Isle of Forgotten Sins (1943)

User Rating:

4.0/10   

Director:

Edgar G. Ulmer

Writers:

Edgar G. Ulmer (story)
Raymond L. Schrock (screenplay)

Release Date:

15 August 1943 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Tidal wave of torrid romance and thrills in the South Seas!

Plot:

The owner of a seedy dive and brothel on a South Seas island meets two treasure hunters looking for a sunken ship with a $3-million cargo of gold...

Plot Keywords:

South Seas | Ship | Gold | Monsoon | Island

Cast

John Carradine	...	Mike Clancy
Gale Sondergaard	...	Marge Willison
Sidney Toler	...	Captain Krogan, aka Carruthers
Frank Fenton	...	Jack Burke
Veda Ann Borg	...	Luana
Rita Quigley	...	Diane
Rick Vallin	...	Johnny Pacific
Tala Birell	...	Christine
Patti McCarty	...	Bobbie Nelson
Betty Amann	...	Olga
Marian Colby	...	Mimi
William Edmunds	...	Noah - Native Chief (as William Edmonds)

Also Known As:

Monsoon (USA) (reissue title)

Runtime:

USA:74 min (2004 National Film Museum Incorporated print ) | 82 min (copyright length)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #9384) | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Ray Corrigan Ranch, Simi Valley, California, USA

Company:

Atlantis Pictures

Trivia:

The 2004 National Film Museum Incorporated print is missing the director credit as well as 8 minutes of running time.

Quotes:

Marge Willison: Now remember, I want a lot of costumers around those roulette tables tonight. You girls didn't do so well last time. So keep the wheel spinning and the ivories rolling and remember - all rough stuff is taboo.

Movie Connections:

Featured in It Came from Hollywood (1982)

Soundtrack:

In Pango

The Real Rating...

ISLE OF FORGOTTEN SINS (1943) aka MONSOON is another of those South Sea Adventures so beloved by Hollywood in the 'GOLDEN AGE' of the studio system. The best of those films was THE HURRICANE (1937) which we rated IMDb Ten**********Stars. Thats why this film gets Two**Stars for it is only twenty (20%) percent as good.

The film though resembles more TYPHOON (1940) IMDb Six******Stars. That PARAMOUNT production was nominated for a Academy Award for Special Visual Effects. No chance of that with this film. The only thing PRC has in common with PARAMOUNT is they both start with a 'P'! Like TYPHOON this ends with a big special effects scene done with all the skill PRC could muster. Which means there is nothing 'special' about it at all. I have seen children do better in their bathtub.

The participants of this film were either needing a fast buck or had fallen on hard times starting with Director Edgar G. Ulmer. Yes, the same Director who created the classic THE BLACK CAT (1934). None of that originality is presented here. Sidney Toler must have wanted to stretch himself from his CHARLIE CHAN roles at MONOGRAM. Hard to tell if this was good move on his part. John Carradine obviously was in it for a fast buck and phoned in his role. As for Gale Sondergaard she must have made somebody very angry at the major studios. At that time she had already won the Acadamy Award for Best Supporting Actress and would be nominated again. Though it was interesting to see her in a sarong and show off her attractive and feminine figure. That is the sole reason to see this film.