Film Review
It may not be the best adaptation of a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical,
but
South Pacific still has
what it takes to win over an audience, delighting with such memorable
numbers as
There Is Nothing Like a
Dame,
Some Enchanted Evening
and
Happy Talk. Most of
the
film's failings (notably its theatricality and uneven narrative) can be
attributed to its erratic director Joshua Logan. He directed the
original
1948 stage production and seems too wedded to the original stage
concepts to exploit the opportunities offered by widescreen cinema,
with the result that the film feels rather like a hyperactive hamster trying to
fight its way out of a matchbox.
Much criticism has been directed at the use of colour filters for
several long sequences of the film, although this was a decision made
not by Logan but by his superiors in Twentieth Century-Fox. The
orange and blue filters were presumably intended to bring an aura of
unreality, perhaps to convey the feelings of the protagonists, or maybe
just to provide a change in mood. Unfortunately, the effect is
awful and looks suspiciously like someone botched the film
processing. Any VHS or DVD release should really come with a
warning of
the "do not adjust your set" variety. Heaven knows how many
television sets have been thumped in vain because of this film.
The film's other noticeable flaw is some incredibly poor
lip-synching to some of the songs. Mitzi Gaynor and Ray Walston
are the only principals who get to sing their numbers; the others are
all dubbed by professional singers, including (inexplicably) Juanita
Hall, who had previously played her character (Bloody Mary) in the
original Broadway production.
South Pacific was shot
entirely on the Hawaiian island of Kauai on a budget of around six
million dollars, although it took six times that amount at the box
office, making it one of the most successful film musicals of all
time. The film won an Oscar in the Best Sound category, and
garnered nominations for its score and cinematography.
Although
South Pacific has
its failings, most of these are easily forgiven on account of its sheer
entertainment value. Ray Walston and Juanita Hall may not win
many awards for their clumsy attempts at comedy, but Rossano Brazzi and
Mitzi Gaynor make an attractive lead couple, handling the
central romance with delicacy and charm. Perhaps the film's
strongest card is the poignant subplot in which a young US navy man
(John
Kerr) falls for a South Sea islander (France Nuyen), a beautifully
understated romance which provides the film with its emotional
heart. The themes of racial identity and racial prejudice, which
are pivotal to the plot, date the film somewhat, although the main
story concept - of love won, lost and finally regained - is one that
will endure, making this a film that will remain a timeless classic.
© James Travers 2009
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
During WWII, Emile de Becque, a Frenchman in exile, runs a plantation
on a South Pacific island. The island is currently occupied by
the US navy, who intend recruiting Emile for an important mission which
involves spying on Japanese manoeuvres from a nearby island.
Emile refuses to cooperate, since he has fallen in love with Nellie
Forbush, a nurse in the US navy. When Nellie discovers that Emile
was once married to a native of the island and has two children, she
can no longer bear to see him and puts in a request for a
transfer. Heartbroken, Emile agrees to undertake his mission for
the navy. He is paired with a young lieutenant, Joseph Cable, who
is also emotionally disturbed after an ill-fated romance with a local
woman. Just as Nellie realises that she still loves
Emile, she learns that his life is in peril, and wonders whether she
will ever see him again...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.