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Sinners in Paradise

  • 1938
  • Approved
  • 1h 5m
IMDb RATING
5.7/10
605
YOUR RATING
John Boles, Bruce Cabot, and Madge Evans in Sinners in Paradise (1938)
AdventureDramaRomance

After a plane crash in the Pacific the disparate band of survivors must learn to work together on a isolated island, change their self-centered ways, and examine their motives for wanting to... Read allAfter a plane crash in the Pacific the disparate band of survivors must learn to work together on a isolated island, change their self-centered ways, and examine their motives for wanting to escape from their pasts.After a plane crash in the Pacific the disparate band of survivors must learn to work together on a isolated island, change their self-centered ways, and examine their motives for wanting to escape from their pasts.

  • Director
    • James Whale
  • Writers
    • Lester Cole
    • Harold Buckley
    • Louis Stevens
  • Stars
    • Madge Evans
    • John Boles
    • Bruce Cabot
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.7/10
    605
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • James Whale
    • Writers
      • Lester Cole
      • Harold Buckley
      • Louis Stevens
    • Stars
      • Madge Evans
      • John Boles
      • Bruce Cabot
    • 24User reviews
    • 8Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos19

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    Top cast29

    Edit
    Madge Evans
    Madge Evans
    • Anne Wesson
    John Boles
    John Boles
    • Jim Taylor
    Bruce Cabot
    Bruce Cabot
    • Robert Malone aka The Torpedo
    Marion Martin
    Marion Martin
    • Iris Compton
    Gene Lockhart
    Gene Lockhart
    • Sen. Corey
    Charlotte Wynters
    Charlotte Wynters
    • Thelma Chase
    Nana Bryant
    Nana Bryant
    • Mrs. Franklin Sydney
    Milburn Stone
    Milburn Stone
    • Honeyman
    Don 'Red' Barry
    Don 'Red' Barry
    • Jessup
    • (as Donald Barry)
    Morgan Conway
    Morgan Conway
    • Harrison Brand
    Willie Fung
    Willie Fung
    • Ping
    Larry J. Blake
    Larry J. Blake
    • Thomas Sydney in Photographs
    • (uncredited)
    Lynton Brent
    Lynton Brent
    • Reporter
    • (uncredited)
    Kernan Cripps
    Kernan Cripps
    • Airline Ticket Clerk
    • (uncredited)
    James Eagles
    • Radio Announcer
    • (uncredited)
    Alan Edwards
    Alan Edwards
    • Alex Wesson
    • (uncredited)
    Dwight Frye
    Dwight Frye
    • Marshall
    • (uncredited)
    Jack Gardner
    • Reporter
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • James Whale
    • Writers
      • Lester Cole
      • Harold Buckley
      • Louis Stevens
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews24

    5.7605
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    Featured reviews

    Michael_Elliott

    Fun Film

    Sinners in Paradise (1938)

    *** (out of 4)

    Universal drama directed by James Whale about a plane load of people who crash on an island ran by a loner (John Boles). This one here doesn't have a very good reputation but I found it to be highly entertaining until the last fifteen minutes when things started to drag a bit. Whale's direction is right on the mark mixing some nice drama with some comedy and using the oddball characters to full effect. Boles, from Whale's Frankenstein is very good in the lead and the supporting players are good as well. The plane crash is handled with a master's touch. Madge Evans and Bruce Cabot co-star.
    Blueghost

    Not bad

    For a film from the late 1930s it's not a bad film. The technological limitations for special effects and cost of shooting on stage verse on location are apparent, but the story is fairly compelling enough.

    A band of assorted individuals with various pasts and agendas take flight aboard a "flying boat", and find themselves challenged in a new environment.

    The film by today's standards may seem somewhat racist in regards to one Asian character, but is more or less a product of its time, and the character in question is noble to a fault, and in fact key to helping the rest of the characters.

    Marion Martin shows that her acting chops weren't quite there yet (and she had yet to engage in an exercise regime), Bruce Cabot of King Kong fame shows his range, and a number of other well known actors of the time do well to bring to life the characters in this film.

    Again, the shortcomings are the technical aspects, Martin's lack of theatrical training, and money. Otherwise it's a solid B-performer that'll help whittle away a lazy Sunday afternoon.

    If you need a classic film on your TV or computer, you could do worse, but you could also do better. Either way, give it a shot and see what you think.

    Not a great film, but nor a bad film.

    Give it a shot.
    6Bunuel1976

    SINNERS IN PARADISE (James Whale, 1938) **1/2

    I was very much looking forward to this one, mainly due to Michael's favorable comments but, while I enjoyed it quite a bit, I also thought the material unworthy of its director (who happens to be one of my all-time favorites)! Featuring multiple characters (though the cast itself is rather second-rate!), the film evokes memories of GRAND HOTEL (1932) and LOST HORIZON (1937) but also looks forward to FIVE CAME BACK (1939) and STAGECOACH (1939). FIVE CAME BACK is especially comparable in view of its plot similarities but, while probably no more elaborate a production, that RKO film - directed by John Farrow and featuring one of the best performances by Maltese actor Joseph Calleia - is considerably more compelling and a much better film in every way.

