High Barbaree

Moviecut—High Barbaree

This film is good to see because you may follow some logics of the development of two children, a boy (Van Johnson) and a girl (June Allyson), but to me this is doubtful to happen. You may love a girl living together in the same site and house, but as a sister, to have other feelings seem to me difficult and strange. However, the film can be seen and it is certainly nice. Van Johnson acts as the eternal US navy officer, so many films and he is acting in one way or another as a military, while Allyson is as usual tender and nice. Good acting as usual from an underrated wonderful supporting actor as Thomas Mitchell.

This movie should be on DVD, and I hope that enough comments to that effect will get it marketed. There are some similarities to the film Captain Eddie, the biopic about the life of Eddie Rickenbacker (aircraft in ocean, survivors drifting, flashbacks of biography), but unlike the highly fictionalized biography of Rickenbacker, High Barbaree deals with fictional characters. Without giving away anything, I should warn anyone who might read the book by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall (who also wrote Mutiny on the Bounty) that the book ending is different than the film ending. Also, not mentioned by the other comments is that this film contains action footage of a PBY attacking an enemy ship, a really rare scene in World War II films. I can't think of another film that shows a PBY in action, and High Barbaree does it very well.

Today, I took out a disc of June Allyson & Van Johnson films I had recorded when she was Star of the Month earlier this year. The first film I watched is the one I want to mention now. It was HIGH BARBAREE. Another reviewer on the IMDb says it is part Leave It to Beaver and part mystical journey, and I really like that description. I think it also resembles a well-crafted episode of The Twilight Zone. The picture is bolstered by MGM's top-notch production values, and the leads are well restrained and ably supported by Thomas Mitchell and Cameron Mitchell (no relation). There is also an early performance by Claude Jarman Jr. that really stands out and captures the viewers' attention. I feel like with so many excellent elements, this is a film that should be more widely known. It's a relatively unheralded classic.

I haven't seen this for decades, but I do remember it. The pilot, reminiscing to his shipmate, while downed on a tropical island, goes on and on about his past experiences, including his dream since childhood about an island paradise called High Barbaree. On and on he goes, as one reviewer observed, slowly boring his companion to death. And the theme and throughout his ramblings, the subject of High Barbaree recurs. SPOILER FOLLOWS: Toward the end of the film, a Polynesian native appears, and offers him entry to High Barbaree, but he realizes that he shouldn't go there then. Not if he wants to keep on living. For High Barbaree _is_ Paradise (as in Heaven). It's a very slow film, but there have been far worse.

I first saw this film as a young child and then again as a teen. This is my favorite movie of all time. No sex, no violence, no obscenities, just a fantastic comedic-dramatic romance. Van Johnson and June Allyson probably never made a bad movie but this must be their best. Van is handsome, heroic and lovable as a pilot downed at sea reminiscing about his life and love. June is the girlfriend who refuses to believe her love is lost at sea and searches for him. Of course there is a happy ending. This show is not sappy or silly but I guess it would make a first class "chick flick". Guys, you cannot go wrong watching this with a lady. If you see this film I'm sure you'll agree it is as good as or better than other more famous movies. Don't miss this, you're guaranteed to feel good!

Love, innocence, and purity cast into a world gone mad. An eternal tale. Brilliant. Fortuitous in its timing. Simple and uncluttered. I happened upon this film while home during my freshman year in high school. Seems like an eternity ago. Have not seen it since. Not for want of trying but maybe some things are just not meant to be. I cannot find this film anywhere. 46 years old now and with plenty of scars of my own from this world of ours, I seem to recall the film at the oddest times. And in the heat of battle I'm not exactly sure it had me ducking or charging. But it always had me smiling. Frankly I'm not one to judge any film. Certainly High Barbaree tells of the greatest story one can tell. This particular film just seems to tell it unforgettably.

I hope the following words do not turn some folks off on this truly good movie. It is a sweet movie! Want to get lost in something nice, get this movie, want to feel good about friendship and romance, get this movie. I usually say "the actors did their job and earned their pay," well they surely did in this one. With me, anything June Allyson did was super for me. With Mr. Johnson, I can say, I like just about all of the work he has done, that I have seen. Brigadoon, is one of my favorites with him. When the movie started they had me, and took me along with the story, and I am very glad they did. To all involved with this movie, thank you.

I remember seeing this movie when I was around 11, one rainy Saturday afternoon, with my father. It's stuck with me all these years (I'm 46 now) and I wish I could see it again! I could be romanticizing it a bit based on memory of days long past, but I remember it well enough to know that it WAS a great movie despite the tricks the years may have played on me. It was indeed an unusual mixture of adventure, romance and fantasy - but what makes it unusual also makes it unique and well worth watching. I know I turned it on originally because of the phrase 'World War II' that I spotted in the TV Guide - but the war really has little bearing on how the story plays out. If you happen to see it advertised on TV, be sure and watch it - I've been waiting for years now, and have only seen it listed once (but sadly I wasn't home at the time and couldn't see it).

I grew up watching movies from the 30's and 40's as a kid in the 50's. The early days of T.V. had a lot of time to fill and they did it with movies. Remember the Fabulous 52!, a movie of the week at 11:15 on Saturday nights? I probably knew those movies better than the ones from my own era. I was a particular fan of Van Johnson and June Allyson. This movie haunted me and my youthful imagination. I probably first saw this movie at age 12 when it was already 10 years old. Everyone needs a 'High Barbaree' in his life, a dream put there by some crazy uncle like the character Thomas Mitchell plays so well in this movie. I wish they'd put this movie on DVD so I could buy it and show it to my family and friends.