HistoryAdventure

Lydia Bailey

- Lydia Bailey ... is Haiti, Voodoo and Passion !

A young Boston lawyer, Albron Hamlin, goes to Haiti in 1802 to find Lydia Bailey, whose estate he must settle. The island is war-torn in the strife between Toussaing L'Overture, the black president, and the French who are trying to retake possession of the country. Hamlin finds Lydia and, against the background of war and rebellion, they fall in love while helping the Haitians against the French.

Release Date : 1952-05-30

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : 20th Century Fox

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Albion Hamlin

Original Name : Dale Robertson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lydia Bailey

Original Name : Anne Francis

Gender : Female

Character Name : Col. Gabriel D'autremont

Original Name : Charles Korvin

Gender : Male

Character Name : King Dick

Original Name : William Marshall

Gender : Male

Character Name : General Charles LeClerc

Original Name : Luis van Rooten

Gender : Male

Character Name : Paul d'Autremont

Original Name : Angos Perez

Gender : Male

Character Name : Soldier

Original Name : Robert Evans

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mirabeau

Original Name : Roy Glenn

Gender : Male

Character Name : General LaPlume

Original Name : Bill Walker

Gender : Male

Character Name : Aspodelle

Original Name : Rosalind Hayes

Gender : Female

Character Name : Marie (uncredited)

Original Name : Juanita Moore

Gender : Female

Character Name : Pauline Bonaparte (uncredited)

Original Name : Gladys Holland

Gender : Female

Character Name : Mme. Antoinette d'Autremont (uncredited)

Original Name : Adeline De Walt Reynolds

Gender : Female

Character Name : President Toussaint L'Overture (uncredited)

Original Name : Ken Renard

Gender : Male

Character Name : Consul (uncredited)

Original Name : Will Wright

Gender : Male

Reviews

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2025-01-08

It's unlucky for "Hamlin" (Dale Robertson) that he arrives in Haiti to help his eponymous client (Anne Francis) settle her father's estate. He steps straight into a war zone as the local population have had enough of living under the Napoleonic yoke and so are galvanised under "L'Overture" (Ken Renard) to fight for their freedom. Initially, he's uninterested in their island's domestic squabbles, but after a while both he and she find themselves more and more embroiled. Thing is, Napoleon is quite fond of his Caribbean paradise and soon we learn he has despatched a fleet to reimpose order. Against such overwhelming odds, can they hope to prevail It's not a bad premiss for a story but it's really let down as it assembles a cast of unremarkable B-listers, takes to a pot-plant clad sound stage and plays a game of pirates. The turbulent history of the island with all of it's voodoo culture is underplayed as is the fact that there wasn't really much unity amongst the residents save for the fact that they were all anti-French! The enemy of my enemy is my friend sort of thing, William Marshall bucks that trend a little with an engagingly mischievous effort as "King Dick" and there are the germs of commentaries about racial equality and respect, but I don't really think Jean Negulesco quite knew who his audience was here, so we never really deliver on any front save for the predictably romantic one. It's watchable enough, but needed much more focussed storytelling.