Until They Sail

Four sisters in New Zealand live in a house with a fantastic view when WW II breaks out and they suddenly find themselves surrounded by American servicemen. The presence of the Americans is foreshadowed by the fact that the character played by Sandra Dee sounds more Yank than she does a native New Zealander. The sister played by Piper Laurie marries a real kiwi lout named Shiner who ends up killing her with a sword. Her demise really comes as no surprise as movie women back then with multiple sex partners never seemed to live happily ever after. Personally I would have been satisfied if they would have had Piper move to a suburb in New Jersey as her screen punishment. My favorite scene is when Paul Newman reaches in the glove compartment of his vehicle and produces a bottle of his salad dressing. "This is all I need," says Newman to Jean Simmons. Of course we the viewer know that Paul needs more than just his salad dressing, and sure enough, by the time "The End" pops up on the screen, he and Jean are committed to spending the rest of their lives together.

Four sisters, their bittersweet loves and disappointments in wartime (World War II) New Zealand face the sort of sibling rivalries and fears that were amply demonstrated a century ago in "Little Women". This time, of course, the morals of the time and the conventions have changed drastically but we get only a superficial examination of these sisters and a rather uneven film with a storyline that is vaguely defined. Even a wonderful actor like Paul Newman is unable to make his character totally convincing. Of the sisters, Jean Simmons and Joan Fontaine do superior work (although Fontaine's role is given scant screen footage) while Sandra Dee and Piper Laurie seem "wrong" for their respective roles as a sub-teen and a bitter harlot. Laurie, in particular, has a habit of letting her American accent dominate and plays her role in a strictly unsympathetic manner. Strange to find that the story is based on a James Michener tale. It's also a surprise to find that Robert Wise directed this sudsy soaper. It has some genuinely moving moments and is interesting mainly for the casting of Joan Fontaine as the eldest sister. Too bad her role wasn't expanded instead of too much focus on Jean Simmons. Fontaine gives the film her special brand of sensitivity and looks very fetching.

filmed in New Zealand in 1957, One could wonder what paradise looks like from a couch potatoes vicarious point of view. 4 Sisters living in Christchurch New Zealand find love, happiness and sometimes tragedy after they embark in whirlwind relationships with visiting WWII American Soldiers. A cast of characters worthy of Hollywood splashes the screen with an older seasoned Joan fontaine matching wits with her 15 year old sister named Sandra Dee, To top it off you have Piper Laurie and jean Simmons as the other two sisters. Even though none of the sisters were born in New Zealand, they sure did a darn great job acting and making me believe that they couldn't have been born in any other country except New Zealand that i had to find out for myself! i would personally like to thank the New Zealand People for letting Hollywood film a great movie and letting the world watch the pristine, paradise settings of the NZ landscape !!!

The film opens with Newman, as a military officer, testifying at a trial, which reminds one of "The Rack." Indeed the subject once more is the way people surrender their ideals and moral standards under the pressures of war… But here the emphasis is on women, and the story details the endless suffering and sacrifices of four sisters on the New Zealand Homefront during World War II Newman, an American marine, becomes involved with one of the sisters (Jean Simmons), whose husband has recently been killed in combat… It's hardly a smooth relationship: Simmons doesn't trust the GIs, who exploit and abuse the local women; Newman, who has been, in his words, "recently unmarried," has no faith in women or in romance… He is tough, unsociable, defensive, and trying to remain detached; and he uses his position as investigator of servicemen's prospective brides to advise men against marriage This is the first of Newman's genuine alcoholics… When Simmons first meets him, he's in a bar, preoccupied with his liquor, and later, when she asks him how he copes with life, he shows her a bottle and delivers what would become characteristic Newman lines: "This is what I spend the night with—and no regrets . . . And nobody gets hurt." Gradually this confused and cynical man is unable to resist Simmons, who, he realizes, is the only woman he's ever really liked… He abandons what she calls his "hot affair with the bottle," although they seem to avoid a sexual relationship… Some melodramatic events threaten to keep them apart, but all ends happily in a huge CinemaScope closeup embrace Newman manages to mask his insecurities and neuroses… Instead of showing his usual aggressiveness with women, he becomes very dependent, seeing Simmons as almost a mother and letting her see his weaknesses… Most Newman characters are emotionally immature but they are rarely as open about it—rarely as overtly passive, dependent and adolescent

source: Until They Sail

wonderful film The cast is incredibly attractive. You have Joan Fontaine, Jean Simmons, Sandra Dee all in beautiful black and white. People look so much better in black and white, as it evens the skin tone. Probably a provocative movie in its day, and Michener sure has a way of weaving a story around history. The people are so pretty in this movie, and their voices are so nice too. Love to see a young Paul Newman, he is a very feminine, very unusual man. I don't see movies that cover this much in 90 minutes now. I feel as if films today are afraid to cover ground too fast, and that the art of cinema has become overemphasized over storytelling, which this movie does rather well.

