Ava Gardner, Stewart Granger and David Nivens headline this atrocious film from the 1950's. They are three unfortunate souls washed ashore a deserted island after a terrible shipwreck. Much like 'GILLIGAN'S ISLAND' and 'SWISS FAMILY ROBISON', these three survivors have no trouble in adapting to the 'jungle' life while finding just about anything to eat without poisoning themselves or getting terribly sick.
But this also makes room for the three survivors (one woman and two men) to get tied up in a nasty love triangle. Never before have I seen such a tawdry and weak script that was terribly acted out by three screen veterans who were forced to star in this schlock. The only other laughable plot I could compare to this atrocity to would be the love triangle acted out in 1978's 'THE SWARM' where Olivia De Havilland found herself caught between Ben Johnson and Fred MacMurray whilst being attacked by a swarm of bees.
For these three people, you would think taking survival on a day by day basis until the possibility of rescue would be their top priority. Instead, the first things that come to their minds is who will get to have sex with who first. The film tries to deliver this situation with a dusting of light comedy and charm, but you can't for a second take this seriously. It's almost as if the three actors just gave up halfway through the film and said "To HELL with the acting, let's just hurry up and get this done so we can go home!"
The island itself is basic 50's-style. Potted plants and silk screens painted with volcanos are the backdrop, while the cawing of Australian kookaburras and the chirring of crickets sing in the background. Most likely, this was filmed in some small Californian MGM studio backlot.
There really isn't much else to say about the plot. The predictable happens and everyone goes home a happy camper. For Ava Gardner, this was only the beginning of a string of duds she released in the 50's, including 'THE SUN ALSO RISES' and 'THE NAKED MAJA', but she would undoubtedly clean up her act in the 60's by starring in lavish productions such as '55 DAYS AT PEKING' and 'THE NIGHT OF THE IGUANA'.
This movie was quite a disappointment. Fans of Granger should stick with classics such as 'SCARAMOUCHE' and 'BLANCHE FURY', and fans of Niven won't find him in anything suitable after this film until the 1961 release of the war classic 'THE GUNS OF NAVARONE'.
Renowned channels such as Turner Classic Movies and American Movie Classics should be ashamed to show this movie which is a complete mockery of the three actors involved. Anyone who hadn't seen any of the three actors in anything else before seeing this film would most likely get a prejudiced impression of their acting abilities. Fans of Granger, Niven and Gardner should stay away.
My Grade: 1/10
But this also makes room for the three survivors (one woman and two men) to get tied up in a nasty love triangle. Never before have I seen such a tawdry and weak script that was terribly acted out by three screen veterans who were forced to star in this schlock. The only other laughable plot I could compare to this atrocity to would be the love triangle acted out in 1978's 'THE SWARM' where Olivia De Havilland found herself caught between Ben Johnson and Fred MacMurray whilst being attacked by a swarm of bees.
For these three people, you would think taking survival on a day by day basis until the possibility of rescue would be their top priority. Instead, the first things that come to their minds is who will get to have sex with who first. The film tries to deliver this situation with a dusting of light comedy and charm, but you can't for a second take this seriously. It's almost as if the three actors just gave up halfway through the film and said "To HELL with the acting, let's just hurry up and get this done so we can go home!"
The island itself is basic 50's-style. Potted plants and silk screens painted with volcanos are the backdrop, while the cawing of Australian kookaburras and the chirring of crickets sing in the background. Most likely, this was filmed in some small Californian MGM studio backlot.
There really isn't much else to say about the plot. The predictable happens and everyone goes home a happy camper. For Ava Gardner, this was only the beginning of a string of duds she released in the 50's, including 'THE SUN ALSO RISES' and 'THE NAKED MAJA', but she would undoubtedly clean up her act in the 60's by starring in lavish productions such as '55 DAYS AT PEKING' and 'THE NIGHT OF THE IGUANA'.
This movie was quite a disappointment. Fans of Granger should stick with classics such as 'SCARAMOUCHE' and 'BLANCHE FURY', and fans of Niven won't find him in anything suitable after this film until the 1961 release of the war classic 'THE GUNS OF NAVARONE'.
Renowned channels such as Turner Classic Movies and American Movie Classics should be ashamed to show this movie which is a complete mockery of the three actors involved. Anyone who hadn't seen any of the three actors in anything else before seeing this film would most likely get a prejudiced impression of their acting abilities. Fans of Granger, Niven and Gardner should stay away.
My Grade: 1/10