Bird of Paradise

BEAUTIFUL DEL RIO.
Director King Vidor found Richard Walton Tully's play of the same name on which this film is based hopelessly dated and uninteresting. Producer David O. Selznick countered thusly: "I don't care what story you use as long as the title remains intact and Del Rio jumps into a flaming volcano at the finish". The stunningly exotic beauty of Dolores Del Rio made her the first Mexican actress ever to become an international film star. Del Rio had weathered the transition from silents to talkies, but due to her accent and somewhat rudimentary acting ability, her roles had to be carefully chosen; this is probably her most memorable available to the public on video. Filmed on location in Hawaii, the movie's plusses lie in its appeal to the senses, namely in the striking black-and-white photography by Clyde De Vinna - he won an Oscar in 1928 for his work on WHITE SHADOWS IN THE SOUTH SEAS - and Max Steiner's richly evocative background score, designed to illustrate everything from Polynesian...

[3.5 stars] While I prefer Murnau's "Tabu" much more, "Bird of Paradise" is still an enjoyable film worth watching.
Producer David O. Selznick is an American producer known for many of his successful ventures in Hollywood. From producing "Gone with the Wind" (1939) which earned him an Academy Award and his collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock which earned him a second Academy Award for "Rebecca" (1940), Selznick is known for many other classics.

And some of these classics such as "A Star is Born", "Nothing Sacred", "A Farewell to Arms" have been released on Blu-ray and DVD courtesy of Kino Lorber and now, King Vidor's 1932 film "Bird of Paradise" will be released on Blu-ray and DVD. This authorized edition from the estate of David O. Selznick is from the collection of the George Eastman House.

"Bird of Paradise" a film adaptation of Richard Walton Tully's successful play.

While King Vidor was known for silent films years prior such as "The Big Parade" (1925), "Bardelys the Magnificent", "The Patsy" (1928), to name a few, "Bird of Paradise" was a romance/adventure...

All-time FAVORITE Love Story!
Bird of Paradise (1951) with Debra Paget, Louis Jourdan and Jeff Chandler is an all-time FAVORITE love story that is full of drama in an idyllic setting. A beautifully told story that was haunting for many of its points of Hawaiian life and customs, and what can happen when it comes up against another culture, our world. Jeff Chandler was quite a hunk of a man in his day and still leaves me wishing there were more men like him in Hollywood today. Anyway, I plan to get my copy soon as this is an old favorite love story of another age. I'm glad Hollywood has not remade this fantastic story and leaves this priceless jewel alone for us to enjoy. BTW, Louis Jordan was quite the hapless lover (Andre Laurence, a college friend of Tenga) who dared to love Debra Paget (Kalua), the perfect Hawaiian flower, and Jeff Chandler (Tenga) plays her brother and best college friend of Louis Jordan's character. The great Kahuna was quite the menace, and I felt portrayed the power over life and...

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