This is a remake of "The Narrow Corner" and I have seen several variations on the film (such as "Tiger Shark" and "Danger Lights"). So, from the onset I found the material very familiar and very predictable. In fact, beginning at the very first scenes featuring the wedding and the shipwreck, I already knew exactly what would be happening later in the movie! The only unusual thing about this B-movie was seeing Humphrey Bogart as the poor husband--and with a very cheesy fake mustache. Why he was given such an uninteresting and thankless role is simply because he was not yet a star. By 1936, he'd been in quite a few films but almost exclusively in bit parts and walk-ons. Though he'd been in Hollywood for about five years, he really hadn't yet made a name for himself.As I said before, the film starts with a wedding on a tiny island in the Pacific. When a boat crashes in the reef, in comes a more handsome and interesting man (Donald Woods) and the new wife is captivated. However, the husband is a sap and he doesn't realize how serious this is and befriends Woods--to his regret.Overall, this is a very simple B-movie with little (other than the novelty of seeing Bogart in a crappy film) to positively distinguish it. And, on the negative side, there is a silly rubber octopus that just needs to be seen to believed. Not horrible but certainly not very good either.

Despite looking very much like a B-film and a rush job by Warner Bros. to produce an early Bogart film, ISLE OF FURY has enough intriguing elements in the story to make it worth watching if you're a Bogart fan. Even then, had enough presence to be worthy of better projects than this.It's filmed on a small budget with a number of fake island sets except for a few outdoor scenes but gets off to a good start with a storm at sea and the introduction of a few strange characters. One of them is DONALD WOODS, rescued by Bogart's men from a storm when his boat is torn apart. Woods takes an instant shine to Bogart's new wife (MARGARET LINDSAY) with just a suggestion that the relationship between Bogart and Woods hints at something in their past that neither wants to talk about. The romantic angle is handled awkwardly in the script and not played with much intensity by the trio involved.The plot thickens and various incidents lead to a conclusion with but one surprising twist. Overall, the feeling is that the ending is more than a little abrupt without enough explanation about the characters or their motivations.Strictly a surface telling of a story based on some original work by Somerset Maugham. None of the supporting roles are particularly well handled.

Isle of Fury which starred Humphrey Bogart, Margaret Lindsay and Donald Woods is a remake of a previous Warner Brothers feature, The Narrow Corner based on a novel by the same name by W. Somerset Maugham. The original film came out in 1933 and starred Ralph Bellamy, Patricia Ellis, and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. in the roles played by Bogart, Lindsay and Woods respectively. Knowing how things operated at Warner Brothers and also having seen both the original and remake they did of The Dawn Patrol, I'm willing to wager half the next month's rent that whole chunks of the film, all the action sequences are just carried over from the original film. That's just how Jack Warner did things over at his studio.I'm also willing to bet knowing the original source is Somerset Maugham who also wrote that racy epic Rain baed in the South Seas that the original since it was before the Code was a great deal spicier. The new version is 9 minutes longer and probably the spice has been removed. Warner Brothers never got anywhere near the South Seas, probably the film was shot in Catalina. The plot concerns Bogart and Lindsay who are being married as the film opens when news of a foundering sailing ship off their island and hung up on a reef brings a call for rescue. Only two get rescued, the captain Paul Graetz, and a mysterious passenger Donald Woods.Bogart and Woods hit it off and become friends and Lindsay and Woods hit it off even better. Both Bogart and Woods however have something in their respective pasts. The part that Bogey plays is something he might have done later on with bigger budgets. This film was done on the cheap, the special effects are crude by today's standards. Today of course the movie going public would demand location shooting in some place like Fiji or Samoa.It's B picture from Bryan Foy's B picture unit at Warner Brothers so take it for what it's worth.

With a quick "I Do" and a hasty good bye kiss, Val Stevens (Humphrey Bogart) takes off to save a handful of sailors caught in a furious tropical storm off the island of Tankana, the "Isle of Fury" of the title. With a look that asks "Did I do the right thing?", wife Lucille (Margaret Lindsay) questions her circumstances even more following the rescue of Eric Blake (Donald Woods), a handsome man who begins to fall for Lucille as the film progresses. In a desperate attempt to keep his pearl diving business alive and pay off their island home, Val is blind to his new wife's insecurity, and even encourages Eric to spend time with Lucille as he recuperates.The moral conscience of the film is provided by Doc Hardy (E.E. Clive), a friend of the Stevens', who inserts sage advice at appropriate times, even recounting at one point the Biblical story of David and Bathsheba. It was David who sent Bathsheba's warrior husband off to war to be killed, so he could take up with the widow.In the film's back story, Tankana's nearby island natives are refusing to dive for Val, following the disappearance of two villagers in the waters off the island. To prove there is nothing to fear, Val himself dons diving gear and heads for open water as the watchful natives stare in anticipation.Pay attention as Val and Eric prepare to head off to the natives' island. As Eric greets Val with "Good morning, Skipper", Val responds to Eric with a hearty "Good morning Val". Neither actor batted an eye, nor apparently did the director, as the scene remained in the film.Val's deep sea dive turns unintentionally funny as just behind him and unseen, a rather awkward looking octopus is revealed to be the cause of the natives' fears. Going hand to tentacle in unarmed combat, Val is a sure goner when his lifeline and oxygen supply both rip free of the fishing boat. Eric proves heroic, diving into the deep to defeat the beast and save Val from certain death.In a gesture of generosity, Val offers Eric a 50/50 partnership in the diving business to remain behind, but heeding the good Doc's advice, Eric knows he must return to civilization. After all, Eric is the law, and Val was his fugitive quarry, on the run from authorities following the death of a man, though it's not clearly established whether Val was actually guilty or not. What matters is that Eric doesn't think so, having seen Val act with honor and integrity on Tankana.Though still early in his career, Humphrey Bogart had appeared in about a dozen films by the time "Isle of Fury" was released. Following his career progress through the early films, one recognizes a more and more confident actor, though this film suffers from awkward editing at times. That's no less a recommendation though, do see it if you can find a copy of this unreleased Warner Brothers adventure, or stay attentive to classic movie cable listings.