ON AN ISLAND WITH YOU

US, 1948, 104 minutes, Colour.
Esther Williams , Peter Lawford, Jimmy Durante, Ricardo Montalban, Cyd Charisse, Xavier Cugat & Orchestra.
Directed by Richard Thorpe.

On An Island With You is a typical Esther Williams M.G.M. vehicle of the late '40s. It capitalises on the star's attractive personality and her swimming ability. The film is tongue-in-cheek and simple in its screenplay: a film about making a film in Hawaii. This gives Esther the opportunity to swim as herself and also in the film within the film. She is matched by Ricardo Montalban and Peter Lawford as the heroes. Both swim, especially Montalban who was appear her in Fiesta and Neptune's Daughter. Montalban also has the opportunity to dance once more with the co-star Cyd Charisse. The film is of interest for three very good examples of Cyd Charisse's excellent dancing. She was partnered by Montalban in various films as The Kissing Bandit and Mark of the Renegade. Jimmy Durante also co-stars and gives a very genial and entertaining comedy performance. Xavier Cugat and his orchestra are also guests and have plenty of opportunity for music. All in all, this is pleasantly made M.G.M. fluff - the equivalent of a TV special in later decades. It has the usual Hollywood themes of heroes and heroines, romance with echoes of entertainers and fighters in World War Two. The songs are pleasant, the choreography entertaining and some of the costumes the usual bright baroque, kitschy M.G.M. style. Not anything special but Richard Thorpe, a director of all kinds of films, treats it with the light touch.