"Island in the Sun" was filmed in Barbados and Grenada, though it's about a fictional British colonial island...roughly like Barbados or Grenada! In many ways, it's a film about the racism inherent in colonialism and in other ways is a soap opera set on a tropical island. It also features something shocking for its time...and interracial romance between Joan Fontaine and Harry Belafonte...something which, sadly, caused a bit of a commotion when it debuted.

The movie is odd in that it seems to have many, many plots...too many for my taste. Much of it involves the Fleury family-- especially the incredibly strange character played by James Mason. But in addition to the Fleurys, there are many others--and the common thread to all of this is soapy romance. Many of the romances are interracial and the stories thrust seems to be that with the ending of colonialism comes the elimination of racial boundaries in love.

As I mentioned, I actually think the film has too many plots. I also thought Mason's character was enough for one film....so either the film should have been all about him OR they should have eliminated him completely. Regardless, it's a confusing sort of film--with many excellent moments but not nearly enough focus. Decent but the film could have been so, so much better...especially since so many things that are brought up in this film are important and deserve a better presentation.

Having never read the book I can't comment on it, but it seems that the political implications of Alec Waugh's novel was largely sacrificed for the romance. Island In The Sun is a big old romance novel set in a British crown colony just as the United Kingdom was getting shed of its colonial empire. The island at one time was a part of the French empire to explain the name of Fleury as one of the island's big plantation owners. Their romantic entanglements form the basis of the novel.

Basil Sydney and Diana Wynyard are the head of the Fleurys and they have two surviving children James Mason and Joan Collins. Mason is married to Patricia Owens and he suspects her of having an affair with a rather dissolute, but charming doctor Michael Rennie. Collins is kanoodling big time with Stephen Boyd the governor's son and would be peer. The governor's aide John Justin is having a fling with Dorothy Dandridge. But most shocking of all another plantation heiress Joan Fontaine is considering taking up with Harry Belafonte who sings a couple of Jamaican ballads which is always good.

That interracial kiss between Belafonte and Fontaine was daring and groundbreaking and no doubt Island In The Sun had zero bookings in the American South. How silly we were back then.

A story about the Fleury family reveals that Sydney's grandmother was black though I'm sure she could have passed. That sets in motion some radical reassessment of the family's status. They still have their money, but not entry into some of the best homes. Mason who has decided to stand for the local parliament with his opponent being Belafonte tries to exploit his new found black heritage with disastrous results. It ends in tragedy, but also in a strange twist happiness for one of the Fleurys as it is discovered the parents have their secrets.

Harry Belafonte and James Mason stand out in this film. Belafonte has some real screen charisma. As for Mason his is a complex role of a strange man with a brooding inferiority complex that was acting out even before the news of his great grandmother.

And of course the West Indies looks nice. I'm sure the original novel had more of the political situation of the time in it. Island In The Sun the movie drained most of that and we get a tropical soap opera instead.

This is a glorified soap opera, in fact the film reminded me rather a lot of 1980s US soap operas such as Flamingo Road or Falcon Crest.

This is a British/US co-production set in a fictional West Indian island about to gain independence from the UK. Harry Belafonte is the charismatic and aspiring politician who is set to become the leader of the independent island but is having a romance with a white woman played by Joan Fontaine.

James Mason plays the bitter son of a plantation family, denied the chance of getting educated in England and realizing that the family will lose power and privilege post independence, his temper also gets the better of him.

Dorothy Dandridge is stunning as the local beauty having a romance with a Governor's aides who is white. A risqué relationship at the time.

John Williams is the astute Police Inspector diligently investigating the murder of a white drifter and does not let prejudice get in the way of his investigations.

The film is daring for its time in depicting inter racial romance. You have dark secrets, the shock of mixed race ancestry but the film also looks naive as well. Post colonial politics was a lot more hard edged than this film shows, the white on black racism is very much hidden in this film and the shock of having some black blood in your family ancestry looks bewildering today although during that time it might have been positively shocking.

It is very much a soap opera type melodrama. John Williams is the standout, James Mason is rather conniving and Belafonte even gets to sing a song.