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Special Features
- Pre-Code Hollywood Double Feature: Bird of Paradise (1932, 80 min.) - Uncut with Dolores Del Rio's nude swimming scene intact - & The Lady Refuses (1931)
- Presented in original Sepia Tone
Editorial Reviews
Now offered on a DVD-R. Two Pre-Code romances on one great disc! This double bill features the South Seas love story Bird of Paradise and the office romance The Lady Refuses.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:VHS Tape
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 native dancing to idyllic, romantic interludes. The film was made rather quickly - stars Del Rio and McCrea had other commitments - and the script was was literally slapped together. BIRD OF PARADISE cost RKO more than a million dollars to make, a high expence in 1932; this lush, albeit antique romantic drama has long been overshadowed by the largely inferior 1951 Technicolor remake with Debra Paget and Louis Jourdan.
15 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I hope that Amazon will clear up the information listed for this DVD. They list the cast of the remake from the 50's, they have the aspect ratio as widescreen. Which verson of the film is being offered here?? Please clear this up so that those that order will not be disapointed. I am not even sure that the widescreen verson from the 50's is even available on DVD.
14 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Has Amazon ever cleared up the confusion regarding the version of this movie. The jacket shows the original 1932 version but the cast is from the 1951 remake.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
GREAT DOUBLE FEATURE!!!!!
This Roan double feature is the one to get. Two great pre-codes that are excellently entertaining. I do not see any print issues and am very satisfied.
Published on April 11, 2010 by larryj1
Exotic and Erotic
BIRD OF PARADISE is one of those films that remained unseen for years thanks to its pre-code nudity and the fact that a lame 1951 remake made sure that it sat on the shelf. Read more
Published on January 14, 2009 by Chip Kaufmann
Very good CD.
This is one of the earliest sound films of our Mexican Diva, Dolores del Río, performed in USA. The story and the photography are so good. Read more
Published on September 12, 2008 by J. CALDERON
GB
If you are a b&w movie buff, you will love this. Filmed in Hawaii on the big island, near Kalapana and Keaau, there are beautiful beach scenes. I can't imagine not enjoying it.
Published on August 29, 2008 by Bogey B
Cinematography is the star of this film
Despite Del Rio's energetic and charming performance, this film belongs to the Oscar-winning (White Shadows In The South Seas, 1928)cinematographer. Read more
Published on December 4, 2007 by Arne Andersen
Bird of Paradise: A Bold Display of Racism and American Heroism
The film Bird of Paradise, directed by King Vidor in 1932, tells the love story of an American sailor, Johnny, and a Polynesian woman, Luana, daughter of the island's tribal chief. Read more
Published on October 5, 2005 by Sarah Dickinson
Well, It Was Pretty...
This movie is about a group of American men who visit an island. The natives greet them enthusiastically and all seems well. Read more
Published on June 28, 2005 by Samantha Glasser
Strange, engrossing
Strange and amateurish in many regards, yet fascinating and engrossing in its own way, this David O. Read more
Published on April 11, 2004 by M. Harris
Hope I like it
I have only seen the 1951 remake of Bird of Paradise when I was a lot younger and I loved it then! I have been relentlessly searching for the 1951 version, but to no avail. Read more
Published on January 8, 2003
One film's a turkey, the other's kinda fun
This DVD gathers two little-known, lesser films of the early sound era. "BIRD OF PARADISE" is an incredibly offensive exercise in exoticized racism, charmingly set in the Hawaiian... Read more
Published on December 9, 2002 by DJ Joe Sixpack
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