Bird of Paradise (1932)A native girl falls for a visitor to her island, but she's chosen to be sacrificed to the volcano god. Director:King Vidor |
|
| 0Share... |
Bird of Paradise (1932)A native girl falls for a visitor to her island, but she's chosen to be sacrificed to the volcano god. Director:King Vidor |
|
| 0Share... |
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Dolores del Rio | ... |
Luana
|
|
| Joel McCrea | ... |
Johnny Baker
|
|
| John Halliday | ... |
Mac
|
|
|
|
Richard 'Skeets' Gallagher | ... |
Chester
|
|
|
Bert Roach | ... |
Hector
|
| Lon Chaney Jr. | ... |
Thornton
(as Creighton Chaney)
|
|
|
|
Wade Boteler | ... |
Skipper Johnson
|
|
|
Arnold Gray | ... |
Walker
|
|
|
Reginald Simpson | ... |
O'Fallon
|
|
|
Napoleon Pukui | ... |
The King
|
|
|
Agostino Borgato | ... |
Medicine Man
|
|
|
Sofia Ortega | ... |
Mahumahu
|
A young man falls overboard and is saved by a beautiful Polynesian girl. They fall in love, but their idyll is smashed when the local volcano begins to erupt. The man discovers that the local custom is to sacrifice a young woman to the volcanic gods. They try to escape but realize that "east is east and west is west, and never the twain shall meet." Written by Ed Lorusso
Bird of Paradise is based on a 1912 play and the story of the beautiful native girl being sacrificed to a volcano is probably familiar to most moviegoers, but it was done here first and it showcases it's beautiful stars, Dolores Del Rio and Joel McCrea. It features some of the most beautiful black-and-white photography I've ever seen, and the music by Max Steiner is lovely. This piece of exotica has gotten a bum rap by many reviewers in the past, but it stands as a pleasant time-waster that will pass about an hour-and-a-half painlessly enough. The Alpha DVD print shows scratches and wear, but not enough to mar the enjoyment of the film.