Jean Simmons, Joan Fontaine, Piper Laurie, Sandra Dee and Paul Newman star in "Until They Sail," a World War II romantic drama directed by Robert Wise. Four sisters watch their husbands and boyfriends go off to war and meet different fates. The central story is the romance between the widowed Barbara (Simmons) and an American marine (Newman). This is an early film for Newman; he has fourth billing. The drama emphasizes the tremendous loneliness of the American soldiers and the New Zealand women and the resulting changing morality. The liaisons that result are sometimes one-nighters, sometimes serious that end with a soldier's death, and sometimes end in marriage and relocation. Anne (Fontaine) falls in love with a soldier (Charles Drake) and becomes pregnant; Dee (Piper Laurie) has a husband she doesn't love who is a prisoner of war - she moves to Wellington and takes up with an assortment of soldiers; and Barbara's husband is killed. Evelyn, a mere child at the beginning of the war, matures as it continues and falls in love. "Until They Sail" begins with a courtroom scene and continues as Barbara's flashback. It moves somewhat slowly and has a tendency to be talky. The performances are uneven. Laurie, a vibrant actress, nevertheless seems as if she belongs to a different family, much more American than a New Zealand resident. Fontaine gives a gentle portrayal of a woman who finds love later in her life. As Barbara, Simmons gives us a serious young woman with certain standards who nevertheless finds herself drawn to the cynical Newman character. Though she enjoyed an excellent career, Simmons never had the career she deserved, belonging to an era that put her in competition with Elizabeth Taylor and Audrey Hepburn. It's a shame - of the three, she's the best actress. Her work in "Angel Face" is proof enough of that and that she is a stunning beauty who, when allowed, could also be sexy. In "Until They Sail," she again conveys her thoughts with no dialogue. At the end, she stands outside alone and the viewer can read her mind, as they could when she walked into the house in "Angel Face" after the death of her parents. This is a pleasant film, not spectacular, worth seeing for an early Newman and some likable actors.

Very good Paul Newman about the effect that war has on people's lives as they try to cope with their loneliness due to separation. It was a great ensemble cast with Newman and Jean Simmons (Oscar nominations for The Happy Ending and Hamlet), Joan Fontaine (Oscar for Suspicion, and nominations for Rebecca and The Constant Nymph), Piper Laurie (Oscar nominations for Carrie, Children of a Lesser God, The Hustler), and Sandra Dee. For a 1957 film, it really took on issues such as infidelity and illegitimate children and the casualness of sex during wartime. Newman was great as the officer charged with investigating girls who soldiers wanted to marry and take back home. He played a character very familiar in his films - one that had a close relationship with the bottle.

This movie is wonderful. It's romantic, truthful and perfectly cast. It shows how lonely women can be without the love of a man in their life, and how wounds take so long to heal, and how easily they can be made. Jean Simmons is beautiful and sensitive in her portrayal of a New Zealand lass trying to remain decent and understanding emotional pain and restriction in a time of war. Paul Newman is positively gorgeous and plays his role as a cynical soldier so well i could seriously believe him really being one. The ending of the movie, although somewhat predictable, is lovely and suitable. I recommend this film to all lovers of Jean Simmons, Paul Newman and the classically romantic dramas of the 50's.

I have to admit, when I first heard of this film, I didn't think it would keep my interest or attention. The casting, albeit comprised of talented performers, seemed a little odd: 40 year old Fontaine and 13 year old Sandra Dee as sisters sounds a little far fetched, but the pairing actually plays out believably on screen. The age difference translates into a believable mother/daughter type of sisterly relationship, which is appropriate since Fontaine's character has been left to tend to her three sisters after her parents' death. Preconceived notions aside, the story is a compelling one, centering around four sisters in WWII New Zealand. Fontaine, Dee, Jean Simmons, and Piper Laurie all turn in admirable performances as the Lesley sisters in a plot that can sometimes seem a little implausible, or at the very least, ahead of it's time. Paul Newman also co-stars as a Marine officer who plays a pivotal role in the lives of the sisters, namely Simmons' character. Not the best role of any of the principal actors' careers, but definitely worth seeing, especially if you are drawn to WWII era dramas.