Plot

The 161-minute costume drama Green Dolphin Street is set in 1840, on an island off the coast of Newfoundland, (or at least, the MGM backlot facsimile of same). Boiled down to essentials, it's the story of two sisters, blonde Marguerite Patourel (Donna Reed) and brunette

Marianne Patourel (Lana Turner), daughters of the wealthy Octavius Patourel (Edmund Gwenn). The two women meet New Zealander William Ozone (Richard Hart) and both quietly fall in love with him, though he's far more interested in Marguerite. To get William away from her sister, the conniving Marianne encourages the young man to fulfill his dreams by enlisting in H.R.H.'s Navy, whereby he'll be shipped off to China. But William misses the boat (no pun intended) and becomes a fugitive. He and buddy Timothy Haslam (Van Heflin) pair up and ship out to New Zealand, where they found a lumber business. William gets soused one night and writes to the sister he loves, inviting her to join him in marriage - but drunkenly uses the other sister's name by mistake. Marianne, believing he meant to write to her, decides to set off for New Zealand to be with her intended. Meanwhile,

Timothy secretly pines for Marguerite - and that's only the set up for this broadly-scaled melodrama. Reportedly budgeted at $4 million, Green Dolphin Street was based on the somewhat better bestseller by Elizabeth Goudge. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Review

Green Dolphin Street is a moderately entertaining costume drama that would have been better were it a half-hour shorter, and a little less ambitious. Dolphin is over-plotted, seeking to cram too much action into the story without giving it enough momentum. As a result, things get a bit repetitious, and characters tend not so much to develop as to "morph." Although an epic of this sort seems to cry out for color, George Folsey's black-and-white cinematography is luscious and occasionally stunning, and Walter Plunkett and Irene Valles' costumes are quite impressive. Samson Raphaelson's screenplay produces its share of groaners, but most of the cast overcomes the liabilities of the script. The exception is, unfortunately, male lead Richard Hart, whose performance is rough going all the way. Lacking charm, skill, and presence, Hart muddles through his scenes with only the occasional hint that he knows what he is doing. Much better -- and surprisingly so -- is Lana Turner, in a part that does not draw on her considerable sex-bomb skills, but instead requires more acting talent. She pulls it off quite well, convincingly creating a character whose intellect, pride, and passion blind her to simple truths. Van Heflin must do battle with a silly mop of curly hair -- a battle he fortunately wins -- and gives a quiet strength to his scenes, and Donna Reed is luminous as the wronged sister. Of the supporting cast, Frank Morgan and Gladys Cooper do very well in change-of-pace roles, and Dame May Whitty is excellent as the Mother Superior. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi

Cast

• Patrick Aherne - KapuaManga
• Lana Turner - Marianne Patourel
• Linda Christian - Hin-Moa
• Van Heflin - Timothy Haslam
• Gladys Cooper - Sophie Patourel
• Donna Reed - Marguerite Patourel
• Bernie Gozier - Jacky-Pato
• Richard Hart - William Ozanne
• Edmund Gwenn - Octavius Patourel

Frank Morgan - Dr. Edmund Ozanne; Al Kikume - Native; Moyna MacGill - Mrs. Metivier; Reginald Owen - Capt. O'Hara; Dame May Whitty - Mother Superior; Ramsay Ames - Corinne; Lucille Curtis - Mrs. Samuel Kelly; Leslie Denison - Capt. Hartley; William Fawcett - Nat; Lumsden Hare - Anderson; Guy Kingsford - Young Fisherman; Tetsu Komai - Chinaman; James B. Leong - Chinese Longshoreman; Edith Leslie - Sister Angelique; Carol Nugent - Veronica, Age 7; Gigi Perreau - Veronica, Age 4; Wyndham Standing - Government General; Douglas Walton - Sir Charles Maloney

Credit

Malcolm Brown - Art Director, Cedric Gibbons - Art Director, Walter Plunkett - Costume Designer, Irene Valles - Costume Designer, Victor Saville - Director, George White - Editor, Bronislau Kaper - Composer (Music Score), Jack Dawn - Makeup, George Folsey - Cinematographer, Carey Wilson - Producer, Edwin B. Willis - Set Designer, Arnold A. Gillespie - Special Effects, Warren Newcombe - Special Effects, Michael Steinore - Sound/Sound Designer, Samson Raphaelson - Screenwriter, Elizabeth Goudge - Book Author

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