Island in the Sun is a 1957 controversial drama film. The film centers around an ensemble cast including James Mason, Harry Belafonte, Joan Fontaine, Joan Collins, Dorothy Dandridge, Michael Rennie, Stephen Boyd, Patricia Owens, John Justin, Diana Wynyard, and Basil Sydney. The film is about race relations and interracial romance set in the fictitious island of Santa Marta. Barbados and Grenada were selected as the sites for the movie based on the novel by Alec Waugh.
The film follows several characters both black, white as well as mixed. Maxwell Fleury (James Mason) is a white plantation owner's son who suffers from an inferiority complex and makes rash decisions to prove his worth. He lives with his beautiful wife, Sylvia (Patricia Owens). Maxwell is tormented by extreme jealousy of his wife, and is envious of his younger sister Jocelyn (Joan Collins). Jocelyn is being courted by Evan Templeton (Stephen Boyd), a war hero visiting the Governor of the island, his father Lord Templeton (Ronald Squire).
The film also follows David Boyeur (Harry Belafonte), a young black man emerging as a powerful politician representing the common people and seen as a threat to the white ruling class. Mavis Norman (Joan Fontaine), a woman from the elite white class strikes up a romantic interest in Boyeur and much of the film explores the tension between these two.
Finally, the film takes a look at the interracial romance between Margot Seaton (Dorothy Dandridge), a black drug store clerk, and Denis Archer (John Justin), aide to the Governor. Other characters include Hilary Carson (Michael Rennie) who Maxwell Fleury thinks is having an affair with his wife; Colonel Whittingham (John Williams), the head of police, who investigates the murder of Hilary Carson central to the plot; a journalist named Bradshaw (Hartley Power); and finally Julian Fleury (Basil Sydney) and his wife (Diana Wynyard) who are both hiding secrets from their children.
The characters and their relationships with each other are all shown to be complex and the issues being addressed were rather taboo for 1957. Furthermore, the film can be enjoyed for the lush, beautiful scenery and unpredictable plot dynamics. Belafonte breaks his character to sing a calypso title song.
As of 2009 a proposal was floated to demolish the remains of the real mansion used in the film. The mansion is located in Farley Hill, Barbados. The mansion was gutted by fire just after the filming of the movie and all that remains are the foundations and exterior walls of the building.
The film was Dorothy Dandridge's "come-back" movie, as she hadn't made a film since 1954's
Carmen Jones, with Dandridge playing the lead. In 1955, she had been offered supporting roles in
The King and I and
The Lieutenant Wore Skirts but Otto Preminger, her lover and
Carmen Jones' director, advised her to turn down the roles. This was Dandridge's first film role in three years: she was third billed, but appeared in only a supporting role.
Premiering in June 1957,
Island in the Sun was greeted with negative reviews. The film's controversial plotline was considered unsuitable for 1957 viewers. Magazines, unknowingly, gave the film publicity with photos of Belafonte's and Fontaine's characters; as-well-as with Dandridge's and Justin's characters. However, these photos followed with stories. These stories mainly stated that the film was a disgrace to the film industry, with black and whites "falling in love". Despite the bad reviews, stories, and "photos",
Island in the Sun was a major box office success. The film earned $5,550,00 worldwide, and finished as the sixth highest-grossing film of 1957.
Island in the Sun 1957
