Until They Sail (1957)

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

It's not exactly a surprise to learn that this movie turned out to be M-G-M's top box-office attraction in New Zealand for 1958, but it's hard to believe that James A. Michener had anything to do with this impossible charade of a story that focuses on unintentionally laughable New Zealanders. A mixed cast cannot overcome the silliness and ineptitude of characters, plot and dialogue. Actual location filming only serves to pinpoint the absolute phoniness of the studio scenes with their ridiculously luxurious sets. In fact, the film is so constricted by Hollywood conventions in sets, make-up and costumes that Robert Wise's direction often seems elephantine, clumsy and heavy-footed.Oddly, New Zealanders themselves didn't seem to mind that all the characters, plus the background and the story-line, were so grossly out of kilter with their real New Zealand. In fact, they took this movie as a great comedy and laughed themselves sick!

It's 1944 in Christchurch, New Zealand. The men have been absent for three years -- fighting in the trenches against the brutal Japanese invasion. The women are at home and lonely --and also living their lives in generous comfort with no shortage of food, clothing or luxury. Enter the US Marines, on shore leave, waiting for the final push against Japan and anticipating a deadly encounter.....What's troubling now --- as well as when I saw this film decades ago as an inexperienced teen -- is the almost total disregard of these sweet and proper wives for their absent husbands. Their men are NOT talked about, not remembered, not appreciated.Jean Simmons and Paul Newman are the "nice" couples but it takes Simmons about 5 minutes after learning of her husband's death before she's put him out of mind in favor of Newman.If you watch this movie with an active mind, the romance fades away, and you grasp the whole thing with the distaste it deserves.

This movie is wonderful. It's romantic, truthful and perfectly cast. It shows how lonely women can be without the love of a man in their life, and how wounds take so long to heal, and how easily they can be made. Jean Simmons is beautiful and sensitive in her portrayal of a New Zealand lass trying to remain decent and understanding emotional pain and restriction in a time of war. Paul Newman is positively gorgeous and plays his role as a cynical soldier so well i could seriously believe him really being one. The ending of the movie, although somewhat predictable, is lovely and suitable. I recommend this film to all lovers of Jean Simmons, Paul Newman and the classically romantic dramas of the 50's.

filmed in New Zealand in 1957, One could wonder what paradise looks like from a couch potatoes vicarious point of view. 4 Sisters living in Christchurch New Zealand find love, happiness and sometimes tragedy after they embark in whirlwind relationships with visiting WWII American Soldiers. A cast of characters worthy of Hollywood splashes the screen with an older seasoned Joan fontaine matching wits with her 15 year old sister named Sandra Dee, To top it off you have Piper Laurie and jean Simmons as the other two sisters. Even though none of the sisters were born in New Zealand, they sure did a darn great job acting and making me believe that they couldn't have been born in any other country except New Zealand that i had to find out for myself! i would personally like to thank the New Zealand People for letting Hollywood film a great movie and letting the world watch the pristine, paradise settings of the NZ landscape !!!