Expert: Mel - 8/12/2006

Question
I remember as a kid seeing a black and white movie about a military man that goes to a island and falls in love with a native girl who ends up jumping into a volcano to save her village.  I have never forgotten this movie and don't know what it is called.

Answer
Hello Kathy,

This one took a bit of searching for. It may have been easier if I had know what the years were when you were just "a kid", but never mind.

Happily, I have come up with a film called "BIRD OF PARADISE". It was made in 1932 and starred Joel McRae and Dolores Del Rio. Here is a brief storyline:

"A young American sailor, Johnny Barker (Joel McCrea), falls overboard and is saved by a beautiful Polynesian princess, Luana (Dolores Del Rio). They fall in love, but their idyllic romance is shattered when the local volcano begins to erupt. Johnny discovers that the local custom is to sacrifice a young woman to the volcanic gods. They try to escape but realize that "east is east and west is west, and never the twain shall meet" and Luana goes to meet her fate at the hands of Pele, the Volcano God."

That sounds like the one to me. It was re-made in colour in 1951 with Debra Paget, Louis Jourdan and Jeff Chandler.

Here's a link in case you want to purchase a copy:

http://tinyurl.com/g65eq


Glad to be of help. Cheers.......Mel.