Outcast of the Islands *** (1951, Ralph Richardson, Trevor Howard, Robert Morley, Wendy Hiller, Kerima) – Classic Movie Review 8788

Thanks mainly to Trevor Howard’s commanding performance, producer-director Carol Reed has some success in his 1951 adventure Outcast of the Islands filming Joseph Conrad’s novel about a corrupt clerk who fails in his Singapore job and is still an outcast when he ends up as a smuggler in remote Malaya.

This commendable try at difficult material is, surprisingly, marred by some tatty performances, even from Richardson as the ship’s captain, while William Fairchild’s screenplay writing (admittedly on the tricky subjects of betrayal, corruption, failure, desperation) and Reed’s handling occasionally seem to falter.

But, nevertheless, it is an honourable, intelligent, worthwhile film, valuable for Howard’s performance alone.

It runs 102 minutes but the TV version runs 94 minutes.

Also in the cast are George Coulouris, Frederick Valk, Wilfrid Hyde White, Betty Ann Davies, James Kenney, Marne Maitland, Peter Illing, Tamine, A V Bramble and Annabel Morley.

Outcast of the Islands is directed by Carol Reed, runs 102 minutes, is made by London Film Productions, is released  by British Lion Film Corporation (1952) (UK) and Lopert Films (1952) (US), is written by William Fairchild, based on Joseph Conrad’s novel, is shot in black and white by John Wilcox and Edward Scaife, is produced by Carol Reed, is scored by Brian Easdale and is designed by Vincent Korda.

It was made in the studio at Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, and on location in Sri Lanka.

Camera operators, Freddie Francis and Ted Moore both later won Oscars as directors of photography. Francis won for Sons and Lovers (1960) and Glory (1989), and Moore for A Man for All Seasons (1966).

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8788

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