Ah, Technicolor, poor writing, and bad acting. What’s not to like? Ok, so this is less of a movie recommendation than a movie review for a flick that features Fiji. I can’t honestly say I recommend it, for reasons I’ll explain.

This movie is based on the novel of the same name, which is based on real individuals and events. The story is about Captain David O’Keefe, an American sea captain who was tossed overboard during a mutiny in the South Pacific. He lands on the island of Yap, where he is rescued by the natives and a German tradesman living there. O’Keefe notices the abundance of coconuts on the island and instantly sees dollar signs. Copra, it turns out (the meaty flesh of the coconut from which coconut oil is extracted) is big business and he wants to get in on the action. Unfortunately, he can’t seem to bribe or cajole the natives into helping him get the copra. That is, he can’t do it until he finds that they are ecstatic about a certain rock (Fei), a sacred rock that the natives will risk their lives to obtain. When O’Keefe finds a way to get them Fei in abundance, his luck shifts and the natives are willing to do his bidding.

There’s more to the story, including love interests and attempts at kidnapping for the slave trade, but I’ll leave that to you to discover. The movie itself is only 91 minutes long and I’d hate to spoil it for you. Instead, I’ll focus on the setting. While the film was ostensibly meant to represent the island of Yap, the actual setting for the movie was Fiji (Suva to be specific). The filming took place over eight months, and the beauty of the island is apparent (despite it being in Technicolor). In addition, the dances that are shown throughout the movie are Fijian. (The setting does shift to Hong Kong periodically as well, but the main heart of the movie is Fiji.)

I’ll say the movie is not one you’re going to want to watch more than once. Heck, you might not even want to watch it all the way through the first time. The over-acting actors are painful. The depictions of the natives and women and Chinese are offensive. The dialogue is stilted. At times I kept expecting Gilligan to come out of the shadows to give a zinger line. The bully in the movie is literally named Bully. If you’re watching for the beauty of the island, I’d say just watch some episodes of Survivor. It will be far more entertaining, though you’ll miss the Fijian dancing. But if you want to see Burt Lancaster with a terrible tan awkwardly kissing what is supposed to be a 17 y/o and creepily ogling native women, go for this movie. You can’t go wrong.

You can watch the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oU2PJCOLjBI