Diagonaldi Very well executed

Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic

Gutsycurene Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

Billie Morin This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

jarrodmcdonald-1 As I began watching the movie, it seemed to have a Saturday matinée feel to it-- not that I know entirely what that is, but I'll take the idea and run with it. Filmed with the studio's Trucolor process, it overflows with bright green, blue, red and orange. The script is very sharply written, and we learn a lot about what makes these sailors behave as they do. We're given the backstory of MacMurray's character, how he ascended the ranks and was given a ship of his own; how it led to the sea near Java. He meets Ralston's character as the movies gets underway, and he frees her from slavery. Yes, it is one of those kinds of love stories. Several things impress me about FAIR WIND TO JAVA. First, the supporting cast couldn't be better-- Victor McLaglen, Claude Jarman Jr. and John Russell are all men under MacMurray's command; while Robert Douglas plays a rival treasure seeker. Also, the music is grand-- sweeping and romantic each time it comes up on the soundtrack. So much that honestly one can't tell if the sea is supposed to be just as romantic in this tale as the relationship between MacMurray and Ralston. And then there is all the boisterous action.What's a good swashbuckler adventure story without rousing fights on board the ship, or a hunt for diamonds on land that is soon obscured by debris from a very active volcano? And speaking of the volcanic eruption that occurs near the end (perhaps symbolizing the passion shared by the main characters), Herbert Yates-- Republic's boss and Miss Ralston's husband- - has gone all out to present the most spectacular special effects you could ever imagine. Yes. It's worth more than all the diamonds in Java.

Alex da Silva Capt. Boll (Fred MacMurray) is sailing in the Dutch East Indies in search of diamonds. A slave girl Kim Kim (Vera Ralston) that he buys holds the key to the whereabouts of the diamonds and she becomes the target of pirates, led by Pulo (Robert Douglas) who are also after the same thing. The film is a race between Boll and Pulo to find the diamonds which are located on Krakatoa. As it happens, this all takes place at the same time as the volcano erupts.Its crap. I challenge the viewer to stay with it without wandering off and daydreaming about better things. There is no interest, drama, tension - its a straightforward plodding adventure. Its slow moving and the acting is terrible. Vera Ralston puts on a terrible accent - I mean, imagine pronouncing the word "volcano" as "volcarno" - that is an accent from nowhere! Also extremely irritating is Wilson (Paul Fix) as a pirate. Why have these false, unfunny comedy characters in stories? They are not needed and they provide no humour. Boll has a troop of comedy pirates with Wilson as the worst offender. He wears a ridiculous ear-ring as well. I'd have pushed him overboard.Robert Taylor's mask is quite effective when we first see it, and the volcano wakes you up in the last 10 minutes, but the film is just a waste of time. The sets are so obviously fake (the speed at which the water moves in the background is so laughably unnatural), the sound quality is poor and the model ships are pushed along at speeds that defy belief. At the end of the film you will be drained and just want to go to bed because you have been so bored for the last hour and a half.

Spikeopath Out in the Dutch East Indies and Captain Boll is out looking for treasure, diamonds to be exact. But he is not alone, and not only does he have to contend with on board grumblings, he has angry tribesmen and a rumbling volcano thrown into the bargain as well.Fair Wind To Java is a just above average adventure yarn, gleaming colour and a tidy production ensure it's a watchable piece. The standard plot formula {complete with pretty female love interest} is boosted by the film's last quarter, here the viewers patience is rewarded with fights aplenty and the presence of Krakatau volcano literally doing its stuff. In fact the last quarter is a joy for those with home cinema, rough seas and volcanic rumblings boom out of the speakers, and certainly up the ante of the viewing experience. Outside of that the film doesn't have much else to highlight, the acting in the main is fine, Fred MacMurray as Boll and Victor McLaglen as O'Brien both turn in solid professional performances, but Vera Ralston as Kim Kim is desperately poor in the main female role.Not one to recommend to adventure fans with any great confidence, but certainly worth a look on a rainy day. 6/10

telegonus A sort of mini-De Mille picture from Republic studios, A Fair Wind To Java is a fast-moving adventure story set in the south seas. Fred MacMurray is excellent as the hero, really quite at home in the sort of costume picture role one wouldn't expect to find him in. What absurdities there are in the story are offset to a large degree by the actor's surprising moral authority as the humane captain. Vera Ralston is lovely if unexceptional as the heroine. The supporting cast is fine and energetic. As always, the Lydecker brothers provide superb special effects on a limited budget. Overall, a watchable, old-fashioned movie, if a tad anachronistic for the fifties. The ending provides genuine spectacle, and is well worth the wait.