Bird of Paradise

Directed by the great King Vidor, this 1932 adventure came out of a vogue for exotic South Seas romances in the late 1920s and early '30s, mostly about white male adventurers and entrepreneurs who become intoxicated by island paradises and the beautiful women who populate them. Joel McCrea stars as all-American sailor Johnny Baker, who jumps ship to spend time on a tropical isle with the chief's beautiful young daughter, Luana (Dolores del Rio). McCrea is quite the strapping specimen—athletic, courageous, and thoughtful—a regular Boy Scout, minus the innocence. But del Rio was the bigger star and takes top billing here as the native princess betrothed to the prince of a nearby realm—she's a fantasy figure who is sexually forthright and sure of what she wants. Like most films in this genre, there's plenty of exotic spectacle, from impressive underwater photography to big production numbers featuring scantily clad dancers. Aside from a nude midnight swim (shot to suggest more than it shows), del Rio is generally adorned only in a grass skirt and a remarkably resilient lei, and McCrea is constantly removing his shirt. Long available only in poor public domain editions, Bird of Paradise is here remastered for Blu-ray and DVD from a preserved print that—apart from minor scuffing and fine scratches—offers a clarity unseen on any previous home video incarnation. Hardly essential, but often fun, this is a strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)