Customer Reviews

Hawaii

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

In the mid 1960's, Julie Andrews was the biggest movie star the world. Her success came on the strength of two block busters, 1964's "Mary Poppins" and 1965's "The Sound Of Music", the two films for which she will be forever identified. However, her body of film work in the 1960's, though only 7 films in all is impressive in it's scope and content. Of these films, one of the best and most successful was the epic "Hawaii".

The film tells the story of a zealous but misguided missionary, Abner Hale (Max von Sydow) and his loving, forthright wife Jerusha (Julie Andrews) who try to bring Christianity to the native Hawaiians. Both von Sydow and Andrews give magnificent performances, bringing humanity to two characters that could have been cardboard, stock figures in less talented hands. Indeed, these two characterisations work well because of each other with the unsympathetic Hale coming off as human after all due to being loved by his wife. Together, von Sydow and Andrews make an impressive team. The cast is rounded out beautifully by a raft of excellent players including Richard Harris, Gene Hackman, Carol O'Connor and even Bette Midler in her first film as an extra on the ship headed for Hawaii.

When the film was originally released, it was as a 189 minute roadshow production with overture, intermission, entr'acte and exit music. The film was later presented in an edited, 161 minute version. It is this version that has been released on DVD. This begs the question, what's missing from the DVD version?

The majority of cuts appear in the film's first half with entire scenes being removed. The second half is virtually intact with only some trimming of scenes. The deleted scenes in the films first half are as follows:

At 0:15:37 Hale says goodbye to his family
At 0:27:06 After her wedding to Hale, Jerusha says goodbye to her little sister prior to leaving for Hawaii
At 0:35:26 On the voyage to Hawaii, Hale makes a convert in the crew
At 0:35:44 The Captain charts the course and large bunches of bananas are brought on board
At 0:37:30 Hale force feeds a seasick Jerusha bananas
At 0:38:30 Hale condemns the convert he made among the crew because of drunkenness
At 0:39:21 The Captain requests Hale's prayers prior to sailing through the Evangels
At 0:46:05 The Captain throws his novels overboard (his part of a deal with Hale for praying in the ship's behalf) followed by Jerusha throwing the bananas overboard
At 1:16:12 Sister Hewlett dies after giving birth
At 1:17:57 Hale assures Jerusha that he can deliver her baby and that she will not die in childbirth
At 1:52:50 Hale recovers in bed after a shark bite and Jerusha tells him that a wife needs to be loved not worshipped (final scene in the first half of the roadshow version)

There are also some trimmed scenes in the first half such as the farewell scene prior to Hale and Jerusha leaving for Hawaii as well as the elimination of the entr'acte.

It is Julie Andrews' Jerusha that suffers most at the hands of the editor. Some of her most powerful acting (the force feeding scene and her subsequent reaction to this in throwing the bananas overboard and calling her husband a bully, and again when she walks out on her husband's sermon when he condemns the incestuous marriage of the new Queen, for example) was removed. The result of this it to make one of Julie's most absorbing characterisation seem less moving and less three dimensional. In the full version, Jerusha is a devoted wife but is also capable of standing up to her husband and asserting her own personality and beliefs. The shorter version presents less of this side of her character and leaves Jerusha as a submissive wife with a bully of a husband. However, Julie Andrews is incapable of a bad or uncommitted performance and even in the edited version is at the top of her game matching von Sydow's Hale (a more flashy character) every step of the way.

Here's hoping that M-G-M will eventually release a fully restored DVD of the roadshow version to show what a fine film this really is and let us see the complete performances of two great actors, Andrews and von Sydow.

My recommendation: it's worth a look in its edited form but would have been better is presented complete.

"Hawai" is truly one of the great overlooked epic movies of the fifities and sixties, Not well released at the time it suffered appalingly because Julie Andrews' superb performance (one of her very best) was unfavourably compared to the two big "nanny" blockbusters that had preceeded it. SO--now the news comes that it is FINALLY to be released on DVD--but in the truncated version that was foisted on us for years until the two video set finally showed us the movie we had been missing. Surely this is the job of DVD to show the complete version (at 188 minutes) something must be done and every person who buys DVds and the Amazon management itself must complain to MGM who will rlease it on DVD that this is not acceptable to the many legion of fans of this movie who have been waiting for years for the DVD release. How difficult is it for UA or MGM to go the print released on video some years ago and adapt that for DVD.....No other version is acceptable and

should be boycotted by all fans of the movie

I have been looking forward to seeing this excellent and under rated film released on DVD and was quite excited when it was finally announced. Imagine my disappointment when I discovered that the DVD is only 161 minutes long. My VHS version is 188 minutes long. That is a difference of 27 minutes. I would gladly have paid more money for a two disc set containing the entire film, but I certainly will not buy this version. What was MGM thinking? Did they think no one would notice the missing half hour? I just thought everyone should know they are not getting the entire movie when buying this disc.

