I didn't know what Victor Saville's "Green Dolphin Street" was about until I started watching it. I get the feeling that this was one of the first Hollywood movies to depict the Maoris. The depiction of them here is roundabout, but I would guess that most people worldwide weren't that familiar with them. Of course, the depiction of them is pretty regressive by today's standards.
Other than that, it's got an OK plot. One character talks about two sides of the same coin, and I saw Marianne and Marguerite as an allusion to that: they were so similar, so what was William to do?
The earthquake scene was impressive. I don't know whether any movie had depicted earthquakes by that point, but this one gave an idea of the intensity, and the scene won the movie an Oscar.
As for the cast, they turn in fine performances (not that I would expect otherwise from the likes of Donna Reed). They give one a sense of the tension lurking in these seemingly ideal communities. All in all, despite the questionable racial material, I found to be mostly a good movie, a look at how small acts can have big consequences.
PS: screenwriter Samson Raphaelson is the uncle of "Five Easy Pieces" director Bob Rafelson (who also put The Monkees together).
Other than that, it's got an OK plot. One character talks about two sides of the same coin, and I saw Marianne and Marguerite as an allusion to that: they were so similar, so what was William to do?
The earthquake scene was impressive. I don't know whether any movie had depicted earthquakes by that point, but this one gave an idea of the intensity, and the scene won the movie an Oscar.
As for the cast, they turn in fine performances (not that I would expect otherwise from the likes of Donna Reed). They give one a sense of the tension lurking in these seemingly ideal communities. All in all, despite the questionable racial material, I found to be mostly a good movie, a look at how small acts can have big consequences.
PS: screenwriter Samson Raphaelson is the uncle of "Five Easy Pieces" director Bob Rafelson (who also put The Monkees together).