Outcast of the Islands (1951)

A man occupies a position of trust with a merchant in an East Asian port. He's sacked when he's caught stealing, but he pretends to commit suicide, and a Captain he befriended agrees to take him to a secret trading post.

Director:

Carol Reed

Writers:

Joseph Conrad (by), William Fairchild (screenplay)

Stars:

Ralph Richardson, Trevor Howard, Robert Morley

Nominated for 2 BAFTA Film Awards.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Trevor Howard	...	Willems
Ralph Richardson	...	Captain Lingard
Robert Morley	...	Almayer
Wendy Hiller	...	Mrs. Almayer
Kerima	...	Aissa
George Coulouris	...	Babalatchi
Tamine	...	Tamine
Wilfrid Hyde-White	...	Vinck (as Wilfrid Hyde White)
Peter Illing	...	Alagappan
Betty Ann Davies	...	Mrs. Williams
Frederick Valk	...	Hudig
A.V. Bramble	...	Badavi
Marne Maitland	...	Ships Mate
James Kenney	...	Ramsey
Annabel Morley	...	Nina Almayer

Storyline

A man occupies a position of trust with a merchant in an East Asian port. He's sacked when he's caught stealing, but he pretends to commit suicide, and a Captain he befriended agrees to take him to a secret trading post.

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Plot Keywords:

imperialism | indigenous | outcast | island | cannibal | 

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Taglines:

Even her Love was Primitive! UNTAMED! UNASHAMED! MERCILESS!

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Producer and Director Carol Reed approached Graham Greene about adapting the Joseph Conrad novel. Greene, however, was in thrall of Conrad's work, and was too intimidated by the thought of turning it into a movie, so he declined the opportunity.

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Goofs

When Aissa confronts Lingard as he searches for Willems, she meets him with a rock in her right hand. The next shot shows her crouching down with her right hand rubbing her abdomen - the rock has vanished.

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Quotes

Mrs. Almayer: [to Peter, regarding Aissa] Are you afraid of what she is and of what you might become?
[Peter looks at her, concerned]
Mrs. Almayer: You do well to be afraid.

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Alternate Versions

The U.S. release was cut by seven minutes.

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Connections

Referenced in Guy Hamilton: The Director Speaks (2006)

User Reviews

Dissipated action

This film falls well below Carol Reed's best work. Despite a strong cast and the benefits of location shooting, the action is dissipated by poor editing (the frenzied intercutting of shots). The idea of the worthless white man left to wash up on an alien shore (condemned to the too-fleshy arms of his 'half-caste' woman) seems terribly hackneyed from today's viewpoint. Reed's artistry, unfortunately, is not sufficient to overcome these weaknesses. The one memorable thing is the presence of the actress, Kerima, whose character does not utter even one line of dialogue. That the film's assistant director, Guy Hamilton, should have married her soon after will came as no surprise to anyone. As much as I admire Trevor Howard, Wendy Hiller and Ralph Richardson as performers, this is not a worthy vehicle for their talents.

What is it about Conrad that even film-makers as good as Carol Reed struggle to put his stories to film? For what it's worth, I think Hitchcock's 'Sabotage' is a better film, albeit a loose adaptation of Conrad's 'The Secret Agent', than this more faithful adaptation of 'The Outcast of the Islands'.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 July 1952 (USA)

Also Known As:

Outcast of the Islands

Filming Locations:

Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

London Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1