Customer Reviews

Green Dolphin Street [VHS]

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Green Dolphin Street", one of MGM's biggest film efforts during the late 1940's had a curious beginning in that it was the result of a story submitted in an MGM writing contest where the first prize would be the filming of the winning entry. That winner was the story "Green Dolphin Street", submitted by Elizabeth Goudge and involved the story of the painfully intertwined romantic lives of two sisters over many years and was a tale filled with unrequited love, passion, adventure, and struggle for survival in faraway places. The story was a natural for filming by that studio of studios MGM who made it one of their biggest productions for 1947 giving it a superb cast headed by Lana Turner and Donna Reed as the two sisters and with many excellent and quite ground breaking visual effects throughout the story that included massive earthquakes and tidal waves. The result was a big hit for MGM that really led the studio, despite its growing internal and financial concerns, into their next super production which was to be the massive epic "Quo Vadis". "Green Dolphin Street", combines uniformily fine acting along with first rate visuals that were rewarded with 4 justly deserved Academy Award nominations and quite rightly "Green Dolphin Street", took home the Best Special Effects Oscar for 1947.

The story centres around two sisters Marianne (Lana Turner), and Marguerite (Donna Reed), Patourel daughters of wealthy merchant Octavious Patourel (Edmund Gwenn). The sisters are like night and day as Marianne is the businesslike, ambitious daughter while Marguerite is the more retiring of the two. Both girls become attracted to their new neighbour William Ozanne (Richard Hart), the handsome and not totally upright son of the local doctor Edmund Ozanne (Frank Morgan). William is instantly attracted to the gentle qualities of Marguerite however it is Marianne in her usual take charge way who takes William on and after the death of his father pursuades him to seek a career in the Navy. However all does not go well for William and after missing his boat in the Orient he is accused of desertion and flees to the new colonies in New Zealand to hopefully start a new life. There he makes the reacquaintance of Timothy Haslam who knew him back at his home in Green Dolphin Street. The men set up a lumber business and Timothy who had a real infatuation for Marianne makes William write back home asking for Marguerite's hand in marriage. However William's hard drinking ways cause him still more trouble when he accidently asks for Marianne's hand instead and soon she is making preparations to travel to New Zealand believing the man she loves has finally developed feelings for her. The shock of seeing Marianne arriving on the ship instead of Marguerite however can't be undone and Willian dutifully marries Marianne without her knowing of his mistake. The years pass and the couple have a child and with Marianne's influence the lumber business prospers. Meanwhile Marguerite having lost both parents begins to search for a reason to life and is drawn to the serentity and purpose she finds among the nuns of St. Pierre Convent. William and Timothy find their business threatened by the natural elements in New Zealand and a terrible earthquake, tidal wave and then a Maori uprising force them to firstly move into sheep farming and later to return to Marianne's home in Green Dolphin Street in time to share with Marguerite the special occasion of her joining the convent as a novice. On the eve of the ceremony however Marianne discovers the truth about William's "request", for her to supposedly join him in New Zealand when he meant to ask was Marguerite. It is only after a now serenely happy Marguerite intervenes and tells Marianne of their own mother's consuming love for Wiliam's father before marrying their own father that she sees the lasting value of the hard earned love that William now feels for her.

