Let's face it. There are some cultures and political regimes that the rest of the world (especially the lovers of peace) will never understand, and probably aren't supposed to. The lives of the people in Haiti during the regime of President Papa Doc Duvalier are explored through the presence of half a dozen outsiders who find the culture there as strange as most viewers will. Richard Burton plays a Welsh hotel owner who returns to find the government under Duvalier's control and political turmoil for many. He is surrounded by a cast of major stars in secondary roles, which includes his real-life wife Elizabeth Taylor as his married mistress, Peter Ustinov as Taylor's ambassador husband, Alec Guennis as a British Major seemingly in cahoots with the president, and for comedy relief, the team of Paul Ford and Lillian Gish as a former presidential candidate and his flighty, nosy wife. To play the Haitans, some of America's best black theatrical actors were cast, and they include Cicely Tyson, James Earl Jones, Roscoe Lee Browne and Raymond St. Jacques. In spite of the presence of all of these stars, the film is entirely too long with its focus on details that would fit perfectly into a travelogue but will seem bizarre to standard audiences.
Those expecting a Liz/Dick movie will be truly disappointed; Her role is superfluous to the plot other than to give Burton a love interest. Lillian Gish's Billie Burke like matron makes references to fellow silent star John Barrymore who allegedly stayed in Burton's hotel. After being paired with Shirley Booth in "The Matchmaker", Hermoine Gingold in "The Music Man" and Maureen O'Sullivan in "Never Too Late", comic character actor Paul Ford adds Gish to his list of eccentric co-stars. In a sense, this seems more the type of movie that Otto Preminger was directing in the mid to late 1960's with its off the wall casting, bizarre plot lines and racial tensions. At least with Preminger, you could count on a little camp. Sadly, that's missing here. Whats not missing is boredom.
Those expecting a Liz/Dick movie will be truly disappointed; Her role is superfluous to the plot other than to give Burton a love interest. Lillian Gish's Billie Burke like matron makes references to fellow silent star John Barrymore who allegedly stayed in Burton's hotel. After being paired with Shirley Booth in "The Matchmaker", Hermoine Gingold in "The Music Man" and Maureen O'Sullivan in "Never Too Late", comic character actor Paul Ford adds Gish to his list of eccentric co-stars. In a sense, this seems more the type of movie that Otto Preminger was directing in the mid to late 1960's with its off the wall casting, bizarre plot lines and racial tensions. At least with Preminger, you could count on a little camp. Sadly, that's missing here. Whats not missing is boredom.