Flame of the Islands

She is no Ava Gardner and no Rita Hayworth, but reminds of both. In fact, Ava Gardner would have done perfectly in this role, if you forget about the singing - not even Rita Hayworth would have made singing performances like that, although Yvonne's dancing isn't bad at all. And what about all the guys around her? Zachary Scott is all right and is the one who behaves well. The less said about Kurt Kasznar, the better. Howard Duff was promising indeed, the perfect man to marry, but then there was all that business about his mother, who couldn't live without him, and a godmother on top of that, who is even more possessive. The ladies play the major part in this Caribbean soap opera, although the story and intrigue is quite good and fascinating. Yvonne de Carlo remains the one star of the film, outshining everyone else and dominating every scene. Although the script is good, the dialog could have been better. The hoodlums add some spice into the soup. It's great entertainment in gorgeous surroundings, all the best in the Caribbean, but apparently the budget was a minimum, the screening is poor, and the direction seems rather casual. Nevertheless, the film is definitely worth seeing for the sake of Yvonne de Carlo and her character.