"Green Dolphin Street", boasts a first rate cast with Lana Turner and Donna Reed as the two sisters making inspired choices. Long regarded as just a glamour girl Lana Turner has one of her better roles here as the quick witted daughter who doesn't see being a woman as an obstacle to being a success in business. Fresh from her triumph in the classic "The Postman Always Rings Twice", Turner here has a very different type of follow up role and she handles it perfectly from the refined setting of her parents comfortable life in England to carving out an existence in the wilds of New Zealand. She even puts aside her famed glamour image for the exciting scenes when her family is threatened by the Maori uprising. Donna Reed seemed to be forever typed playing sweet characters in her movie heyday and her Marguerite in "Green Dolphin Street", is a continuation of that trend however her many touching scenes in the convent with veteran character actress Dame May Whitty as the Mother Superior are truly beautiful and illustrate the depth of talent that this great actress possessed. Richard Hart as William had a short career before his early death but here showed great promise and a young Van Heflin already displays the great dramatic skills he became renowned for later in his career as the rough neck who has a life long passion for the independant Marianne. Character actors Dame May Whitty, Frank Morgan, Gladys Cooper and of course Edmund Gwenn make perfect casting in their various roles and lent their considerable talents to often small but important parts in the overall story. Gladys Cooper's death bed scene where she talks about the gradual development of her love for her husband over many years is one of the emotional highlights of the story and wont leave a dry eye in the house. Of course "Green Dolphin Street", is perhaps still best known for its stunning Oscar winning visual effects and the scenes depicting the earthquake and tidal wave in New Zealand are unmatched for a film from the 1940's and have a frightening quality to them even after all these years.

Old style melodrama of the first order, "Green Dolphin Street", with its wealth of talent both in front of and behind the cameras makes me lament the state of most Hollywood product nowadays. The production has a rich integrity about it that was typical of the major MGM efforts at this time and despite its great length the film never seems to drag in my belief moving as it does from the tranquil environment of St. Pierre Convent through to the rugged frontier in New Zealand with ease. Try and catch the MGM movie making machine at its refined best in director Victor Saville's "Green Dolphin Street", soon.

"Green Dolphin Street" was the result of a novel-writing contest, sponsored by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios. The author of the best original novel, in MGM's opinion, would have their novel turned into a screenplay, and then produced/filmed/released as a feature film by MGM Studios. The novel, by Elizabeth Goudge, was published in 1944, and this MGM film was completed and released in 1947.

As a story and a film, it's ALL THERE. Sights, sounds, characters, costumes, international adventure, anthropolical insights, loyalty and betrayal, disaster and redemption. The black-and-white cinematography capture the New Zealand landscapes, Pacific seascapes, French convents and sea villages so skillfully, you would think Amsel Adams photographed them! Lana Turner never looked better and gave an Oscar-worthy performance. Donna Reed gives a great supporting performance as Turner's younger sister. Reed is afforded a spectacular sequence in which her character must escape from a brutal incoming tide (washing over a landbridge), by clawing her way up a vertical tunnel inside a cliff.

The best sequence, though, is the earthquake sequence. "Green Dolphin Street" won the 1947 Academy Award for Special Effects and for good reason. Once the Maori Aborigines stop beating their drum to the seismological gods, a catastrophic earthquake of epic proportions begins. This sequence must have inspired Irwin Allen during the filming of his 1970's disaster epics because it looks like "Earthquake," "The Towering Inferno," and "The Poseidon Adventure" all rolled into one! Geysers, fire, landslides breaking dams, tidal waves, and locals being swallowed up by the earth and being squashed by monstrous falling timber make for a VERY dramatic disaster. And the NOISE...no wonder the film was nominated for Best Sound, if only for Lana Turner's hysterical, banshee-like screeching.

After starting all over from nothing, the main characters get caught in the middle of a Maori civil war and must try to escape.

Whether it be the convent on the island of St. Pierre, France; a sheep farm or timber camp in New Zealand; a Chinese denizen or the wide open sea, this film has something for everyone. Just be prepared to "hold on tight."

This is a fine old movie about love and destiny -- being true to yourself and to those you love. It is a wonderful opportunity to see some excellent film actors from the mid 20th century, also. I have always felt that it did not do the book justice, however. I do think that the casting was very interesting. Donna Reed was cast as the beautiful, ethereal sister, and Lana Turner was cast as the sister that was described as plain in the book. Well, that makes for an interesting dynamic. Certainly, this film is worth seeing if you want to view a perfect example of the costume drama as done in the 1940's. It belongs in any serious collection of film.

