Islands in the Stream

Scott plays a sculptor living on an island visited by his three sons. This is is an adaptation of a story by Hemingway that works most of the time. The child actors are exceptional in their roles as is the rest of the cast. Probably one of Scotts premiere performances. The story takes many turns, with the finest moments in the first half of the movie. I recommend viewing Islands in the Stream.

With Islands In The Stream, George C. Scott took his place as an existential Hemingway hero along side such Hollywood luminaries as Gary Cooper, Humphrey Bogart, Gregory Peck, Spencer Tracy, Tyrone Power and Rock Hudson. With that beard he grew for the film he even looks the part of Hemingway.

In this partially autobiographical novel it's first set in the Bahamas where Scott, a painter has gone to get away from the rest of the world. He fishes, he consorts with loose women, and when he's got time and a need for cash, he paints and sells the product to keep going. It sounds like an ideal existence.

Unfortunately World War II intervenes and his three sons by different women all visit him. The oldest, Hart Bochner, has made his mind up to enlist in the Royal Air Force. The two youngest go back to Europe.

One of Scott's good friend is charter boat captain Gilbert Roland who has a side living smuggling refugees, mostly Jews, from Europe to any place in the western hemisphere he can drop them off. A lot times that's Cuba, but the Cuban government is taking a dim view of his activities.

Scott also has as two good friends, native Bahamian Julius Harris, and David Hemmings a young man with a drinking problem. Hemmings's character is ripped off from Hemingway's previous story, To Have and Have Not although Walter Brennan was a good deal older. He even used the same name.

Claire Bloom is also around as the first wife who visits after their son leaves for service. Scott still loves her in his own way, but she's well aware of his fidelity problem. To remind them both is working girl Susan Tyrell.

Ernest Hemingway wrote the story in the early Fifties and discarded it and his widow published it in the early seventies. Probably Papa Hemingway didn't think all that much of it. It certainly doesn't rate with some of his better known work. But second rate Hemingway is better than first rate from most writers.

The cast all give uniformly good performances and the cinematography is just great. Reason enough to see it.

From the opening score and scenes of the water, I was drawn to watch this movie. It was filmed somewhere in the Caribbean and the location was breathtaking. George C. Scott was perfect in the role of Tom Hudson, an Ernest Hemingway-ish character who was a complicated, lonely artist and expatriate who sculpted, drank, and fished his life away. It wasn't until the tragic end that he came to know what he'd been missing.

The music score was haunting and beautiful. I was so impressed with it that I ordered the soundrack.

This film had been slated by some English critics I later discovered - one describing it as "awful". I hadn't read about it beforehand and was pleasantly surprised - no violence, explosions, sex! A soft, gentle film with romantic and family angst heavily emphasised. George C Scott was excellent in the 'Hemingway' role and had splendid support from the rest of the cast, especially Claire Bloom and Julius Harris (I except David Hemmings from this who came close to spoiling it with hamming it up; very annoying). The ending didn't do the rest of it justice, I felt; a little too much sugar! Well photographed and a good score too. A good film for a wet afternoon.

George C. Scott is at his best in this adaptation of a Hemingway story (which, if I'm not mistaken was left unfinished) about a man who, late in life, is experiencing regrets over the loss of time with his sons. The main character, like Hemingway, was married multiple times and always seemed to run out on them shortly after the children were born. As a result, his relationships with his three sons is strained, to say the least. It's obvious Hemingway was being autobiographical here, but unlike the lead in the movie who tries to make good (albiet late), Hemingway chose suicide over mending fences. At least the lead character TRIES to make a run from his tropical island home to the mainland to be with his kids full-time. To me, these parallel stories (true and fictional) makes this movie incredibly sad and wistful, while at the same time great acting and exceptional writing provide great impact as well.