace. Most envious on both counts.

On the other hand, the story is little more than (very) thinly plotted and very dull filler, with a romance that rarely goes anywhere and betraying a lack of chemistry. The comedy is similarly as limp as a kipper, especially with Jack Oakie who tries to compensate for that and instead overdoes it.

Payne has little to do and is rather wooden, while the pacing and the direction are leaden.

All in all, an uneven film that floats beautifully with some elements and sinks badly in others. 5/10 Bethany Cox

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.