THIS FILM IS TOPS WITH ME. ONE OF THE BEST PLOTS EVER AND A GRIPPER TILL THE END.

WHEN ARE THEY GOING TO DO A DVD ON THIS ONE?????????

PLEASE, PLEASE,

This is one of my all time favorite movies. I watch it at home whenever I want to see good drama from an era gone by. If I had one wish it would be to see it in color - mostly for the costumes, but also for the beautiful scenery of New Zealand as well as the blue sea and the fire of the volcano. As another reviewer said, Donna Reed is every bit the dramatic actress that Lana Turner is. Also, the death scene of the parents is absolutely heart-wrenching...it makes me cry every time I watch it. This is a must-see for old movies buffs.

"[Green] Dolphin Street". A more accurate portrait of women's ambition and heart has yet to be brought to the screen. Lana Turner's character is central as the privileged daughter who wants to build a great man and a great marriage out of the clay of the hapless boy next door. Their relationship drives the curious events and the wildly exotic colonial locations of the picture. In fact, the plot twists and special effects have almost nothing to do with this story's decidedly UNpostmodern themes: the significance of the marriage bond and its relationship to the Eternal. But three key sequences standout for their arresting visuals and intimate dialogue: Gladys Cooper's exquisite deathbed scene; Donna Reed's struggle with her subsequent grief (the sequence where Reed has to pull herself up a towering rock face to escape the ocean's tide and later relate her shock and collapsed faith in God, demonstrates that one of film's greatest beauties was second to none in acting talent.); and last, Van Heflin's farewell scene with his unspoken love, Lana Turner. The director makes the most of Heflin's ugly-beautiful looks in long closeup and gives him the most complex dialogue in the picture. And that's saying alot! The screeplay of "[Green] Dolphin Street", like so many in the golden age of American film, and unlike virtually all today, delivers maximum value per word. I recommend that viewers watch this movie alone the first time. It's NOT hip. Just deep and as relevant now as when it was made.

If you've got 2 and a half hours, a cup of tea, and an appreciation of costume melodrama, this is the flick for you. Starring Lana Turner and Donna Reed as loving sisters whose lives and loves take a very different turn, Green Dolphin Street carries the viewer through tragedy, disaster, and utlimately, the realization that it is not we who are in charge of our lives, but a greater Love. The special effects still hold up, the costumes are great, and the performances by Turner, Reed, Van Heflin, and Richard Hart are first rate.

This wildly entertaining film set in the days of the great clipper ships has Donna Reed and Lana Turner as sisters in love with the same man for different reasons. Turner is fantastic as the brash sister, Marianne, who is as sharp as her father when it comes to business matters. Donna Reed holds her own, however, as the pretty but more reserved Marguerite.

Elizabeth Goudge's sprawling novel won an MGM contest, and judging by the fabulous results, it was a fine choice. Sam Raphaelson wrote the screenplay and the film was given a lush look by photographer George Folsey and art director Cedric Gibbons. A beautiful score from Bronislau Kaper and a great supporting cast gave director Victor Saville all the ingredients he needed to fashion this fun to watch and lovely to look at epic.

Marianne and Marguerite discover that the new young man they are interested in, William (Richard Hart), even though he is below their station, has, through his father, ties to their own mother. Happily married to their sweet but easy to get around dad, Octavius (Edmund Gwenn), she was once filled with love for William's father, portrayed by Frank Morgan. It was a doomed love that has become only a sweet memory to her now.

Marianne is in love with the man she sees William becoming one day, and though it inspires him to join the Navy in an effort to become a gentleman, it is Marguerite's love of who he is now that wins his heart. Marguerite lives in her dreams the years he is at sea, waiting to be with William when she can. But when he is labeled a deserter after he misses his ship, he joins Van Heflin on board the Green Dolphin and the two find wealth in a far land with timber.

