A man makes a nuisance of himself in several communities in 1951's Outcast of the Islands. This Carol Reed movie is based on a Joseph Conrad novel and stars Trevor Howard, Ralph Richardson, and an intriguing young lady called simply Kerima.
This is the kind of movie I'd been in the mood for for a while. Along the lines of Treasure of Sierra Madre, Secret of the Incas, or The Ebb-Tide, it's about a disparate group of unscrupulous Westerners living in foreign lands. These stories are usually dismissed now for how they depict indigenous people but, having met many of the Westerners who've come to live in Japan, these old movies and books, I can attest, are certainly true to life as far as Western characters are concerned.
I've met a few rogues like Trevor Howard's character Willems, though Willems is certainly much smarter. We find him as an idler in Singapore, having weaselled himself into a high paying job. Yet he squanders his cushy position by wearing flashy clothes and playing billiards during work hours. We learn he used to be a bare-footed ship's hand when he was found by Captain Lingard (Ralph Richardson) and worked his way up from there. As Lingard's ship pulls into port, fortune has it that Willems' boss finally loses patience with him and fires him. So Willems abandons his wife and dives into the bay, once more going to work for Lingard.
Lingard takes him to a secret, lucrative trading post safely hidden behind treacherous shoals. There he's set up an English couple played by Robert Morley and Wendy Hiller in a kind of hacienda. Surrounding them are a community of mysterious natives, some of them played by white actors in brown face.
Among them is the chieftain's mute daughter, Aissa, and Willems falls recklessly in love with her. She's played by Kerima, whose biography on Wikipedia is fascinating. Born and raised in France to French parents, she was nonetheless believed for decades to have been the daughter of "a wealthy Arab from Algiers". She traded on her "exotic looks" for years to play characters from various foreign countries. I don't know about you, but she just looks white to me.
It fascinates me that she evidently didn't look white to so many people. The film would probably be stronger if the locals were properly cast and Aissa in particular is crucial to conveying an impression of the culture. She's captivating her for different reasons than those intended. I do wonder what's going on behind her constantly angry eyes.
Willems is a fascinating character. He is a scoundrel and he lies and cheats routinely. But he's also smart and even considerate sometimes. The film challenges the viewer to evaluate Lingard's moral judgements of him, to show him kindness or rebuke, and you wonder if he deserves either.
Twitter Sonnet #1659
A carrot clock began to count the fur.
Another month was yet unlike the last.
The mouser first to sleep was last to purr.
A reckless ogre sports a ragged cast.
The needed nurse was left beside the pond.
Distinctive tags could never save a soul.
Prosthetic faces forge an empty bond.
The big hotel was built to ape a bowl.
'Twas only once a proper song was played.
But every end was capped with stupid strings.
If only witless hands had wisely stayed.
The empty sea would be a glass that sings.
The dancing scoundrel takes an island home.
Where froth appears the waves are like to roam.
No comments:
Post a Comment