Islands in the Stream

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.

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.

"Islands in the Stream" takes place on an island in the Caribbean just before World War II. George C. Scott plays a sculptor, Thomas Hudson, who married twice, has three sons, and chooses to work in isolated island exile. Claire Bloom plays his estranged wife. The film has an episodic structure, probably because the screenwriter, Denne Bart Petitclerc based his script on a series of short stories by Ernest Hemingway that appeared in a women's magazine under the title "Island (singular) in the Stream." Had Hemingway lived, he would have combined this and additional material to publish the collection as a novel. Petitclerc does a good job of translating the work to the screen.

The episodes could stand alone, yet each is sufficiently connected both in character and time consecutively to create a coherent, full-length film. The first, "The Boys," has the greatest strength. We see the arrival of Hudson's sons and how each brings out a different quality in the relation of parent and child. Scott handles this, and the whole film, with a natural, understated, and thoughtful strength. His admirers should make an effort to see this wonderful performance in this lesser-known production. In the middle episode, Claire Bloom as the second wife complements Scott beautifully in a dialog minuet which unfolds the decline of their marriage.

The film also features excellent performances by David Hemmings and Michael-James Wixted as the sensitive middle son. A check of the IMDb reveals that he never made another movie, and that's a loss.

While the action takes place on a British possession in the West Indies, the producers chose to do the actual filming in Hawaii. The score by Jerry Goldsmith and cinematography by Fred Koenekamp work well. Koenekamp received an Oscar nomination for his work here; he'd previously won it for his work on Patton, also with director Franklin Schaffner and Scott. I recommend seeing this film in widescreen format for Koenekamp's compositions.

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.

I found this film in the bargain DVD bin, so I went ahead and got it. The movie moves slow, but in a peaceful way, capturing the charm of real-life in the Caribbean. It's mostly an atmosphere-movie -- the charm of the movie is not so much in it's plot (Hemingway writes much better than his movies translate) but in the feel of the characters, and the beauty of its locale.

Set in the 1940's, it barely touches on WWII, and when it does, it seems to do so 'down a long hallway, darkly' -- that is to say, it feels distant.

George C Scott does a pretty darned good job with the lead character. Great actors never fail to elevate a movie. There's another fine performance put in by David Hemmings (Who I'd never seen before, and I learn from the IMDb database died in 2003) as the 'rummy' named Eddy.

The musical score is weird -- it really seems to stay with you after the movie is done. The previous commenter is correct -- the movie has a dreamy feel to it. There's very little by way of violence (at least by today's standards). What little there is, at the end, is accompanied by garishly bright and unrealistic blood.

Nonetheless, check this film out. It's truly an interesting and fun film.