Il re delle isole

James Mitchner's books on the south seas and the people living there are always fascinating reading. Any one of his novels can easily fit onto the silver screen. This particular film, " The Hawaiians " is a case in point. Following the exploits of the main character who draws the most attention, Charlton Heston plays Whip Hoxworth, an experienced sea Captain who dreams of overseeing a scheduled line of commercial vessels. His force of acting brings the worthy sea Captain ashore to confront the religious power of his clan. Having enough of the high Seas, Whip decides to stay shore-bound and tend to his Grandfater's sailing ships. Unfortunately, he arrives too late as his Grandfather left all his businesses to his laboriously pious and financially selfish family, leaving him an unpromising island called Hanni-Ki. Disappointed, he begins to despair his future when Milton Overpeck, a drunken driller (Don Knight) offers him an opportunity to become rich. At nearly the same time an oriental pair Tina Chen (Nyuk Tsin) and Mun Ki (Kako) arrive in Hawii and during the ensuing years, join Hoxworth in the ever changing social and political landscape. Geraldine Chaplin plays Purity Hoxworth a woman who slowly loses her mind, her son and her husband. John Phillip Law, Alec McCowen and Keye Luke add to the star studded film. With the magnificent Hawiian landscape as a backdrop, this movie is a splendid example of art come to life. The story is solid as is the acting with the result being a Classic created from a literary novel. ****

An epic drama movie about the obstinate captain Whip : Charlton a Heston going back to Hawaii . He has inherited a worthless land , but Whip then becomes himself a powerful pineapple owner by smuggling pineapple from French Guyana . Meanwhile , aboard his ship , The Carthaginian , there is a cargo of Chinese emigrants : Tina Chen and Mako subsequently disembarking in Hawaii following hardship ways . As Heston and his ambition bringing distresses to his family via his stubborness . Dealing with the Giant Story of Modern Hawaii in which mean colonists attempt to topple the Hawaii Queen and to create a new state to unite it to the United States . Along the way Whip prohibites his son : John Philip Law to marry a Chinese girl . The continuation of James A Michener's epic novel, Hawaii !

A soap opera and unpretentious entertainment movie about a proud and mighty pineapple owner and his family, including drama , love stories and tragedy . A James A. Michener's enormous novel and compressed it into compact , intelligent and sensitive scenes . This is the follow-up to Hawaii 1966 by George Roy Hill with Richard Harris , Julie Andrews , Max Von Sidow , Gene Hackman , concerning a stiff-upper-lip minister sent to Hawaii to convert the natives . In this sequel , The Hawaiians 1970 , Charlton Heston gives a fine performance in his ordinary style as the tough and bigoted land baron who founds an empire in pineapples and he will stop at nothing to get his civilian or political purports . His portrait clearly delineates the authority and alternating torment to communicate his emotions . Heston also performed a similar movie titled " Diamond Head" 1962, equally playing an ambitious pineapple owner . While Geraldine Chaplin is passable , though she has not quite the weight for the role of the consumptive wife . There's a captivating performance from Tina Chen as the pregnant Chinese emigrant who disembarks in Hawaii to face off a new life along with Mako . Accompanied by good secondaries as Alec McCowen, John Phillip Law, Don Knight , James Gregory , MIko Mayama and you'll have to concentrate harder to pick up actors as Chris Robinson, Lyle Bettger and James Hong .

It displays a marvellous and gorgeous cinematography from the sunny Hawaii by cameramen Lucien Ballard and Philip H Lathrop . As well as a rousing and stirring musical score by Henry Mancini .The motion picture was uneven but professionally directed by Tom Gries , including some flaws and disjointed scenes . Tom was a good craftsman who made a lot of films as cinema as television until his early death at 54 . As he directed Westerns as 100 rifles , Will Penny , Mustang , Nevada Smith and other genres as in Breakout and The Glass House . Rating : 6/10 . The movie will appeal to Charlton Heston fans .

Out of all of the "Hawaiians" conversions of James Michner's novels, I lke this one best("The Hawaiians"). It has a possible plot of how Hawaii began its Pineapple industry. The Pineapple actually being in the Palm Tree family and what a person is eating is the soft inner pulp of the tree. It is was actually produced in New Guinee and it was a death offense to transport live Pineapple from there.

I'm sure that what attracted Charlton Heston to sign on for The Hawaiians was the fact he'd be working with director Tom Gries with whom he had done Will Penny and Number One. Will Penny was Heston's favorite film. The Hawaiians would mark the third and final joint project the two men worked on.

Heston plays the grandson of that New England sea captain Richard Harris from the film Hawaii and the James Michener book it is based on. He's every bit the hell raiser that grandfather was, but has an eye for business and does have a vision for Hawaii. Of course it's not the same vision as the native Hawaiians had or the same vision that Chinese and Japanese immigrants have. That in a nutshell is the history of Hawaii.

The rest of the white characters are descendants from the characters in the first film. The added component are the characters of Mako and Tina Chen who immigrate to Hawaii from China and found a small dynasty of their own. Their story and that of Heston and his family entwine over several decades.

One thing I will say about The Hawaiians that is most admirable. The Asian and Pacific Islander characters you see here are portrayed as three dimensional and with dignity. No fortune cookie stereotypes are to be found in The Hawaiians.

I've always been of the opinion that you cannot make a bad film about Hawaii because the scenery is so beautiful. The Hawaiians is no exception and the film did get an Oscar nomination for costume design.

Tina Chen does a remarkable job as the matriarchal head of her family after Mako dies of leprosy on the island of Molokai. In a patriarchal culture that was by no means an easy thing. Her performance is the best acting in The Hawaiians.

The Hawaiians has an Edna Ferber like sweep in its plot and its subject. It's also sticking close to the facts in terms of Hawaiian history, a very worthy film to see.

Compelling parallel tales of two connected families, in a time of great change in 19th century Hawaii. Charlton Heston is the black sheep of his rich family, who uses ruthless and criminal ways to build a pineapple empire. Mako and Tina Chen are Chinese immigrants, that Heston brings to the islands. Mako and Tina end up working for Heston on his plantation, and they soon recognize the importance of land ownership, and Tina becomes a tough business woman. And how both families adapt to the changes in Hawaii, including the growth of agriculture, slum like conditions for immirgrants, a leper colony on Molokai, America's overthrow of the Hawaian monarchy, bubonic plague, and the great Chinatown fire. All of this works, thanks to the strong performances by Heston and escpecially, Tina Chen.