No, this movie has nothing to do with Dolly Parton song "Islands in the Stream". So, in case you were thinking of renting it on that basis, stick with 9 to 5. This is an Ernest Hemingway story. It's not light at all.
Amidst all the drama is a surprising amount of irregularity. The story is told in vignettes, which, to me, ruined the flow. I was pulled into the first segment, about single father George C. Scott who has a different, strained relationship with each of his three sons. He takes them out fishing, alongside his Man Friday, David Hemmings, and the simple activity shows volumes about their dynamic. But, shortly after the fishing trip ends, the vignette ends. All of a sudden, a completely different part of George's life is shown, with no continuity to the story with his sons. Claire Bloom, his ex-wife, randomly visits his island for an evening's fling before she remarries. With two actors who are notoriously cold onscreen, it's a miracle they even went to bed together.
For me, the fun parts of the movie were seeing David Hemmings in the typical Hemingway-esque sidekick character, and seeing Gilbert Roland still looking handsome and sexy in 1977. David plays a drunk with a heart of gold, and when George finally tells him his faults, it really hurts his feelings. Gil plays, well, a swashbuckling piece of eye candy, and the fact that he's played the same part for fifty years is pretty remarkable.
Amidst all the drama is a surprising amount of irregularity. The story is told in vignettes, which, to me, ruined the flow. I was pulled into the first segment, about single father George C. Scott who has a different, strained relationship with each of his three sons. He takes them out fishing, alongside his Man Friday, David Hemmings, and the simple activity shows volumes about their dynamic. But, shortly after the fishing trip ends, the vignette ends. All of a sudden, a completely different part of George's life is shown, with no continuity to the story with his sons. Claire Bloom, his ex-wife, randomly visits his island for an evening's fling before she remarries. With two actors who are notoriously cold onscreen, it's a miracle they even went to bed together.
For me, the fun parts of the movie were seeing David Hemmings in the typical Hemingway-esque sidekick character, and seeing Gilbert Roland still looking handsome and sexy in 1977. David plays a drunk with a heart of gold, and when George finally tells him his faults, it really hurts his feelings. Gil plays, well, a swashbuckling piece of eye candy, and the fact that he's played the same part for fifty years is pretty remarkable.