VividSimon Simply Perfect

Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Kaelan Mccaffrey Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

JasparLamarCrabb An epic that is largely character driven and that actually works to its detriment. Minister Max von Sydow and his New Englander wife Julie Andrews head for mission work in Hawaii and face storms at sea, fires, disease and some very sexually free natives. Director George Roy Hill assembles a staid adaption of the James A. Michener novel and though the production values are all first rate, the script stagnates to the point of being sleep inducing when it should be sweeping. The acting is good, though there is probably one too many scenes of von Sydow in full on fire & brimstone mode. He's really annoying. Andrews is very restrained, so much so that it's difficult to believe she would have stayed with such a block headed husband. Richard Harris, Gene Hackman and George Rose are in it too. Jocelyne LaGarde, an Oscar nominee for her only film appearance, steals a number of scenes as the very bossy Malama Kanakoa.

Jim Colyer Max von Sydow pops up in this story of missionaries who went to Hawaii in the 1820s. It is really the story of his wife, Jerusha, who pines away in the island paradise. Jerusha is played by Julie Andrews, whom I never really cared for, although she was highly regarded in the 1960s. Von Sydow took on a similar role in 1971 in The Emigrants, a film in which he again uproots his wife only to watch her disintegrate. A young Richard Harris is Jerusha's jilted lover. Themes are typical. We watch native Hawaiians suffer as a result of contact with Europeans. The film is a bit too long, but it is worthwhile. I rented it when I decided to go to Hawaii.

bkoganbing From the day Captain Cook arrived on those beautiful islands, Hawaii like Poland was cursed because of geography. Poland situated between two gigantic European powers just became a pawn in the eternal military and diplomatic chess game.Hawaii located where it is between North America and the Orient, when sea travel improved it was only a matter of time before the big powers came a-callin'. And they came from both directions. Not shown in the time frame this film covers, but soon after, waves of Japanese and Chinese immigrants landed on the shore. Hawaii was coveted by all and America got it.Max Von Sydow plays a young New England minister out to bring the gospel to the heathen as he sees them and has been taught to see them. His church won't send him out to the south seas without a wife, lest he be tempted by sins of the flesh, so on a short acquaintance he marries Julie Andrews. She in turn has been home pining away for whaling captain Richard Harris. When Von Sydow and Andrews get to Hawaii over the course of their story Harris would reappear.Naturally its quite a culture shock for the New Englanders when they get to Hawaii. The film's story covers about a quarter of a century of Hawaiian history and the history of the changing attitudes of Andrews and Von Sydow. James Michener's original novel was of War and Peace duration and I suppose the final script was as best they could get it and cover what he was trying to convey. Despite the obvious racist feelings that Von Sydow has, he's a basically decent man who does do some positive good.His problem is that everything with him has to be filtered through the Bible. There's a lot of incest going on in Hawaii when he lands there. Reason being is that these are islands with a limited number of mating partners. Now incest is bad as we know because it does eventually weaken the gene pool. But Von Sydow hardly takes a scientific approach, how could he, he doesn't know it, he hasn't been taught it.Julie Andrews is a far cry from the perky Mary Poppins. She develops quite an attachment to Hawaii and its people and her approach with them is fundamentally different than her husband's. It's not a bad performance.Richard Harris is the lusty whaling captain of Andrews previous affections. I tend to think his part might have been edited down. In a recent biography of Harris, it was stated he and Andrews did not get along at all on the set. Harris in those days was a whole lot like the characters he played like this one in Hawaii.Of course when you've got Hawaii as a subject for a camera, the photography could not be anything but gorgeous.Hawaii covers a period not well known to most Americans except Hawaiians. And indeed they are Americans and have been since 1959. I think people could learn something from this film even with the script flaws.

kolemani-1 I first noticed what were definitely Polynesian actors on the cover of the DVD and considering it was a movie based on a subject matter I'm always interested in(when Europeans interfere with Native peoples,in particular Polynesians since I am one,and the effects the clash of cultures can have).I was a little unsure of the movie at first because I was thinking it was gonna be real preachy but I found it to be an awesome film,even it it did have some cuts(as I just read another post here).I am very impressed with the acting from all the cast and especially the performances given from Keoki and especially Ali'i Nui.She did a really good job especially considering this was her first and only movie.I couldn't see a movie like this being made today(esp since there wouldn't nearly be as many real Hawaiians available for extras or actors) and in my opinion there was a good balance of many perosectives in this film.It can get your mind racing.I myself have part Native Hawaiian blood and am always looking to find out more about my culture.I hope that people re-discovering or discovering this movie for the first time realize the struggles of Native Hawaiian people and trying to keep and in some cases find their own identity after being taken over by outside forces that still exist to this day.These problems are nothing new and at the same time have trouble getting old.I hope people will come away wanting to know a little more about the US' 50th "state" and find that it is more than a great tourist destination and that it is not just some place on a postcard.Well thats all and I enjoyed the acting,direction,dedication and even the great shots that were put into this film.Hawaiian's are still a dying race(fewer aborignal Hawaiians now) but there are many proud Natives(in the blood) and local Hawaiians(in spirit) that are still fighting to hold onto the culture and some of our traditions.My hats off to these people.peace