A note written at sea when William was drunk in which he accidentally wrote Marianne rather than his beloved Margueritte brings Marianne across the sea while breaking Margueritte's heart. William has neither the strength or cruelty, as his business partner Heflin points out, to shame her, so marries the wrong sister. Both sisters love each other very much, and it is one of the more refreshing aspects to the story.

While Marianne helps William and Heflin with their business ventures, Marguerite finds the love her sister knows is missing in her life with William. Her love will be for God, however, and she is on the verge of giving her life to Him when William and Margueritte return. Marianne has found William's original note proclaiming his love for her sister, and knows she must tell her. But does William love Marianne now, and does Margueritte's remembrance of her great love mean more to her than God?

This is a stunning production wrapped around an involving story which is long but never boring. Exotic lands and native uprisings, floods, earthquakes and a tidal wave all hold the viewer's interest. A young Turner and lovely Reed would be enough alone to do so. This is a plush and romantic film of the first order. All who love this type of film will be enthralled by it. It is the very definition of entertainment.

This is certainly a different sort of movie and, for that, I am willing to look more on the positive side. The most unique aspect of this film is the New Zealand location and the insight to the early days of its' European colonization. The relationship between settlers and Maoris is nicely developed along with the apparent geological issues that New Zeraland faces. I learned a few things in those categories. For one thing, I had always thought of the Maoris as a sea-faring culture and I didn't realize that New Zealand was as impacted by earthquakes as it apparently is (was?). There is a major scene in the movie that shows a major earthquake and it looks like it was probably ahead of its' time, technologically speaking.

The story itself has to do with loving your second choice. There are two generations that demonstrate the love that materializes in the wake of true love that was intercepted. The first example is almost mentioned in passing until a death bed confession brings the whole movie into focus. It is the second example that plays out over the course of the movie and, all in all, is rather well presented. Believe it or not (and I had a hard time believing it) a young man sends for the WRONG sister to come from the Channel Islands to join him in New Zealand for the purpose of marriage. In those days you couldn't just say "oops" and book a return flight. As we follow the sister who won the groom, we also find out what happens to the one left behind. There is a feeling of "all's well that ends well" to "Green Dolphin Street" that gives us a positive feeling. However, there were a few odds and ends that kept this from being a great movie. Frankly, for example, I thought the earthquake was a bit too much and, in hindsight, it added nothing to the story. There seemed to be a lack of purpose for some of the characters; Frank Morgan and Van Heflin come to mind. Morgan wasn't given enough of a chance to demonstrate that he was once a secret love or that his downfall was the result of of that same denied love. He merely looks like a sort of retired vaudvillian with a tag-along bumpkin of a son (where did the son come from-or did I miss something early in the movie). Van Heflin plays the movie's heavy and does a credible job in the role. Other than doing the right thing at the right time on a couple of occassions, he just seems to be another member of the troupe.

With such a unique array of settings and circumstances, I found the movie compelling to a degree that offset the occassional disappointments. It's a bit long; probably due to an interesting but unnecessary earthquake.

Love. That's what this film is about. The different kinds of love and the interaction of learning to love with developing a sense of self. I won't repeat what all the other reviewers here have done so well but add a couple of additional observations. First of all the set location of a tidal flat on an isle was dramatic and awe inspiring. This setting also is important to the plot as Donna Reed climbs literally and figuratively to a new level in her life in her character, Marguerite. SPECIAL EFFECTS. Don't trash this film for the special effects.....actually, they are quite good for the time and as other reviewers have written, these effects surround the earthquake and volcanic activity in New Zealand. DIALOGUE - Quite profound at times, especially the sequences and dialogues where Lana Turner's Marianne discusses the development of the virtue of humility, which she sorely lacks in her youth. CHARACTERS - this is a longer than average movie which enables time for EXCELLENT CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT - depicting the characters in many varying circumstances. SPIRITUALITY - This is an excellent depiction by Donna Reed about how, oftentimes, people only develop a personal relationship with God after severe shock and depression in their lives and how their finding of God helps them to become healed and renewed. Quite well done by Donna Reed.