Passion and Paradise (1989) User Reviews (4)

Not with my daughter

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 30 November 2020]

The Murder Of Sir Harry Oakes is still a subject of speculation even today, especially in the Bahamas . This American born, Canadian citizen and knight of the British Empire is well played by Rod Steiger.

The natural beauty of the Bahamas is what attracted Oakes to settle here and make this a home away from the world's travails. In 1943 the world certainly had a lot of travails and the World War raging on affects all on the Bahamas. But in the upper crust where Oakes hangs out, they carry on like the war was a million miles away. Funny no mention of German U-Boat activity is made at any point in the film.

The Bahamas is where Winston Churchill's government put the former king and now Duke of Windsor as Governor-General. There was always a fear the Germans would grab him and if they invaded the British Isles they would restore him as king. Putting him in the Bahamas a short hop from Florida would releve the British and give the Americans the worry for his safety and person. The Duke is played by Andrew Ray and the woman he loved Wallis Warfield Simpson is played by Linda Griffiths. They're played just about like the society twits they were.

Into this island paradise comes Armand Assante, a man with an old title, but little old money to go with it. He makes a living in New York as an escort for hire among the the creme de la creme of society. A titled gigolo. Assante has bought a plantation next to the Oakes estate and Steiger befriends him

Until he starts courting Catherine Mary Stewart, Steiger's daughter. Both Steiger and wife Mariette Hartley oppose him, but Assante marries Stewart anyway.

Two other elements of this story are the burgeoning independence movement among the natives who are the descendants of runaway slaves from the USA. The second is the mob who want to turn the Bahamas into another gambling paradise like Cuba. hey send Michael Sarrazin to work things out but peacefully.

All these elements are part of the story which comes to a head when Steiger is murdered and Assante arrested. It would be convenient for the powers that be to have Assante convicted.

Passion And Paradise is exceptionally well cast and photographed beautifully. My favorite however was the American detective hired by Stewart Wayne Rogers. Right out of Raymond Chandler.

The Duke Of Windsor was rightly pilloried for botching the investigation when he took advantage of the closeness and called in the Miami police. They did more than botch and it all eflected bad on the Windsors.

See if you can come up with your own solution to this case.

Glossy and entertaining

[ODDBear · 7/10 · 27 July 2008]

I remember seeing "Passion and Paradise" on TV when I was much younger and liking it very much. Recently I revisited the mini-series and I found that it's quite entertaining.

Armand Assante plays the unfortunate son-in-law of one Sir Harry Oakes (the always towering Rod Steiger) who gets blamed for his murder. Having married Sir Oakes's daughter and believed to be after her fortunes, Assante's defense team has a mountain to climb making the case for his innocence.

Now this is based on the true story of Sir Harry Oakes's murder but I do not know any specifics about his death or the investigation that followed.

Spoiler:

Real life characters such as gangster Lucky Luciano and others are figured in here and a subplot about Oakes's disdain of bringing casinos to the Bahamas may have figured in his untimely demise. It wasn't known (in 1988 at least) who killed Sir Harry Oakes but the film speculates about his death and to me it's as good a speculation as any.

Spoiler end.

This glossy mini-series is entertaining in it's own right. Characters are pretty shallow and despite a three hour running time the proceedings seem very rushed, especially the trial. The cast is good with a very powerful Rod Steiger playing Sir Harry Oakes in his usual forceful manner. Armand Assante is good as his son-in-law and Mariette Hartley is very good as Sir Harry Oakes's wife. Wayne Rogers is fun to watch as the gumshoe who helps out with the case but Catherine Mary Stewart is pretty uneven as Assante's wife and Sir Harry Oakes's daughter.

The scenery in the Bahamas is very beautiful to look at and overall the production values here are decent.

As far as mini-series go, "Passion and Paradise" is a good way to spend an evening.

Did Garry Moore know who killed Sir Harry Oakes?

[rudy-30 · 18 April 2002]

This made-for-tv movie re-examines the still unsolved murder case of Sir Harry Oakes. The acting and characterizations are brilliant,especially Kevin McCarthy as one of Harry's so-called friends. Garry Moore, host of "I've Got A Secret", had a summer place where the murder happened, and in interviews said that after thirty years, the locals refused to discuss Sir Harry's murder. I won't spoil anything by giving away what the writers speculate; rather, watch for yourself, as the acting and screenplay are excellent.

terrible movie

[karmanghia · 1/10 · 1 May 2008]

Are you kidding me? While on vacation in a friend's condo, we came across this video. I have to admit, we were groaning and howling enough that I could have missed some redeeming aspect. Who on earth played the daughter? Was that she on the yacht early on complaining about her European fiancé? Did she have a sudden personality change after meeting AA? The costumes were ludicrous. Two of the silliest scenes...when Rod Steiger goes to the newlyweds' place (where they had the double bed out in the center of the room) and literally tries to drag her from between the sheets and, earlier, ga ga over Armande, when she returns home giddy, and skips around the foyer, gayly pulling a flower from the arrangement, all to some perfectly horrid music. The plot was disjointed, the movie terribly edited, and omg I just don't know what else to say.