    Given Whale's customary lavishness, then, it's distressing to see how his fortunes dwindled at the change in the studio's management and the miniscule budget and B-movie status afforded SINNERS IN PARADISE hurts the film considerably! Still, the opening scenes (featuring an uncredited cameo by Whale regular Dwight Frye) are nicely handled and the airplane crash, while an obvious model, is nonetheless exciting. However, once on the island (and the introduction of its 'master' John Boles, who's miscast but not bad), the film kind of stops dead in its tracks; while it provides a couple of villains, there is no real menace a' la the headhunters closing in on the stranded party in FIVE CAME BACK - and the film merely relies on the obligatory if tepid romance (which mainly revolves around two separate couples) and some resistible comic relief to prod the story along (though Gene Lockhart's typical fooling in the role of a pompous politician is amiable enough)!

    Having so far watched four non-horror films by James Whale, it's interesting to note that two were set in stylish surroundings and the other two in exotic locales; still, while equally ramshackle, I found GREEN HELL (1940) - due, in no small measure, to its remarkable cast - to be a lot more satisfying than this one!
    GManfred

    Gilligans Island, 30's style.

    Sinners in Paradise was next up in my DVD set.Featuring an intriguing cast and the inimitable James Whale as director, I thought it might be worth a good look.

    But no. This Adventure/Morality Play gets off to a good start,but quickly bogs down into a clichéd potboiler which is neither compelling or suspenseful. The Disparate-Characters-Stranded-on-a-Desert-Island fizzles out almost as soon as they hit the island. Comic relief is forced and unfunny and all characters are painted in extremely broad strokes.

    The best part of the film is the interesting cast which is comprised of B and lesser A actors. Madge Evans is lovely and John Boles is dashing and manly. Gene Lockhart and Bruce Cabot might have deleted this one from their film credits, as it does them no credit.

    I guess it fills out the boxed set but it wasn't worth the trouble.
    6bkoganbing

    Not a hospitable host

    This film Sinners In Paradise was an interesting find. It's a combination of The Lost Horrizon, Stagecoach, The Admirable Crichton with a bit of Gilligan's Island thrown in.

    An interesting mix of people are passengers on a sea plane bound for China which crashes in the Pacific and the surviving passengers plus a steward from the crew are tossed into the sea. They make it to a tropical island where John Boles and his servant Willie Fung have set up house. He's not a very hospitable host and forces these people to work for their keep. Some of them like Senator Gene Lockhart and heiress Charlotte Wynters are not used to manual labor. In this new society that is forming on the island they're at the bottom of the pecking order and resent it.

    The rest of the survivors include steward Don Barry from the crew, recent divorcée Madge Evans bound for China to serve as a missionary, mob hit man Bruce Cabot, working class girl brassy Marion Martin, widow Nana Bryant looking to join her son in Shanghai, and a pair of munitions manufacturers Milburn Stone and Morgan Conway looking to make some money off the various wars going in China. It's quite an interesting group of castaways here on Boles' Island.

    The iconoclastic Boles is a man of mystery. Their host has good and sufficient reason for not wanting to return to civilization. In point of fact those who want to get back the most are the ones that civilization could do without.

    Lockhart is the most interesting character of the bunch. He can't figure out why a natural born 'leader' and man of the people isn't just handed responsibility to lead the castaways. He's not a great advertisement for our political leadership.

    James Whale directed this film and it was a reunion of sorts with Boles who was in the cast of his most acclaimed work, the original Frankenstein. Although by now Whale was directing B films and Sinners In Paradise is definitely in that category, it's still an interesting piece of work and worthy of more than one look.

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      In Madge Evans' interview with Leonard Maltin in "Film Fan Magazine" (December 1972), she gave the following testimony about making this film: "Well, this was not his James Whale kind of film. He was much too intelligent, much too good a director for this kind of nonsense, which was all about people cast adrift on an island, a dreadful picture, and he was much, much too good for it. He hated it, and also being a rather uptight Englishman, he showed that he hated it. You could just see that every time he came to a scene, he was saying, 'Oh, my God,' and that doesn't make anybody feel either confident or happy."
    • Goofs
      Although washed away on a deserted island, John Boles continually looks like he just stepped out of a Beverly Hills barber shop, and Marion Martin's bleached blonde hair remains styled and curled, with no dark roots, and she never abandons her false eyelashes and mascara makeup.
    • Quotes

      Malone: [flirting] My name is Malone.

      Iris: [bored] Does it make you happy?

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    FAQ15

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • May 19, 1938 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Secrets of a Sinner
    • Filming locations
      • Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA(Studio)
    • Production companies
      • James Whale Productions
      • Universal Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 5 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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