Engaging yet somewhat uneven drama features the brooding, withdrawn Howard enamoured by the sultry (and mute) warrior daughter (Kerima) of a local chieftain on an Indonesian trading outpost after he's brought to the island by Captain Richardson, much to the chagrin of Robert Morley's character who regards Howard as a troublemaker.
Kerima is as exotic as she is enigmatic, and amid the backdrop of their torrid, forbidden affair, it's never really certain to whom her allegiance is sworn. Howard's besottedness soon becomes a vulnerability Morley is able to exploit to prove his instinctive distrust, whilst shifty tribal middleman Coulouris sees the opportunity to leverage Howard's weakness for financial & political gain in the important trade route which has otherwise remained in Richardson's monopolistic grip.
Nicely photographed and generally well-constructed South Seas romantic-melodrama meanders a bit, sometimes neglecting plot and pacing for characterisation, as Howard takes his time to reveal a deeply-insecure vagabond, tragically beguiled by the destructive wild thing he can't resist, despite patient warnings of the imminent peril it will bring.
Seductive newcomer Kerima (French former model turned actress and later wife to Guy Hamilton) is well-cast despite not having any dialogue, and Howard excels in the type of role for which he became synonymous; rugged, tough exterior disguising a deeply flawed personality which invariably leads to catastrophe. Very watchable.
Kerima is as exotic as she is enigmatic, and amid the backdrop of their torrid, forbidden affair, it's never really certain to whom her allegiance is sworn. Howard's besottedness soon becomes a vulnerability Morley is able to exploit to prove his instinctive distrust, whilst shifty tribal middleman Coulouris sees the opportunity to leverage Howard's weakness for financial & political gain in the important trade route which has otherwise remained in Richardson's monopolistic grip.
Nicely photographed and generally well-constructed South Seas romantic-melodrama meanders a bit, sometimes neglecting plot and pacing for characterisation, as Howard takes his time to reveal a deeply-insecure vagabond, tragically beguiled by the destructive wild thing he can't resist, despite patient warnings of the imminent peril it will bring.
Seductive newcomer Kerima (French former model turned actress and later wife to Guy Hamilton) is well-cast despite not having any dialogue, and Howard excels in the type of role for which he became synonymous; rugged, tough exterior disguising a deeply flawed personality which invariably leads to catastrophe. Very watchable.