Bird of Paradise
Andre Laurence accompanies his college roommate, Tenga, back to Tenga's Polynesian island home. There, Andre becomes attracted to the native life and his friend's sister, Kalua.
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- Cast：
- Debra Paget , Louis Jourdan , Jeff Chandler , Everett Sloane , Maurice Schwartz , Jack Elam , Otto Waldis
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Reviews
A bit overrated, but still an amazing film
Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.
This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.
Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable
From my early growing up, I remember Bird of Paradise as one of the truly beautiful love stories of the screen. Debra Paget is simply gorgeous as the island girl Kalua who gets involved in doomed relationship with Louis Jourdan. The island spirits do not smile on the couple as you would hope. Jeff Chandler plays Kalua's ever watchful brother who has doubts about the affair from the beginning. You will need to watch for yourself to see how it all turns out and as you do, you will be treated to beautiful island scenery, a stunning and gorgeous musical score and pretty decent acting from all concerned. The volcano effects are impressive for its time. I'm only sorry that film has not received very much air time and the DVD versions are severely under par. I would like to see Fox or someone take hold of this classic and dress it up in a restored format to bring out all the beauty and tragedy of our doomed characters.
Yes, I've seen the movie too and loved it. I loved the story line of a simple, happy people who could have done a lot better if the Haole would have just stayed out! Now look at what the White man has done to those beautiful islands of paradise. Everywhere you look now, you see the white man's influence. Very little is left of the true Polynesians depicted in this movie. I just think its appalling that the white man has to destroy every culture, every race, every way of life just to benefit his own greedy lust! Why can't we just leave things alone? Why do we always feel we have to change things? To the people, ancestors, and spirits of a long ago people, I apologize for my race for what we have done to your world. I wish you peace and happiness and love.
When I first saw "Bird of Paradise", I was an adolescent and I saw it on television as a not-so-recent movie. I already had a crush on Debra Paget from having seen her as Morning Star in "Broken Arrow." I was also a bit enamoured with her sister, Lisa Gaye as Collette DuBois on "the Bob Commings Show." But I figured that sooner or later I would get over my adolescent infatuation with the exotic characters these sister actresses were playing and eventually I'd settle down, marry a white bread woman, and get an office job like my father.Now it is 40 years later and I have spent the vast majority of that time serving, studying, and teaching in Vietnam, Thailand, and Japan. I never got over my infatuation with exotic, non-white bread women. I now have two masters degrees. When getting my masters in Far East Asian Studies, each time I described one more aspect of the "Bird of Paradise" wedding to a colleague whose specialty was the study of Bali culture, he gasped, "That's just like it is in Bali!""Jeff Chandler explains to Louis Jordon, 'You must come at night and steal her.' 'But I thought her parents approved of the marriage.' 'They do. But if they freely let her go, it would mean they don't love her and it would be an insult to her.' 'OK, I come and steal her. And we run away together.' 'No. She will scream and fight you.' 'But she loves me and wants to marry me.' 'Yes. But if she goes with you freely, it would mean she doesn't love her parents and it would be an insult.' 'OK. I steal her. She screams and fights me. And I take her away.' 'Yes. But you have to carry her and run fast because I as her brother will grab my spear and alert all the other men in the village and we will try to find you, catch you, and kill you. If we didn't, it would mean we don't care about her and it would be an insult. But don't worry. You will escape and take her to your secret place.' 'What secret? You and the young men of the village helped me build it.' 'Well, on that night, we won't be able t find it. We will get close but we won't find it. And we will be very angry about that and make angry noises all night. That will be your wedding night music.'Even more than she is in "Broken Arrow", Debra Paget is devoted to her white husband. Someone who when asked if she is ready to jump into the erupting volcano will say, "I have loved and been loved. I am ready." I never did find a woman as fully exotic and as completely devoted to me as the image radiated by Debra Paget in "Broken Arrow," "Bird of Paradise," "Demetrius and the Gladiators," and "The Ten Commandments." But I have been living with the same Asian woman for 31 years. And I am happy.
Bird of Paradise is a very unusual picture, a subconscious blend of two emerging cultural patterns in 1950s America: 'exotica' and film noir. This is no Paradise Hawaiian Style. Beautiful location photography and a thoughtful screenplay by director-producer Delmer Daves make this one to catch on the late late show (or on Fox Movies!).
