Hawaii

Mary Poppins, daughter of Archie Bunker(Carroll O'Connor), marries Father Merrin (The Exorcist) and travels from Boston to inflict rigid, Calvanistic missionary talk upon a 1819 Hawai'i. It turns out to be a hard trip, and once there, even more difficult to persuade a fabulously unrepentant Malama Ali'i Nui and her people to let go of centuries of cultural practices, including: aloha, daily joy, gratitude and peace, and free love/ sex, (with some royal sibling incest and a bit of questionable infanticide thrown in for good measure). Julie Andrews, Max von Sydow and Richard Harris star, with Gene Hackman and Carroll O'Connor in co-staring roles.

Gene Hackman in early role

Directors George Roy Hill Arthur Hiller(temporarily replaced director) Writers James A. Michener(novel) Dalton Trumbo(screenplay) Daniel Taradash(screenplay) Stars Julie Andrews Max von Sydow Richard Harris Julie Andrews and Jocelyne LaGarde in Hawaii (1966)

Two cultures collide in this vast, lavish and truly spectacular film Adapted from James A. Michener's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and nominated* for seven Oscars, this "majestic, gorgeously climatic epic with adventuresome picture-making, a credit to the industry"; and riveting entertainment! They came to bring God, but instead brought disease and destruction. The Rev. Abner Hale (Von Sydow) and his gentle wife Jerusha (Andrews) attempt to convert early 19th-century Hawaiian natives to Christianity but find themselves ill-equipped to endure the unexpected tribulations of paradise. Surging with the excitement of windstorms, firestorms, shark attacks and magnificent island scenery, Hawaii shines as passionately as the island paradise itself!

Julie Andrews and Max von Sydow in Hawaii (1966)

1966: It received seven nominations at the 39th Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actress (Nominated- Jocelyne LaGarde), Best Cinematography- Color (Nominated), Best Costume Design-Color (Nominated), Best Sound (Nominated), Best Effects- Visual Effects (Nominated), Best Music-Original Song (Nominated), Best Music-Original Music Score (Nominated) I think this film is worth seeking out ! It is on blu-ray/DVD.and multiple streaming /Tubi, Prime 7.8/10 Great Movie Poster!

James A. Michener's mammoth novel, "Hawaii," is the subject of this suitably mammoth film, one with a lot to recommend it. Julie Andrews proves that she can handle a dramatic role as well or better than musical roles. Her Jerusha Bromley Hale captures our sympathy the minute she comes on screen and sustains it for the rest of the film. Likewise, Jocelyn LaGarde, a real-life Tahitian princess with no previous acting experience, gives an equally good performance as Alii Nui Ruth Malama Konakoa, for which she was justifiably nominated for an Oscar. There are also good supporting performances from Carroll O'Connor and Gene Hackman, both just a few years away from stardom when this picture was made. Russell Harlan's cameras capture the islands at their most beautiful, and Elmer Bernstein's haunting, evocative score is one of his best.

The one fatal flaw in all this is the actor playing the central male character, Reverend Abner Hale. While Max von Sydow was always good in the great Ingmar Bergman films ("The Seventh Seal"), in most of his English-language films, with the sole exception of "The Exorcist," he always came off as something of a well-dressed stiff. It's an image he upholds here. Perhaps it's the fact that he's working in a language not his own, perhaps it's just the hopeless nature of the lines he's saddled with, but his is an Abner Hale who could transform the staunchest Christian into a Druid. He, quite simply, generates no sympathy. Plus, as many of the best clergymen seem to know, you can win more converts by stressing the kind, loving qualities of Jesus than by belching out fire and brimstone. It seems to me that, for Andrews's character, choosing between this mannered stiff and Richard Harris's vigorous sea captain shouldn't have been much of a choice at all.

But this shouldn't drive you away from "Hawaii." For all the good points I mentioned, it's definitely worth seeing at least once.

While this film is based on part of a novel, so is largely drama, it does begin to tell the story of colonialism & for its time, it does pretty well. Clearly there are lots of aspects of the indigenous people that are revered in this film and the disrespect & savagery by colonial invasion is explored in a simple manner, but explored all the same. There are parts where it starts to turn into a stageshow. I actually think this film would be great to remake, to tell the story of how Hawaii was settled by the Europeans, but this time tell the whole story, the full novel, & the whole truth. The full traditions of the first people, and the gains & losses that the Europeans brought with them.

Bumpy, overlong drama does have magnetic sequences that stay with you. New England reverend (Max von Sydow, who never elicits our interest or compassion) sails to the Hawaiian islands with his wife in 1820 to introduce the natives to Christianity. Soapy plot taken from James A. Michener's book tries to cram too many years into 170 minutes of screen-time. The task of adapting the mammoth bestseller was probably a bad idea right from the start, and the picture is certainly a botch, but I did enjoy Julie Andrews as von Sydow's wife and the early scenes have atmosphere and tension. But Max von Sydow is a real problem: he's so overly-pious he's pathetic, which is probably not the effect hoped for. Look fast for real-life Hawaiian resident Bette Midler on the Eastern ship as it arrives to the island. **1/2 from ****

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.