The early 1950's was a good time for Technicolour, basic plots in the adventure and musical genre, and this kind of crowd pleasing cinema must have been a breath of fresh air after the dull greys and black and white that had predominated in the previous decades of film. ' Hurricane Smith ' is an excellent example, with an attractive cast, good production values and a story that is enjoyable to follow, concerning pirates, deserted islands and a shark fight. No spoilers but the beautiful Yvonne de Carlo and the sexy John Ireland steal every shot they are in, and of course they go for each other, and the audience must have enjoyed Yvonne de Carlo dancing and singing on a captured ship's deck. Jerry Hooper, a director I know nothing about directed well, and the camera work catches every exciting piece of action and romance perfectly. The dialogue is just above average, but then no one would have been watching for profound observations on the meaning of life. I wondered what made Yvonne de Carlo so exceptional; we have to wait for her to appear in the great actor of the times tradition, and when she appears, and in my opinion, knows she is on a film set and knows that this is not ' reality ' but pure and simple entertainment. A definite 9.
Review of Hurricane Smith
