Il dominatore

Richard 'King' Howland and his sister Sloane (Heston and Mimieux) live on an island, the only wonderful place that gets bigger every time they saw it from the sky…

Sloane has just returned from California graduated but she despises waiting… She has something on her mind to tell her brother about Paul (James Darren). So she asks her brother how did he feel about Paul Kahana?

The whole film is about racial intolerance and it sends a strong message, which kept the story interesting… Trade with them, be friends with them, even sleep with them, but don't marry them…

This is Hawaii… It can happen here, and it does all the time… For Laura Beckett (Elizabeth Allen), King's sister-in-law, it happens, but not to people of their class… For King, if Sloane marries Paul, her children will inherit Manoalani one day, and all that goes with it… Paul is pure Hawaiian… Their families have been in these islands over a hundred years… They have never mixed their blood…

Charlton Heston plays a rich narrow-minded pineapple grower, obstinately and intolerantly devoted to his own beliefs, even though he himself having an affair with Mai Chen (France Nuyen), the woman who doesn't ask questions…

Mai knows that most women can make the world go away for a while, but none can make it stay away…Richard Knows that he's in danger of becoming an uncle… His sister and himself are the last of their line…Her son will own Manoalani one day and he has to be the right kid of son… Obviously he could have a child… He might even have a son… But he has no intention of marrying again… But Mai Chen thinks differently… He should have his own son… But King had a son… His name was Richard Howland III… He was 3 years old that day… A tidal wave, 40-foot crest smashed into Hilo and killed him and his mother and 120 others … So he doesn't want another son…

Yvette Mimieux achieved stardom in "Where the Boys Are" (1960) and here, she is incredibly fresh, innocent and beautiful…

Filmed in Color and Wide Screen, the photography is too beautiful presenting a tropical paradise of turquoise waters, white sandy beaches, waving palm trees, lush tropical vegetation and gentle sunshine

Set in 1950 Hawaii , there a powerful, obstinate owner : Charlton Heston prohibites his sister : Yvette Mimieux to marry a native : James Darren , resulting in fateful consequences . As Richard Howland and his political ambitions bringing misery and destruction to his family via his stubborness . Along the way, ruthless Richard is in love with a beautiful native girl : France Nuyen who is secretely impregnated . The Giant Story of Modern Hawaii !!

A Soap Opera and unpretentious entertainment movie about an ambitious pineapple , US Senatorial candidate and his family including drama, love stories and tragedy . Based on the Peter Gilman novel titled Such Sweet Thunder and screenplay by prestigious Margueritte Roberts . Charlton Heston gives a nice acting in his usual style as the tough and bigoted land baron who will stop at nothing to get his political purports . Heston also starred a similar film The Hawaiians 1970 by Tom Gries in which he played another pineapple owner . Costars the gorgeous Yvette Mimieux as the Lady in distress due to jealous and ambition his brother . Accompanied by a good plethora of actors delivering acceptable interpretations , such as : George Chakiris , France Nuyen, James Darren, Aline MacMahon , Elizabeth Allen , Vaughn Taylor , Philip Ahn , among others .

It contains a wonderful and spectacular cinematography from the sunny Hawaii by cameraman Sam Leavitt . As well as emotive and rousing musical score by incombustible John Williams . The motion picture was professionally directed by Guy Green . He was a notorious cameraman , in fact he photographed some David Lean films . And occassionally directing some films with penchant for Dramas , as he made the following ones : River Boat , Posmark for danger , Sea of Sand , SOS Pacific , The Mark , A Patch of Blue , Walk in the spring rain , Luther , Once is not enough , The incredible Journey of Dr Meg Laurel , Strong Medicine , among others . Rating : 6/10 . The movie will appeal to Charlton Heston fans .

A good film, Macbeth and Romeo-Juliet in a Hawaiian setting. Credible performances, but this film could have been shot in California or mostly on a soundstage. It deserves better than a 4.5 of 10 but surely not more than a 7. A poignant social, cultural commentary on Hawaii becoming a State in mid-Twentieth century.

So, you decide you want to make a film with a strong social statement about prejudice. You want to show the stupidity and hypocrisy of folks hating mixed-race people...and they then get folks like George Chakiris and James Darren to play these 'mixed' characters!! The actors were lovely men...but looked about as much like they were from mixed ancestry as Shirley Temple! In other words, despite a great story idea they cop out and pick the very white actors to play these characters!! What a mistake...and it clearly was a sign of the times in which it was made. Perhaps the producers had a hard time finding mixed actors suitable for the roles...but finding pretty teen heartthrobs seemed inappropriate given the serious plot. My assumption is that the writer probably felt a bit sick about this...but they almost never have any influence on who plays their characters. But I will excuse some of this--for its day it was rather broad-minded. Plus, Charlton Heston should be applauded for such a role, as he was one of the few white actors who stood along side the Freedom Marchers...so it's pretty obvious that this film meant something to him. After having recently completed BEN HUR and THE BIG COUNTRY he could have chosen any project and chose this.

The film is a soapy affair in which a supposedly liberal-minded and very powerful Hawaiian man, 'King' Howland, is horrified when his sister (Yvette Mimieux) falls in love with a guy of mixed white and Hawaiian blood (James Darren). But he's also a complete hypocrite, as on the side he has an Asian woman (France Nuyen) of his own!! And, when she become pregnant he refuses to have anything to do with her or the child! Nice guy, huh?! What's next? See the film...or not.

Overall, this is a decent film...though if you're looking for Heston in a better film about Hawaii, I prefer THE HAWAIIANS (a sequel to HAWAII). The story is interesting and engaging but loses a bit due to the casting and the soapy elements which deter from the film's believability. The worst is some of the dialog (particularly some of the drivel given to Mimieux to deliver). Not bad entertainment but that's really about it.

The first thing that hit me about this movie was an appreciation of the wide screens and bright colours that prevailed in movies of that era. Hawaii looks great here. On a large screen, that alone would have been worth the price of admission.

As for that other stuff, cast, acting, directing, story, dialogue, etc. Well, this is a soap opera and don't expect too much more except that the plot angles focus on race, ethnic relations and class and this gives them a bit more substance than some other soap operas such "The Picnic" or "Portrait in Black". At the time, it probably skated the line between being edgy enough to intrigue the audience but not so controversial to be scandalous. Today, it comes across as pretty mild although the issues themselves have certainly not disappeared.

Nothing and no one is either brilliant or terrible although Philip Ahn's small part is excellent and produces a strong moment. Heston has his huge screen presence but this is not one of his classic roles. There is not enough there for it to possibly become that. Mimieux looks great and her role is as essential as Heston's and is a soap opera archetype. Nuyen also looks great and, as usual for her in the 60s, melancholy.