User Reviews

Yes, the script is sheer hoke, and George Waggner's direction rarely rises above his customary mediocre standard, but out of this dross, photographer Elwood Bredell has spun a golden web of cinematographic beauty.

And speaking of "beauty", I am reminded of a comment in "The New York Times" that Maria Montez in this movie displays "a figure not inferior to Dorothy Lamour's!"

I heartily agree, and I would draw your attention again to my comment that Elwood Bredell is the man we should heartily congratulate.

No matter how you slice up the coconut, it comes up tropical, and Hollywood B movies figured out that there was nothing sarong with that. Three sailors are shipwrecked, as the title indicates, south of Tahiti. Rugged Brian Donlevy, gruff Broderick Crawford and happy fat man Andy Devine aren't out to strip the island of its natural resources (pearls), but some of the superstitious natives don't quite trust them. When greed strikes Crawford, getting off the island thanks to plane parts found on the island doesn't become a priority. Of course, that adds to the rising tension among the island men who see past the romantic notions of several of the island girls.

Between native girls Maria Montez and Armida (immediately going after the portly Devine), a somewhat tames leopard (and some cute kittens), the three already have enough issues without dealing with the suspicious and jealous Abner Biberman. Inconsequential yet tons of fun for one of the hundreds of classic jungle films made during the golden age, this marked Maria Montez's first major part. This is fine for what it is, but the abundance of American actors in dark makeup playing Pacific islanders (including H.B. Warner as the English speaking chief) makes it clichéd and far-fetched. Still, there's enough comedy, romance and adventure to keep you interested, even though this story is older than cinema itself.