Return to Paradise (1953 film)
Encyclopedia
Return to Paradise is a South Seas
drama film
released by United Artists
in 1953
. The film was directed by Mark Robson
and starred Gary Cooper
, Barry Jones
, and Roberta Haynes. It was based on a short story
Mr. Morgan by James Michener in his short story collection Return to Paradise
, his sequel to Tales of the South Pacific
. It was filmed on location in Matautu
, Western Samoa (present-day Samoa
).
, and finds that his daughter has fallen in love with an American pilot who crash-landed on the island.
South Seas (genre)
The South Seas genre is a genre of literature, film, or entertainment that is set in Oceania.Though many Hollywood films were produced on studio backlots or Santa Catalina Island, the first feature non documentary film made on a Tahiti location was White Shadows in the South Seas.Elements of the...
drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
released by United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
in 1953
1953 in film
The year 1953 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*September 16 — The Robe debuts as the first anamorphic, widescreen CinemaScope film.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:A...
. The film was directed by Mark Robson
Mark Robson
Mark Robson was a Canadian-born film editor, film director and producer in Hollywood.-Career:Born in Montreal, Quebec, he moved to the United States at a young age. He studied at the University of California, Los Angeles then found work in the prop department at 20th Century Fox studios...
and starred Gary Cooper
Gary Cooper
Frank James Cooper, known professionally as Gary Cooper, was an American film actor. He was renowned for his quiet, understated acting style and his stoic, but at times intense screen persona, which was particularly well suited to the many Westerns he made...
, Barry Jones
Barry Jones
Barry Jones may refer to:*Barry Jones, Baron Jones , British politician*Barry Jones , member of the ALP*Barry Jones , British-born actor...
, and Roberta Haynes. It was based on a short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
Mr. Morgan by James Michener in his short story collection Return to Paradise
Return to Paradise (novel)
Return to Paradise is a collection of short stories written by American author James A. Michener. The collection is a sequel to the Pulitzer Prize-winning book Tales of the South Pacific, the collection that launched his career in 1947...
, his sequel to Tales of the South Pacific
Tales of the South Pacific
Tales of the South Pacific is a Pulitzer Prize-winning book, which is a collection of sequentially related short stories about World War II, written by James A. Michener in 1946 and published in 1947...
. It was filmed on location in Matautu
Matautu
Matautu is the name of different villages in Samoa. Places named Matautu are found on the two largest islands, Upolu and Savai'i.-Matautu, Upolu Island:On Upolu island;...
, Western Samoa (present-day Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
).
Plot
Mr. Morgan (Cooper) washes up on an island in the South Pacific, ruled by Pastor Corbett (Barry Jones), a missionary who rules as a religious despot. Morgan stays on the island despite his conflicting with Corbett and has an illegitimate child, Turia (Moira Walker), by island native Maeva (Haynes). After her death, he leaves the island, but also leaves her daughter behind. He returns to the island shortly before World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and finds that his daughter has fallen in love with an American pilot who crash-landed on the island.
Cast
- Gary CooperGary CooperFrank James Cooper, known professionally as Gary Cooper, was an American film actor. He was renowned for his quiet, understated acting style and his stoic, but at times intense screen persona, which was particularly well suited to the many Westerns he made...
(Mr. Morgan) - Barry JonesBarry Jones (actor)Barry Jones was an actor seen in British and American films, on American television and on the stage.-Biography:...
(Pastor Corbett) - Roberta Haynes (Maeva)
- Moira Walker (Turia)
- John Hudson (Captain Harry Faber)
- Le Mamea Matatumua AtaLe Mamea Matatumua AtaLe Mamea Matatumua Ata was one of the framers of the Constitution of Samoa. He held senior positions under the New Zealand Trusteeship of Samoa and in the Independent State of Samoa....
(Tonga) - Hans Kruse (Rori, age 21)
- Terry Dunleavy (Mac)
- Howard Poulson (Russ)
- Donald Ashford (Cutler)
- Herbert Ah Sue (Kura)
- Va'a (Rori, age 9)