This was made in 1957, when Ty Power was 43, and getting a bit dull and paunchy. The whole cast was a mite ripe for the film. If the same cast had made it ten years earlier, it would have been a real treat.
Problem is, in 1947, none of that cast had put themselves through enough agony to convey the world-weariness of Hemingway's 20-something crew. Power was still a one dimensional pretty boy, although morphing into a real actor with films like Razor's Edge and Nightmare Alley; Ava Gardner was a slick chick on the MGM lot who had been married to Mickey Rooney, but otherwise didn't have a lot of movie experience. Errol Flynn was deteriorating noticeably, but hadn't acquired the self-knowledge he demonstrated in The Sun Also Rises.
If the Cast of '57 could have conveyed their panache in '47, it might have worked really well. As it is, only Flynn really rises to the occasion. Ironically, he steals the film in a distinctly supporting role. He is the only one who captures the tragedy of a misspent life - the others just seem cranky and self indulgent.
Problem is, in 1947, none of that cast had put themselves through enough agony to convey the world-weariness of Hemingway's 20-something crew. Power was still a one dimensional pretty boy, although morphing into a real actor with films like Razor's Edge and Nightmare Alley; Ava Gardner was a slick chick on the MGM lot who had been married to Mickey Rooney, but otherwise didn't have a lot of movie experience. Errol Flynn was deteriorating noticeably, but hadn't acquired the self-knowledge he demonstrated in The Sun Also Rises.
If the Cast of '57 could have conveyed their panache in '47, it might have worked really well. As it is, only Flynn really rises to the occasion. Ironically, he steals the film in a distinctly supporting role. He is the only one who captures the tragedy of a misspent life - the others just seem cranky and self indulgent.