Iceland

Of course, you couldn't expect much more from a Sonja Henie movie. The plot was thin, basically about an Icelandic girl who falls in love with a Marine stationed in Iceland, who is reluctant to get married.

The skating numbers and music were terrific. The one where Sonja Henie dressed in Chinese, Hawaiian, and Latin costumes and skates around is exceptionally well done. The end number is also fantastic, and the songs, especially "There Will Never Be Another You" were all good.

This doesn't hold a candle to Sun Valley Serenade, but if you like light entertainment that involves ice skating, I'd say give this a try.

A pretty miss in ICELAND falls for an American Marine corporal stationed there temporarily during World War Two.

Sonja Henie was Norway's ice queen when she won Olympic gold medals for skating in 1928, 1932 & 1936. After going professional, she began a celebrated movie career at 20th Century Fox in 1936 with her American film debut, ONE IN A MILLION. Beautiful & talented, as well as being a natural in front of the cameras, she carved out her own special niche during Hollywood's Golden Age. Although Miss Henie's ice routines may look antiquated by comparison to modern champions, there was nothing antique about her dazzling smile or sparkling personality. In this regard, some of today's snowflake princesses could still learn a great deal from her.

As her career progressed, it became increasingly difficult for 20th Century Fox to find decent stories for Miss Henie and the excuses for the lavish ice dancing numbers were often implausible. No matter. Audiences did not flock to her films to watch Sonja recite Shakespeare. The movies were meant to be pure escapist fantasy, plain & simple.

ICELAND is no exception and its story is often quite ludicrous. However, the skating episodes are pleasing and there is a generous amount of band music supplied by the Sammy Kaye Orchestra, which introduces 'There Will Never Be Another You,' by Mack Gordon & Harry Warren.

Thanks to the script, John Payne's romance with Sonja is kept a rather dull affair. As Payne's sidekick, Jack Oakie comes across as loud & annoying. Felix Bressart, a fine actor when given something decent to work with, plays Sonja's silly Papa.

Fritz Feld makes the most of his few minutes as an inquisitive Icelandic functionary. Movie mavens will recognize an oddly uncredited Sterling Holloway, who is very funny as Sonja's erstwhile suitor.

Ultimately, though, this is Sonja's show. She glides effortlessly into the viewer's heart, while balancing on a thin edge of silver, suspended over frozen water.

20th Century-Fox showed little imagination when they decided to team SONJA HENIE and JOHN PAYNE again after the huge success of SUN VALLEY SERENADE. Unfortunately, it doesn't work this time, despite the presence of some likable supporting players and Sammy Kaye and his Orchestra.

The gave a wartime slant to the story by having John Payne as a stubborn marine in love with a flirtatious Norwegian skater (Henie) who sets her cap for him despite a series of misunderstandings and mishaps. Add a band like Sammy Kaye and his Orchestra, a couple of potential hit ballads ("There Will Never Be Another You" and "I Love A Military Man") and a little comic relief (Jack Oakie, Sterling Holloway) and you have a formula for a successful Fox musical.

Not so. Everything about the plot seems like nothing more than filler material to fill in between skating interludes. Henie smiles her dimpled smile and and goes through her part with her usual enthusiasm but this time the romance with John Payne is as weak as the silly storyline that has him duped into pretending they're married.

The film's biggest compensations are the skating sequences and here the star is shown in pretty costumes during an extensive and rather extravagant routine in which she skates to various tempos of popular music--but there are just too many dull stretches and limp comic moments between skating to bring the film up to SUN VALLEY SERENADE's standard.

The supporting cast can't be blamed. Felix Brassert, Stanley Holloway (uncredited) and Jack Oakie are all up to the comedy relief their roles offer and do their best with some passable material.

Nevertheless, the film was a huge money-maker for Fox due to the commercial success of Henie's previous hit--but be warned. It's no "Sun Valley Serenade". If you don't expect too much, perhaps Sonja's big skating number will be worth waiting for.

Whatever the merits of Ms. Henie and Mr. Payne, this movie is a must for all World War II buffs. It is the only movie that I know of about the United States's invasion of Iceland. Hardly anyone knows that the United States occupied Iceland in July of 1941, five months before the attack on Pearl Harbor. The U. S. took over occupation from U. K. forces who had been there since 1940. The reason this occupation was that Iceland was a superb base to protect the North Atlantic sea lanes.

The invasion was part of conspiracy theorists's belief that Roosevelt and Churchill plotted to get the United States into the war.

Besides, Sonja may be the best ice skater of all time -- look up her Olympic record -- and is as cute as a button.

Having seen all previous Sonja Henie movies-including Sun Valley Serenade which also featured her leading man John Payne and was directed by Bruce Humberstone, same as this one-this one is perhaps even more contrived than those others. It concerns a mixup between Ms. Henie and Payne concerning whether a wedding between them will be held or not. This was made while the US was involved in World War II so the numbers are of the patriotic kind as performed by Sammy Kaye and his Orchestra with singer Joan Merrill. Those numbers were highly enjoyable as were Ms. Henie's skate dances of which one of them has her partnered with Eugene Turner, a US skating champion. Supporting player Jack Oakie provides some funny lines, Sterling Holloway was also amusing in his brief scenes. But the banter between Ms. Henie and Payne wasn't funny and got increasingly tiring at the end. Good thing the movie's only about 90 minutes. So on that note, Iceland is worth a look for any Sonja Henie fans and nothing more.