Bees in Paradise (1944) - A Bizarre Musical Comedy

The Most Dangerous Game MEETS The Women MEETS Pin Up Girl.

Bees in Paradise (1944) is the tale of an island of women who live as bees do - in a matriarchal society which disposes of males after mating with them.

It's a comedy.

Counter to what happens in an actual bee hive, the queen of this group is not the only one mating. The workers also get their chance to snatch any male who happens by the island. Just as in a standard wartime musical, most of the women look no younger than 18 and not a day over 21, wear uniforms, perform jobs traditionally reserved for men, and sing a lot.

                               

Unlike your standard 1940s musical, and more like the sadistic tale of a man who hunts humans in Dangerous Game,  these ladies make sure their men die! The doomed lads for this story are British aviators with His Majesty's Royal Air Force who parachute out of a failing plane and land on the island.


Our leading man, Peter (played by Peter George Wellesley Graves) often stands around with his hands in his pockets as if he has nowhere to go and he's bored. Bored? You are a WWII aviator who has parachuted onto a mysterious, uncharted island with a gaggle of gals who are not only anxious to mate with you, they also kill "drones!"

                      React, man! React!    


Aren't you desperate to save your own life? Aren't you concerned your family may never find you? Aren't you at least inquisitive as to how no one knows about this group? How did this colony begin? And what about your mission for the war effort?

Where's your pulse?!


Instead we get a slow, plodding love scene with a worker "bee" in the moonlight. As if this is the most meaningful relationship Peter has ever had.

Dude, it's no secret that men die in this place!  Run!



There's at least one man who does high tail it (or tries to) - our comic foil, Arthur (Arthur Askey). Usually the guy with the wise cracks in this kind of the movie is the most annoying person in the room. But this time, the second banana is the one who responds as anyone would - running away from the murderers and trying to get off the island.

This is the most bizarre musical comedy I have ever seen.  Despite a few flaws, it has an intriguing premise which keeps you guessing right up to the end.

Right. There's also a crocodile hunter subplot that goes nowhere. Very strange movie.