On an Island with You (1948)

A pretty swimmer does not a thespian make! This Esther Williams vehicle is seriously dragged down by weak acting and annoying characters. Peter Lawford was a wonderful talent. Guess he really needed a paycheck back in 1948. And maybe the country needed something like this to raise its spirits after the war...I'd never suffered through a movie with Jimmy Durante before. Aged 55 here but looking and behaving far more crochety, his tedious antics get old really fast.Even Cyd Charisse isn't used to advantage here. A skilled dancer, her amazing legs are hidden under sarongs in this misguided production!This film has a few good lines about love. Its happy ending may give unrequited lovers a little hope. But is it worth a couple hours of anyone's life? Probably not.

While Esther Williams never claimed to be a great actress she did well in most of her films. If she had a solid script and good costars her films were usually fun. Unfortunately in this film the script is so weak as to be laughable and Peter Lawford just did not fit the part of the wannabe Romeo. There is no chemistry between them and they just seem to be walking through their parts. Cyd Charisse, as noted by others, is the standout in her dance sequences and Ricardo Montalban is worth watching as well. The usually wonderful Jimmy Durante just rehashes some of his old routines and, while good, is not outstanding. As a final touch even the obligatory water ballet is lackluster. Of all her films this, in my opinion, is the one to miss.

Despite some reviews to the contrary, I would have to say that this is arguably Esther Williams' best movie, along with Bathing Beauty. Your enjoyment of it may depend on whether you like Peter Lawford as Esther's love interest and how you react to what he does. It may seem a bit contrived and/or unrealistic, but, I don't think you're supposed to be thinking a lot anyway. Jimmy Durante is on hand to perform some of his best work. Ricardo Montalban and Cyd Charisse make a very believable couple and have several very memorable and sensuous dance numbers; they almost seem more suited than Esther and Ricardo in "Neptune's Daughter." If you want to be alone with these good-looking people and Jimmy, this is where you want to be: on an island with Esther.

Peter Lawford sheds his usual light leading man persona to play a creepy stalker obsessed with a movie star (Esther Williams) engaged to someone else. When she rejects his advances, he kidnaps her and flys her to a remote island. Lawford's performance is chilling. He combines disturbing single-minded intensity with a sort of blank expression (some may mistake this for wooden acting), which perfectly conveys the emotionless lack of conscience typical of a true psychopath. I'm surprised Peter didn't receive an Oscar nod! Esther Williams also shows surprising depth in her role as a self-absorbed movie star who (in a truly twisted plot twist) becomes attracted to her abductor! An interesting commentary on the deep-seated insecurities and desperate need for attention which motivates many actors and celebrities. Soon Williams is pathetically dependent on her obsessed stalker. You'll have to watch to find out what happens when Lawford becomes distant and spurns *her* advances! Oh, it's a sick relationship. Sick, I tell you!But what I don't understand is... why is this movie categorized as a romantic comedy/musical? Hmmm. Very strange. How sad that some people can't distinguish between love and unhealthy obsession. Why, I do believe the filmmakers might've been making an ironic statement about that very thing! That's why "On An Island With You" contains so many songs and dances, appearing on the surface to be fluffy feel-good escapist entertainment. Only viewers of superior intellect will detect the unadulterated EVIL hidden behind the happy, wholesome veneer!"Citizen Kane", "Sunset Boulevard" and the like - your reign at the top of the film critics' lists must come to an end. Make way for "On An Island With You"! P.S. Believe it or not, I *am* a fan of musicals, and like Peter Lawford well enough. But this movie...well, it's not on my list of desert island picks, let's put it that way. Great dancing by Cyd Charisse though.