Rating: - Marguerite, Marianne, and the Maori
"Green Dolphin Street" is one of those cheesefests of Hollywood's Golden Age that has slipped into obscurity. At least "Black Narcissus",the camp classic,has its own Criterion Edition. Why NOT the love triangle set in New Zealand, with its needlessly complicated plot and Lana Turner in her fantastical outfits?
"Green Dolphin Street" is all about two sisters who live on the Channel Islands between England and France. There's the good girl, Marguerite (Donna Reed), and the bad grrrrl Marianne (Lana Turner). They're both enamored of the dull William (Richard Hart) William sets off to ... Read More
Rating: - Love the One You're With
This is certainly a different sort of movie and, for that, I am willing to look more on the positive side. The most unique aspect of this film is the New Zealand location and the insight to the early days of its' European colonization. The relationship between settlers and Maoris is nicely developed along with the apparent geological issues that New Zeraland faces. I learned a few things in those categories. For one thing, I had always thought of the Maoris as a sea-faring culture and I didn't realize that New Zealand was as impacted by earthquakes as it apparently is (was?). There is a major ... Read More
Rating: - Lana and Donna...
...make great sisters. The opening scenes with them together are exciting. The way the camera moves adds excitement to an amazing film. The only real shame is that it wasn't filmed in color because the two breathtaking beauties in color would've been something to see. Still the b&w suits them fine too. The acting, the action, and the special effects make it a quiet classic. Watch it if you can, highly recommended.
Rating: - "It Was Something Far Greater Than Us"
This wildly entertaining film set in the days of the great clipper ships has Donna Reed and Lana Turner as sisters in love with the same man for different reasons. Turner is fantastic as the brash sister, Marianne, who is as sharp as her father when it comes to business matters. Donna Reed holds her own, however, as the pretty but more reserved Marguerite.
Elizabeth Goudge's sprawling novel won an MGM contest, and judging by the fabulous results, it was a fine choice. Sam Raphaelson wrote the screenplay and the film was given a lush look by photographer George Folsey and art director Cedric ... Read More
Rating: - Sweeping Large Scale Melodrama With First Class Visuals
"Green Dolphin Street", one of MGM's biggest film efforts during the late 1940's had a curious beginning in that it was the result of a story submitted in an MGM writing contest where the first prize would be the filming of the winning entry. That winner was the story "Green Dolphin Street", submitted by Elizabeth Goudge and involved the story of the painfully intertwined romantic lives of two sisters over many years and was a tale filled with unrequited love, passion, adventure, and struggle for survival in faraway places. The story was a natural for filming by that studio of studios MGM who made it one ... Read More
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