Bahama Passage (1941)

That was an excellent one.

Excellent adaptation.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

BAHAMA PASSAGE is one of the most beautiful examples of 1940s era color photography, bathing the island scenery in the warm glow of magnificent Technicolor. Unfortunately, it's more memorable for its visual beauty than for any other reason--and this includes the pairing of Madeleine Carroll and Sterling Hayden as co-stars, both at their physical peak and photographed to advantage. Carroll's blonde beauty is emphasized in every close-up and Hayden's physique gets close inspection since he's shirtless most of the time.Unfortunately, the storyline isn't so memorable. In fact, I have a hard time recalling what it was all about except for reading some of these other comments. I haven't seen the film in years, but the impression lingers that it was a nice bit of "escapist" entertainment, well photographed with scenic beauty but without any lasting story values.At any rate, it ought to be given full restoration so that fans of Carroll and Hayden can see them in a film that exhibits their chemistry shortly before they were wed.

A tortured, angst-ridden story set on a salt farm situated on a remote island in the Bahamas. Madeleine Carroll and Stirling Hayden are visually resplendent but the lackluster story negates whatever potential there is for a passionate island romance. In fact, they manage to wade through the entire film without once kissing, a record for two stars who allegedly were engaged to be married at the time.Leo G. Carroll and Flora Robson play a paranoiac pair who are convinced that the majority native population is bent on murdering them. The real star of the film is the cinematographer, who succeeds in offsetting a generally dull screenplay.I'm yet to see a Madeleine Carroll film that was unwatchable, and Bahama Passage is no exception. It would have been nice if the story matched her inimitable beauty and charm, but you can't always get your wish.

Plot synopsis:Sterling Hayden is a salt farmer on an island in the Bahamas. When his father dies in an accidental fall, it pushes his unstable mother (Flora Robson) over the edge. She believes he was murdered by the natives of the island. She asks to leave the island and takeup residence on another island.Leo G. Carroll and his daughter Madeline Carroll (no relation) arrive at the island and help them out. Sterling Hayden is married and does not reveal this fact to Madeline Carroll, and she falls in love with him. When she finds out he is married she is upset and feels like a fool for falling for him.Meanwhile, Flora Robson has gotten Leo G. Carroll worked up and he believes as well that the islanders are out to kill them. In a weak moment he shoots and kills a native boy, and the trouble begins for everyone.The film was shot on location in the Bahamas and the scenery is breathtakingly beautiful. The film was shot in technicolor and the colors originally must have been bright and vibrant. Watching the movie made me wish I was there.Madeline Carroll is breathtakingly beautiful in this film. Dressed most of the time in white she gives off a inner glow. Sterling Hayden will surely make female hearts flutter (and a few men too) he seems to spend the better portion of the film shirtless.The supporting cast is good and able. Mary Anderson plays Hayden's wife, though she appears in only one brief scene. Dorothy Dandridge appears as a maid in this film, early in her career, and is only in a few scenes.This film is still under copyright and is not available on VHS or DVD. If you can get a copy of this film I suggest you watch it. The scenery and the cast alone make it worth while.

I found this dull production of 'Bahama Passage' a test of endurance in order to see the 18 year old Dorothy Dandridge at work. She was lucky to act in Hollywood films during her teens, and although she wasn't incredibly famous, she did earn a living out of acting in films.