This running account of Pier 6 brawls, miscegenation, romance and religion that disrupt the idyllic life on a post-World War II South Sea island paradise is sheer contrivance effected in hearty, fun-loving, truly infectious style.
70
Time Out
Time Out
In short, a very bleak - but very funny - comedy.
70
Village VoiceAndrew Sarris
Village VoiceAndrew Sarris
By any interpretation, Donovan's Reef is a beautiful example of cinematic art, and the atavistic desire to let the movie sweep over the spectator without disruptive analysis is at least understandable. [01 Aug 1963, p.13]
70
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
A minor but enjoyable romp. [03 Mar 1991, p.66]
67
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
Supremely goofy in tone, the film pits Wayne (in his last Ford film) and Marvin as drunken pals who careen from one friendly brawl to the next. A Pacific island paradise becomes their silly playpen.
63
Chicago ReaderDave Kehr
Chicago ReaderDave Kehr
A rowdy, cheerful film on the surface, it has a disturbingly sour undertone supplied by Ford's realization that this paradise cannot be, and never was.
60
The Telegraph
The Telegraph
John Ford's Second World War film is a morality play that is both sentimental and comical. [02 Nov 2013, p.40]
Donovan's Reef, for a director of John Ford's stature, is a potboiler. Where Ford aficianados will squirm is during that occasional scene that reminds them this effort-less effort is the handiwork of the men who made Stagecoach and The Informer.