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Hawaii (1966)

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From Time Out Film Guide

A sprawling adaptation of James A Michener's doorstop novel about an 1820s Yale divinity student (Sydow) who becomes a missionary to the underdeveloped Hawaiian islands. The conflict between naïve dogma and naïve innocence is effectively established, but the spectacle is always broader than it is deep. Dashing sea captain Harris' desire for Sydow's friendly, outgoing wife (Andrews) provides the love interest, the storm scene a much-needed dose of riproaring spectacle.

Author: NF

Time Out Film Guide

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8martin said...

Posted on Oct 07 2008 17:55 Young Calvinist Abner travels to Hawaii with his newly wedded wife to preach God’s word to the natives. Max von Sydow plays this rigid, fanatic fundamentalist very convincing. His wife, Jerusha – very refreshing and lively Julie Andrews - displays the juxtaposition. Between these two characters lies the central theme of the film: do we have to love God exclusively and above all more than our contemporaries? They both anwser this question in their own way: Jerusha abandons the great love of her life (Richard Harris) and offers herself as a sacrifice. Abner remains an irreversible unconvincibly staunch fanatic. He dies alone a visionary traumatized old man without his children. Moreover other issues such as colonisation destroying the local culture are also mentioned and the part the church plays in this drama. The rather stormy voyage on the schoner to Hawaii (more than 5 minutes) leaves an everlasting impression on the audience. For those who don’t mind rather long discussions about God and our relation towards him this 1966 film can be exciting enterainment – even today.

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