Hawaii is one of the most beautiful, bittersweet movies ever made. From the opening prologue with Keoki (Manu Tupou) relating the history of the Hawaiian people over the glorious music of Elmer Bernstein I knew I was going to love this movie.

Keoki, a native Hawaiian and first convert to the Christian faith has traveled across the ocean to America in hopes of convincing some of the upcoming graduates of a Christian seminary in New England to sail to Hawaii and share their faith with his people.

Amongst those to accept the challenge is Abner Hale (Max Von Sydow) a young man of good intentions, but overzealous and prideful in his Christianity. Unable to join in the missionary effort unless he is married, one is arranged for him with the lovely Jerusha Bromley (Julie Andrews).

The hardships of the sea voyage are only a taste of the hardship that face them once they arrive at their destination. As the new arrivals acclimate themselves to their new surroundings Jerusha soon falls in love with the open and loving nature to the natives while Abner grows more narrow and unbending in his proselytization efforts. Unable to appreciate the beauty around him, he sees only heathens doomed to hell for their pagan ways.

Abner eventually loses sight of the Christian message to "love one another" and in a fit of range calls upon God to bring death and destruction to the unrepentant Hawaiians. When a measles epidemic spreads through the islands it appears Abner prayer has been answered with dire consequences.

A poignant and ultimately sad tale of the lose of yet another native 'land of paradise' brought about the greed and lack of concern by foreign powers.

MGM only receives -4 Stars- on this DVD. Why in the world they didn't restore 'Hawaii' to its full 189 minutes theatrical version instead of releasing this truncated 161 minute version is beyond me. Come on MGM, try again!

So is the new DVD release of James Michener's Hawaii complete or not? Reviewer William G. Harris assured us that it is, despite rumors. Then reviewer JMK said that it is definitely not.

I have it on order from amazon.com, still awaiting shipment because it is combined with something else. Meanwhile, I went into a local chain video store and looked at the box. It says 2 hrs. 41 minutes (short version). Then the mailorder Critics Choice say that it is 3 hrs. 8 min. (complete version). Their blurb also said that it includes deleted scenes, which the box I saw does not.

So do I order this or not?

Once again MGM/UA proves they have no respect for their potential audience. Despite what is written below, the DVD release of "Hawaii" is NOT the uncut roadshow version, but the edited version. There is no excuse for this atrocity--both the laserdisc and the most recent VHS release were the uncut versions, and there is no noticeable quality difference in the elements, so MGM/UA just doesn't care. I recommend boycotting this release until someone at MGM/UA gets the message. Not that I'm holding my breath.

Sadly the original versions of this film on VHS and Laserdisc have been discarded to bring the viewing public a truncated version of Hill's HAWAII. Even minus the Overture, Intermission, and Exit musics. . .there have to be extreme edits in this version. I could argue that the mere fact that this fine film is finally available on DVD--is a plus argument--but with severe edits--it simply is not worth a buy. Hopefully a full version of this epic might finally be made available under the new owners of MGM. But my gut feeling is that we will not see the complete version until it emerges 5 years from now as a budget item in mono sound and as a standard screen sized item. Such is the respect, and business acumen of dummies.

One needs to transcend stereotypical mindsets to appreciate fully the depth and the brilliance of this movie. Events in the movie have unexpected finishes, not overly dramatized, with no particular story line (the randomness of real life), and consistently so. All the actors including Julie Andrews look very natural with none of that big star poise and charm and this further adds an aura of reality to the movie. I am not surprised this was not a big hit in Hollywood. But those who can appreaciate this movie will surely find it unique.

What was MGM thinking? This DVD is TERRIBLE! About 30 minutes is cut and a very important conversation just before the end of Act One. They cut the overture, intermission, entra'ce and exit music from this beautiful film. The music in this film is what carries the story along and for some reason MGM must of had a brain freeze. Also what gives with the 2.0 for sound? I saw this in it's wonderful 70mm 6-channel stereo sound. The kind of sound that will never be brought back to any theatre screen. I say lets "Boycott" this film and send MGM a message not to tamper with perfection.

As with the other reviews I have read on this DVD version, what a disappointment seeing this film has been. Waiting for years for the DVD to come out and it has lost almost 30 minutes. Missing are the Overture, Entracte and Exit Music but a very crucial confession given by Abner to Jerusha that ends Act 1. It is very unfortunate that I will have to keep the VHS tape which contains the original Widescreen version of the film.

Please write to MGM and telll them how diappointed fans of this film are and encourage them to release a Special Edition of this wonderful film. I am a little worried how they will cut the soon to be released titles-Grand Prix and Ryan's Daughter. Just keep your fingers crossed that wiser minds will prevail other than those who chose to release this poor version of a great Film.