In a nutshell: a veteran (Reginal Sharland) runs away to Fiji after WWI, becomes a hopeless alcoholic, and is picked on by a bully (Mitchell Lewis) until a plucky young woman (Sally O'Neil) helps him out. There are some interesting war scenes in the film's opening 5 minutes or so. While PTSD is portrayed somewhat one-dimensionally, as Sharland's irrational fear of fire after having been attacked with flamethrowers, it was impressive to see a film in 1930 show the hellscape of trench warfare, as well as its lasting psychological effects. The racism in the film is enlightening in some ways, such as showing the hypocrisy of black veterans having gone from heroes during the war to "boys" or "baboons" afterwards. It's still a bit tough to hear those comments, as well as toasts to "white supremacy" (literally), the hypocrisy of Lewis's character heightened by his being a "half-caste", with associated negative implications, and the natives shown dancing through fire as the whites peer down at them. However, all of that makes the film more interesting than the love story, which is melodramatic and stilted. There's no star power here, and O'Neil's voice is grating. The film zips along at 65 minutes, but the best scenes are in the first half, should you feel like bailing out.
Review of Girl of the Port
