Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This needs to be in the south seas adventure hall of fame., March 9, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: South of Pago Pago [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Edward Small took director Alfred E. Green's cast and crew - an uncommonly attractive and brilliant assemblage- to the south seas to do the majority of this curiously undersung piece on location. Far less stylized/dated than Goldwyn's THE HURRICANE, it is admittedly riddled with cliches and formula, but packaged in such visual and technical excellence it scarcely matters. There are scenes that will stop the heart. Chiseled adonis Jon Hall and porcelain idol Frances Farmer outlined in profile(s) against the steaming background volcano take the romantic closeup to a level that defies comparison. Edward Small's films typically were strings of frames any one of which was an individual work of art in itself. What can one say but that with this one he outdid even himself, as did workhorse composer Edward Ward on song and score, some years prior to his work on Universal's stunning PHANTOM OF THE OPERA.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
BUCKO LARSON., September 25, 2002
This review is from: South of Pago Pago [VHS] (VHS Tape)
A better-than-average action film which co-stars two attractive actors in the leads: the ultimately tragic Frances Farmer and the adonis-like Jon Hall. Victor McLaglen plays the above character, who leads an expedition to the South Seas in search of pearls, but meets with resistance from a tribal chief who is protecting his people's wealth from the fortune hunters. McLaglen uses Farmer as a ploy to attract their chief, Hall & the pair marry. But the pearl hunt is thwarted...A hard-hitting action film with first-rate photography (colour would have elevated this to five stars). Frances Farmer was beautiful and talented but self-destructive: her alcoholism would impede her career and force her early retirement in 1942 at the age of 28. Farmer was eventually committed to mental institutions - with her mother's approval. Eventually, after many hellish experiences, she made a comeback in an inept 1958 film entitled THE PARTY CRASHERS, co-starring with the equally tragic former child star Bobby Driscoll. Farmer hosted a television movie matinee in Indianapolis entitled FRANCES FARMER PRESENTS. When she slurred her words thusly: FRANCES FARMER PREVENTS on the air, she was quickly dismissed into total obscurity from the public: she died in 1970 aged 56. Jessica Lange played her life story excellently in the biographical film from 1982 entitled FRANCES.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Very Underated Film., February 3, 2012
This review is from: South of Pago Pago [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Shifty South Seas pirate,Bucko Larsen(Victor McLaglen)gets word about an island with a fortune in pearls from Manuel Ferro(Abner Bibberman)another not to be trusted crook. After finding the island, Manuel is murdered. Bucko finds that the islands chief Kehane(Jon Hall)is in love with island girl Malia(Olympe Bradna)The pirate had brought along trashy bar tart Ruby Taylor(Francis Farmer)and much to Buckos delight she and kehane are attracted to each other,making it easier for the divers to do the pirates dirty work by going on dangerous missions. The village doctor(Gene Lockhart)has suspicions about Bucko.Soon,Ruby is tired of Buckos cruel,evil,selfish,ways. As the loot pours in profiting Bucko and his gang,kehane and the others find Bucko is only looking out for himself and has little regard about the island people and the missions they go on getting the pearls. Great Film.Victor,again,as in many other movies, steals the show.
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