The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

After studying in the States, the son of a Polynesian Chief (with white in his blood) returns home to the superstition-laden islands along with a vacationing Frenchman he met at the University; despite dire warnings from the soothsaying Kahuna, the white stranger--who represents a portent of turbulence to come--falls in love with his friend's blue-eyed sister and decides he wants to stay. Corny, daft, but enjoyable tropical star-crossed lovers tale, a loose remake of King Vidor's same-titled film from 1932. Adapted and directed by Delmer Daves, the splendor of native life is given a frisky, romantic allure--until the last act when an angry volcano erupts (mostly via stock footage). What might have become a heavy mix of soap and masochism is brought off well by Daves, who mounts the proceedings with grand melodramatic style. Stars Jeff Chandler and Debra Paget (playing brother and sister, fittingly since they both share a dimpled chin) and Louis Jourdan approach the material with dreamy seriousness, avoiding camp and actually creating two-dimensional characters. Some may argue this production lacks a high-level of gloss or strong special effects, though I believe Daves was focused far more on the customs and beliefs of these people--and also on the love story--than he was on the technical aspects. As such, it's a better, more emotional picture than its predecessor, and certainly the music by Daniele Amfitheatrof and Ken Darby is a wonderful asset. **1/2 from ****

This movie is an original "Chick Flick". It is a wonderful mix of beautiful landscapes, great characters, romance, and emotion. Make sure you have a hankie ready, as this is the ultimate tear jerker. They just don't make them like this anymore. Debra Paget is just outright beautiful. Her acting makes you feel all of her character's emotions. A beautiful love story. The music is haunting, and you will be humming it for the rest of the day. I can't say enough about the wonderful storyline. If you enjoy great old movies, then this is a must see. My mother told me about this movie, and now I have shared it with my daughter.

I saw this film in the theater when it was first issued. I was 14. I sat through it twice. I became aware that I was not looking at what my friends were looking at. This film cemented my gradually-growing awareness that I was gay. Louis Jourdan was my first teen-age crush. Much of this film's portrayal of Polynesian culture is authentic and was carefully researched. The "common house" and the fire walk are two examples. But because scholarly research gets embedded here in such an unbelievable story, the film's central message of cross-cultural universality gets seriously diluted. So much more could have been done with the cultural background available. Paget is wooden throughout; her dancing is awful. Chandler's discomfort with his role may well have stemmed from the fact that he was gay in real life and spends much of his screen time in shots together with Jourdan in which both have very little on. Jourdan has little to do but look absolutely gorgeous, a skill at which he shines in every film he made. Yet this film has much to recommend it. I have enjoyed watching it again tremendously after all these years.

Bird of Paradise is a very unusual picture, a subconscious blend of two emerging cultural patterns in 1950s America: 'exotica' and film noir. This is no Paradise Hawaiian Style. Beautiful location photography and a thoughtful screenplay by director-producer Delmer Daves make this one to catch on the late late show (or on Fox Movies!).