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Return to Paradise
Return to Paradise
	Theatrical poster
Directed by	Mark Robson
Screenplay by	Charles Kaufman
Based on	Return to Paradise; 1951 novel; by James A. Michener
Produced by	Harry Lenart; Mark Robson; Theron Warth; Robert Wise;
Starring	Gary Cooper; Barry Jones; Roberta Haynes; John Hudson
Cinematography	Winton C. Hoch
Edited by	Daniel Mandell
Music by	Dimitri Tiomkin
Color process	Technicolor
Production; company	Aspen Productions
Distributed by	United Artists
Release date	July 10, 1953 (United States);
Running time	100 minutes; 88 minutes; (TCM print)
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$515,00
Box office	$1.8 million (US)

Return to Paradise is an American South Seas adventure drama film released by United Artists in 1953.^[3]^[4] The film was directed by Mark Robson and starred Gary Cooper, Barry Jones and Roberta Haynes. It was based on a short story, "Mr. Morgan", by James Michener in his 1951 short story collection Return to Paradise, his sequel to his 1947 novel Tales of the South Pacific. It was filmed on location in Matautu, Lefaga Western Samoa (present-day Samoa).^[5]

Plot

During the 1920s, itinerant American beachcomber Mr. Morgan (Gary Cooper) is deposited in the village of Matareva on the island of Upolu, Samoa in the South Pacific. When he decides to stay he is confronted by Pastor Cobbett (Barry Jones), who lost both his father and his wife as a young missionary on the island. Cobbett rules Matareva as a Puritanical despot, using local bullies as "wardens" to enforce his rules. "Morgan Tane" stays on Matareva by winning the support of the natives after he defeats the wardens with the aid of an empty shotgun. Morgan has an illegitimate child, Turia (Moira Walker), by island girl Maeva (Roberta Haynes). After Maeva's death in childbirth, the distraught Morgan departs the island, leaving Turia behind with her grandmother.

Morgan returns to Matareva during World War II, where he reconciles with Cobbett, who has become a friend and teacher to the islanders, and meets Turia. She falls in love with an Army Air Force pilot, Harry Faber, after he crash-lands his cargo plane in the lagoon. An interesting irony is that when Morgan first arrived, Cobbett tried to force him to leave the island lest he get an island girl pregnant. Now he faces the same thing when Faber tries to seduce his daughter, Turia, as a diversion while awaiting pickup by the Navy. Morgan intervenes and makes Faber and his crew leave, using the same empty shotgun as an inducement. When Turia forgives him, Morgan decides to remain with her on Matareva.

Cast

Gary Cooper as Mr. Morgan
Barry Jones as Pastor Thomas Cobbett
Roberta Haynes as Maeva
Moira MacDonald as Turia
John Hudson as Capt. Harry Faber
Le Mamea Matatumua Ata as Tonga
Hans Kruse as Rori, age 21
Terry Dunleavy as Mac
Howard Poulson as Russ
Donald Ashford as Cutler
Herbert Ah Sue as Kura
Va'a as Rori, age 9

Soundtrack

The title song "Return to Paradise," by Dimitri Tiomkin and Ned Washington, was featured in the soundtrack. It has been recorded by artists including Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby and Shirley Horn.

Home media

Return to Paradise was released on DVD on December 31, 2009, as part of the MGM Limited Edition Collection series.

References

^ "'Paradise' Cost 515G, Ballyhoo Set at 500G". Variety. March 1953. p. 2.
^ 'The Top Box Office Hits of 1953', Variety, January 13, 1954
^ Dixon, Wheeler Winston (1993). Early Film Criticism of Francois Truffaut. Indiana University Press. p. 148. ISBN 9780253113436. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
^ Stanley, David (2004). Moon Handbooks South Pacific. David Stanley. p. 55. ISBN 9781566914116. Retrieved 17 June 2019. Return to Paradise (1953 film).
^ Glimpses of Micronesia & the Western Pacific. Glimpses of Guam Incorporated. 1982. p. 29. Retrieved 17 June 2019.