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6.9/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.9/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Isle of Escape remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Alright, let’s talk about Isle of Escape. If you’re a serious cinephile, someone who loves digging into early talkies, especially those early 'exotic' adventures, then yeah, you might find something interesting here. You’ll definitely enjoy picking apart its historical context and maybe even some of the unintentional humor. But for most modern viewers? Probably a hard pass. If you're looking for a smooth, progressive, or even just well-paced story, this one is going to feel like a real chore.
The film pretty much drops us into the deep end with Monte Blue playing our hero, Bob. He’s a miner with a pocket full of gold, which is basically a giant target on his back in his particular South Seas setting. Almost immediately, he’s running for his life from some local folks, often called 'cannibals' in the plot summary, though their actual practices are, thankfully, left mostly implied on screen. It’s less about actual gruesome acts and more about *running away* from the idea of them.
One scene, early on, Bob is just trying to paddle his little boat, and you can practically feel the director saying, “Okay, make it look tense!” But the waves are clearly not quite right, and the whole thing feels a little too staged. Still, for 1930, you got to give them points for trying to create a sense of peril. The immediate threat, though, is how he keeps bumping into people who want his gold, or just want to cause trouble. It's a gold rush for trouble, really.
Then there's the whole subplot with Evelyn (Nina Quartero) and her awful husband, De Loof (Noah Beery). Beery is just *deliciously* bad as the villain. He really leans into the whole abusive, conniving husband thing. He’s got this sneer that just screams 'I'm bad news.' Bob, being the hero, naturally ends up saving Evelyn from De Loof's clutches, which complicates his escape plan quite a bit. Because now he has a damsel in distress, and De Loof wants the gold and revenge. Double trouble.
But wait, there’s more! We also meet Lani (Myrna Loy, yes, *that* Myrna Loy!), a native girl who takes a shine to Bob. Her attempts to win him over are, well, a little much. There’s a moment where she just keeps popping up, always smiling, always trying to get his attention. It's a bit uncomfortable to watch now, just how persistent she is, almost like a cartoon character. Loy, even in this very early, somewhat problematic role, has a certain spark though. You can see hints of the star she'd become, even if the material here doesn't always serve her well.
The pacing of Isle of Escape is… something else. It feels like the movie will just pause sometimes. Like, a character will stare off into the distance for a beat longer than you’d expect. Then another character will stare at *them*. It creates this strange rhythm, like the film is taking a breath before deciding what to do next. You can tell they’re really trying to build suspense with these long shots, but it often just feels a bit *slow*.
There's this one fight scene near the end involving some grappling, and it’s actually pretty rough and tumble for its time. Not quite a modern brawl, but you can see them really going for it. The camera shakes a little, and it feels a tiny bit chaotic.
One particularly memorable bit is when they're all sailing on a small boat. The miniature work for the boat in the 'storm' is charmingly obvious. You can practically see the strings. But it’s these little imperfections, these moments where you can see the filmmaking trying its best, that actually give films like this some of their charm. It's not trying to fool you, it just *is*.
And then there's Duke Kahanamoku. The famous Hawaiian Olympic swimmer! He plays one of the islanders. His presence is a cool little historical note, though his role isn't huge. It’s those small casting choices that can make an old film like this a bit more special for folks who like to spot those kinds of things.
Overall, Isle of Escape is a curio. It’s got a lot of familiar adventure tropes, some that haven't aged well, and a few moments that really make you sit up and take notice. Not for its brilliance, but for its sheer audacity or its quaintness. It’s a glimpse into what passed for thrilling escapism almost a century ago. 🎬
IMDb —
1927
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