Isle of Fury

Early in the history of Hollywood, studios would sign actors to contracts and then would throw them into as many pictures as they could shuffle out to get the most bang for their buck. As long as your films weren’t bombing consistently you generally stayed on contract. If your Star was rising significantly during this time when it came time to renew that contract you could use that as leverage to get a better contract, even if that meant going to a rival studio who was willing to pay more for your box office draw. Meanwhile, the average up-and-comer had little to no clout when it came to choosing what they would or would not appear in. It was a catch-22. If you complained too much you were labeled as ‘difficult.’ If you said nothing and just did whatever you were told you risked being sunk by terrible films. The best you could do was be good in something, even if that something was terrible. Christopher Lee made the observation that every actor makes bad films. The trick is to not be bad in them. Such is the case with Isle of Fury, a film that would not be out of place in the Roger Corman catalog. Humphrey Bogart stands out, though, providing a little light in what could have easily been a throwaway part.

In Isle of Fury, Bogart is playing the enigmatic Val Stevens, a man who is living on an island in the Pacific, managing local pearl divers. When we first see Val he is getting married to the lovely Lucille Gordon (Margaret Lindsay) when the ceremony is interrupted by news that a ship off the coast is sinking. The remainder of the ceremony is quickly concluded and Val rushes off on a rescue mission, saving Captain Denver (Paul Graetz) and a passenger, Eric Blake (Donald Woods). Val is painted as a bit quixotic but ultimately friendly and welcoming to the two strangers.

Blake, upon recovering from the shipwreck, is smitten by Lucille, a feeling that plagues him even after hearing that she is a married woman. He is also deeply troubled upon hearing the name of his rescuer. The name is familiar to him but he gives no indication as to why. Blake’s fondness for Lucille goes unnoticed by Val but not to the local doctor and friend of Val’s, Dr. Hardy (E. E. Clive). In one conversation between the two, Dr. Hardy spells out a comparison between Blake and Lucille with that of King David and Bathsheba in the Bible. The conversation is heavy handed and a bit on the nose, yet not to the point of being preachy. It does, however, feel like the Blake and Lucille moments were written into the film to shew-in this comparison. Donald Woods sells the dilemma of a man who wants something he knows he cannot have. We also sense that this isn’t the only thing troubling Blake.   

Meanwhile, Val’s character is being put to the test when his pearl divers refuse to dive anymore thanks to several of the men not returning to the surface. Val sees no value in threatening them, trying to force them into the water or firing them. Instead, he puts himself in danger by going down himself to prove there is nothing to be afraid of. It is during his dive we get a real Cormanesque flavor to the film, twenty years before Corman made his first film. The effects during that dive and what is found down there are laughably bad, easily the silliest and most absurd moment of the entire picture. It’s played seriously and is only on screen for a few minutes saving the film from being completely derailed in camp. Movies in the mid to late 50’s would center their whole story around monsters of the deep. Thankfully, Isle of Fury relegates it to just a few short minutes, moving on quickly in more down to earth dramas including an attempt to rob Val of his pearls and money and kill him as well as a man, Captain Denver, mistaking Blake for a man wanted for murder in the United States and holding everyone at gunpoint in an attempt to claim the reward money. All of this is crammed into a very trim one hour runtime.

Ultimately it is revealed that Val is the wanted man and Blake is there to arrest him for the murder. Blake, upon getting first hand experience into Val’s character, has begun to doubt the validity of the claims against Val and must make a choice between arresting him of leaving without him. The finale, along with the moral decision Blake must make feels a little rushed but plays out satisfactorily. It would, however, been better served cropping up earlier in the film and we see Blake wrestling with it throughout Instead of it being just a few short minutes towards the end. 

A big part of why this film works better than most B-pictures of this type, is the cast. Bogart is a delight to watch but he isn’t the only one. Equally good is the sermonizing Dr. Hardy. E. E. Clive is perfectly droll and on the nose as the friend who sees everything that is going on around him and quietly interjects biblical passages to get a point across. Margaret Lindsay is also good here as the newly Mrs. Stevens who has married to fulfill a promise to her dying mother but isn’t completely sure of her love for Val. Blake’s arrival sparks the first doubts in her mind as, prior to his arrival, there were no other viable men for her to choose from. Of the leads, only Donald Woods comes across less than good. There is nothing about his performance that elevates it above standard fare. There’s nothing ultimately wrong with it, it just doesn’t stand out among a cast of more colorful characters.

This is the type of film actors early in their careers take on because they have no choice. Lessor performers would just sleepwalk through it, accepting that it was bad but taking the paycheck. Bogart looks genuinely happy to be here, something he would not be able to do a few years later in such films as The Return of Doctor X or Swing Your Lady. Here he is still having fun in the part, though, even this early in his career, the part is beneath him.

Release Date: October 10, 1936

Running Time: 60 Minutes

Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Margaret Lindsay, Donald Woods, E.E. Clive, Paul Graetz

Directed By: Frank McDonald