Green Dolphin Street ** (1947, Lana Turner, Richard Hart, Edmund Gwenn, Van Heflin, Donna Reed, Frank Morgan) – Classic Movie Review 12,515

MGM’s 1947 historical disaster film Green Dolphin Street is an over-busy and unconvincing melodrama set in 19th-century New Zealand, where sisters Lana Turner and Donna Reed are vying for Richard Hart, romantic rival to Van Heflin.

‘A Fiery Girl Who Dares The Dangers Of The Sea And A Savage Land… Fighting For The Love Of A Bold Adventurer!’

Director Victor Saville’s 1947 MGM historical drama disaster film Green Dolphin Street is a nervously over-busy and largely unconvincing melodrama set in 19th-century New Zealand, where devastating earthquake and tidal wave give the MGM sound and visual special effects men the chance to show their mettle and win an Oscar for Best Special Effects.

In the 1840s, sisters Marianne and Marguerite Patourel (Lana Turner and Donna Reed) are vying for William Ozanne (Richard Hart), and Van Heflin also stars as Timothy Haslam who recently killed his brother-in-law in self-defence, is smuggled by ship Captain O’Hara (Reginald Owen) to New Zealand, and becomes romantic rival to William Ozanne.

Lana Turner, Van Heflin, Donna Reed and Richard Hart lead a big, big cast. The all-star cast also include the formidable team of Edmund Gwenn, Frank Morgan, Dame May Whitty, Reginald Owen, and Gladys Cooper. But, despite the studio’s best intentions, the film is none too special, brought down to the level of a weak soap opera by poor acting and a feeble story. The main problem is that, despite so much going on, the story doesn’t amount to anything much, and that the script by Samson Raphaelson is messy and unfocused. Though striking, it is a pity that Oscar-nominated cinematography by George J Folsey is in black and white.

Elizabeth Goudge was the winner of MGM’s first annual novel award, lucky to pick up $200,000 and even luckier to have a film made out of it, because other winners weren’t so honoured.

The title song ‘Green Dolphin Street’  by Bronislau Kaper became a jazz standard.

The film won the 1948 Academy Award for Best Special Effects, recognising its depiction of the earthquake. The 1948 Oscar winners are: A Arnold Gillespie (visual), Warren Newcombe (visual), Douglas Shearer (audible), and Michael Steinore (audible). It was also nominated in the categories Best Cinematography Black-and-White (George J Folsey), Best Film Editing (George White), and Best Sound Recording (Douglas Shearer).

So, although there was only the one win, it was still a technical triumph. But this came at a price. Because of its high cost ($4,391,000), it recorded a profit of only $339,000 despite being MGM’s most successful film of 1947 and earning a huge $7,173,000 globally.

The film was shot far from New Zealand on locations in Humboldt County, California.

Release date: October 15, 1947.

Running time: 142 minutes.

The cast are Lana Turner as Marianne Patourel, Van Heflin as Timothy Haslam, Donna Reed as Marguerite Patourel, Richard Hart as William Ozanne, Frank Morgan as Dr Edmond Ozanne, Edmund Gwenn as Octavius Patourel, Dame May Whitty as Mother, Superior, Reginald Owen as Captain O’Hara, Gladys Cooper as Sophie Patourel, Moyna Macgill as Mrs Metivier, Linda Christian as Hine-Moa, Bernie Gozier as Jacky-Poto, Patrick Aherne as Kapua-Manga, Al Kikume as A Maori, Edith Leslie as Sister Angelique, Ramsay Ames as Corinne, Gigi Perreau as Veronica (child), Lynn O’Leary-Jameson as Veronica (infant), and Douglas Walton as Sir Charles Maloney.

Richard Hart died of a coronary occlusion on January 2, 1951, aged only 35. He made only four feature films.

© Derek Winnert 2023 – Classic Movie Review 12,515

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