Bird of Paradise

Bird of Paradise (1951)

Genres - Drama  |   Sub-Genres - Adventure Drama, Romantic Adventure  |   Release Date - Mar 14, 1951 (USA - Unknown), Mar 14, 1951 (USA)  |   Run Time - 100 min.  |   Countries - United States  |   MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Hal Erickson

Richard Walton Tully's war-horse theatrical drama Bird of Paradise was filmed twice in Hollywood. This second version stars Louis Jourdan as French sailor of fortune Andre Lawrence, who joins his Polynesian friend, Tenga (Jeff Chandler), on a visit to the South Seas. Once he's arrived in the tropical paradise, Andre falls in love with Chandler's nubile sister, Kalua (Debra Paget). Alas, their romance brings only disaster to all concerned. To appease the gods and prevent a volcanic eruption that will destroy her home and people, the girl offers herself up as a sacrifice. This Technicolor remake of Bird of Paradise prevented the TV release of the superior 1932 version, which starred Joel McCrea and Dolores Del Rio; only when the 1932 film lapsed into public domain was it afforded TV exposure.

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Keywords

beachcomber, chief, daughter, disaster, forbidden-love, France, island, love, marriage, medicine-man, native, paradise, princess, South-Seas, uprising, volcano