Review: South Sea Woman

 Set during WWII with Marine Gunnery Sergeant Burt Lancaster facing court martial for desertion, theft, and several other charges. It’s got something to do with his war buddy Chuck Connors (in his first major role), and the displaced showgirl Connors plans on marrying (Virginia Mayo), but we only gradually learn the details. Lancaster refuses to defend himself on the stand, choosing to stay mute, though Mayo appears to want Lancaster to defend himself against the charges, and his attorney brings in witnesses nonetheless. Flashbacks tell us the story of how this predicament came about, whilst occasionally coming back to the courtroom scene. Veola Vonn plays Mme. Duval, a hotel owner on the Vichy French island of Namou, who is called upon to testify at one point.

 

A lesser-known Burt Lancaster film, this one was released the same year as the much more popular “From Here to Eternity” in 1953. Based on a play by William Rankin (who wrote the story “Fighting Father Dunne” was based on), and directed for the screen by Arthur Lubin (the very, very minor “Escapade in Japan”), it’s pretty enjoyable, but by the end you feel the court case was much ado about very little. I guess desertion is meant to be a big deal and all, but it’s not terribly shocking to me, so I kept waiting for the real crime to be revealed. Nope, that’s all there really is, and to be honest I think the courtroom stuff is far more compelling than the mostly light comedy (minus the laughs) flashbacks. By the way, if you were under the impression that “Anatomy of a Murder” was the first film to use the word ‘panties’, I’m here to tell you that this film uses the word several years beforehand. So it’s got that going for it.

 

The performances are what really get this one over the line, with one of Chuck Connors’ best efforts, in particular. He’s terrific (and he clearly dwarfs Lancaster, who ain’t a dwarf to say the least. Chuck was a tall dude!), and Veola Vonn is lively and fun, too, albeit playing the biggest French cliché in cinematic history. As for the leads, Virginia Mayo is perfectly OK and Lancaster is an easy sell in a mostly glum (intentionally) role. For me the biggest debit here is the overly loud music score by David Buttolph (“Western Union”, “Kiss of Death”, “Rope”), otherwise it’s perfectly acceptable modest entertainment.

 

A solid B-movie, no more, but no less. Lancaster would make more significant films before and after this film, but this one’s enjoyable, if not shocking or revelatory (Casting Burt Lancaster pretty much tells you there’s more to the character than just being a deserter, let’s face it). It’s better than “Rope of Sand” at least, and fans of any of the three main stars will probably want to check it out. The screenplay is by Edwin Blum (“The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes”, “The Canterville Ghost”, “Stalag 17”), Earl Baldwin (“Doctor X”, “Pin Up Girl”, and Stanley Shapiro (“Pillow Talk”, “Bedtime Story”).

 

Rating: B-