Directed by Bert Glennon, U.S.A. It’s casual sexism and racism galore in this mesmerisingly weird melodramatic nonsense. Posh Englishman Jim (Reginald Sharman) is a First World War vet with a fire phobia who’s ended up in Fiji to drink himself to death. Nursing him back to health, and falling in love with him, is wise-cracking barmaid Josie (Sally O’Neil). But out to scupper the lovers’ plans is the dastardly McEwan (“you dirty hound!”), who wants revenge after being outed as (gosh!) a half-caste by Jim. Sharman’s acting is very much of the hyper-hammy Colin Clive-variety and O’Neil is that typical Pre-Code character: the self-sacrificing good-time girl with a heart of gold. 3/5.
MOVIES THAT DIE SCREAMING 