Some films are set in very gritty surroundings such as docks or decayed warehouses, others have period settings, or need to support a sci-fi story-line. But when it is possible, most films will increase their appeal if they can provide attractive screen images to help tide viewers over occasional dull spots. Such eye candy may be land or marine scenery, architecture or people. Used at the right time, any of then can provide additional viewer enjoyment. Boy on a Dolphin, based on a novel by David Divine, is one of many films (among them Venus, Summer Lovers, and Aphrodite) which have used the magnificent scenery of the Greek Islands for this purpose. It was made by the Fox studios on location on Hydra Island in Greece, and is an adventure film about an impoverished Greek scuba diver, very vigorously played by a young Sophia Loren, who discovers a valuable classical statue she wants to see accepted as a national treasure rather than simply sold on the open market. It was filmed in colour and provides some delightful images of the scenery in this lovely part of the world; but, although there was an extremely vigorous and fiery performance by Sophia Loren, the acting of the North American cast members unfortunately left much to be desired and the overall impression after watching this film is somewhat patchy. This is sometimes blamed on the height disparity between the rather short Alan Ladd, who plays the curator of one of the museums of antiquity in Athens and the unusually tall Sophia Loren. It has been suggested that Robert Mitchum who was originally considered for the role of the museum curator, might have helped create a film which would wear better. I do not think this is fair to Director Jean Negulesco who, as I remember it, very adequately coped with any problems this difference created, and also did a wonderful job of exploiting the scenic attractions which did so much for this film. His main failure was in melding the contributions of the various cast members into a coherent story with enough sparkle and life for it to become a classic. However it was one of the top earning films at the time it was released, and was also nominated for an Oscar, so it seems probable that both Fox and those involved in making the film would have classed it as very successful.
I am a visual person, and perhaps appreciate the value of eye candy more than many film-goers, but I would not give this film an IMDb Users rating of more than seven today. I would however quickly buy myself a new DVD copy if it was available. The VHS tape is no longer listed and I do feel very strongly that as a re-mastered DVD, the delightful scenery, combined with the important theme about national treasures being preserved for the enjoyment of posterity and the great performance by Sophia Loren, would be enough to ensure better sales for it than for many of the other DVD revivals which are being created in great quantities today. This is my principal reason for adding these further User Comments now.
I am a visual person, and perhaps appreciate the value of eye candy more than many film-goers, but I would not give this film an IMDb Users rating of more than seven today. I would however quickly buy myself a new DVD copy if it was available. The VHS tape is no longer listed and I do feel very strongly that as a re-mastered DVD, the delightful scenery, combined with the important theme about national treasures being preserved for the enjoyment of posterity and the great performance by Sophia Loren, would be enough to ensure better sales for it than for many of the other DVD revivals which are being created in great quantities today. This is my principal reason for adding these further User Comments now.