sol- Still pining for a mysterious woman with whom he and two other gentlemen shared a lifeboat many months earlier, a British army officer recollects the shipwreck that led to their encounter as well as their intimate time together in this early career Richard Burton motion picture. The film plays out primarily in flashback and seeing Burton so young is just as curious as Joan Collins being cast as his love interest - a nun who never revealed her true identity to him during their time together. The story is propelled by a couple of implausible elements -- namely, her extreme reluctance to say that she is a nun, and the fact that the four shipwreck survivors insist on calling each other by nicknames rather than their real names -- however, these improbabilities add unexpected layers of depths. In particular, the film handles Burton's attraction to Collins with delightful ambiguity; we never find out if she truly ever reciprocated his feelings, and is it out of craving for human affection that she chose to never tell him that she was a nun? The naming thing is quite interesting too as we get to know the characters through their traits and idiosyncrasies more than anything else, and as Collins keeps telling Burton, things are different when stuck out at sea. Clocking in at just over an hour and a quarter long, the film feels incredibly short with a lot of unrealised narrative potential, but the ending is so unexpected and packs such an emotional wallop that it is hard not to exit the film a tad shaken. Certainly, 'Sea Wife' is very far removed from the average wartime romantic drama out there.

MartinHafer "Sea Wife" is a film best enjoyed if you don't have particularly high expectations and accept it as it is. I liked it but could easily see folks complaining about one serious problem with the plot.When the film begins, 'Biscuit' (Richard Burton) has arrived back in England after a very long absence. The first thing he does is arrange for some odd personal ads to be run in the various newspapers with odd messages from 'Biscuit' to someone called 'Sea Wife'. These messages turn out to be fruitless and eventually an acquaintance named 'Bulldog' contacts him and asks him to come see him about the messages. Then a lengthy flashback occurs. The time in 1942 and the setting is Singapore as the Japanese are invading. Biscuit is on board a ship that is trying to escape--as are many, many others on this overloaded ship. Eventually, the ship is torpedoed with it's out to see and Biscuit and four others end up in a life raft together. Oddly, they don't use their real names and they all assign nicknames to each other--Bulldog (for the nasty and extremely bigoted jerk), #4 because he was the fourth one aboard, Biscuit (this one made little sense) and Sea Wife since she was a lady. Their adventures make up most of the rest of the film and during this time, Biscuit falls for Sea Wife and she NEVER bothers to mention to him that she's a nun and that's why she's rebuffing his advances. WHY NOT JUST TELL THE GUY!?!?! And, if the story is being discussed by Biscuit and Bulldog, how can we see and hear conversations that go on between #4 and Sea Wife if they never told the other two about what they said?!?! Huh?! On the other hand, the film was excellent in many ways. I particularly loved how the film focused on the horrible aspects of human nature. The ship sinking scene was great--very harrowing and exhibiting all the worst in mankind!! Likewise, Bulldog was a great character simply because he was so awful. Overall, a nice adventure film that occasionally didn't exactly make sense. Worth seeing but certainly not a must-see.

ianlouisiana So runs the mantra of the shipwrecked racist "Bulldog" when he realises that one of his fellow castaways - the unbelievably handsome Mr Cy Grant,better - known for singing calypsos on the BBC "Tonight programme - has found a machete on the island where he finds himself marooned along with a nun(Miss Joan Collins) and a British officer(Mr Richard Burton).Mr Grant,formerly Steward of the ill - fated ship sunk by the beastly Japs is the only one who even remotely has his act together and so is obviously doomed to a fairly early demise.But not before he has set male and female hearts a - flutter by baring his well - oiled chest and sylph - like figure all over the island. He meets a particularly grisly end at the hands - or mouth I suppose,to be more accurate - of a passing shark as he swims out to board the raft that "Bulldog" has launched into the water having temporarily incapacitated the more liberal Mr Burton who did not share his unpleasant prejudices.Miss Collins contented herself with whispering ineffectually,a technique she adopts throughout the picture. Mr Burton gives one of his more offhand performances in a career of giving offhand performances.He is convincing as neither a British officer,a castaway, or as the ardent seeker of a lost love.As he walks towards a bus stop (!) at the end he looks like a man who has temporarily misplaced his latch - key rather than one who has just seen the only chance of finding true lurve going up in a puff of smoke. In a scene that will surprise nobody he walks straight past Miss Collins dressed in her nun's kit.Cue violins and swelling orchestra as Miss Collins gazes heavenwards in an ending that leaves Camp struggling to catch up.

Sleepy-17 Joan Collins is a nun (!!) shipwrecked on an island with Burton. This movie is hilarious and sexy. Burton as usual is so serious he's got his tongue in his cheek because the script's morality won't let him use it to plow the ever-gorgeous Collins. I haven't seen it for years, but I still use Burton's growling "I love you, Sea Wife" to make my wife laugh. And a note on Collins: Evidently the eternal self-pitier Russell Crowe was upset to see himself compared to her at an awards show. But she is the one who was shamed; she was, is, and will always be wonderful. Enjoy this flick and "Land of the Pharoahs" as proof!