Blue Hawaii

Out of the Army at last, Chadwich Gates, played by Elvis Presley, is met by his girlfriend Maile at the airport.  His family, very wealthy owners of the Great Southern Hawaiian Fruit Company, want him to go to work at their business.  Chad doesn't want to do that, though.  He is happy to swim, surf and live on a beach shack with his girlfriend.
His get a job through Maile at the travel agency where she works, and while taking a group on a tour, he gets into a fight and ends up in jail.  Conflict arises between Maile and Chad, and Chad's mother blames his jail incident on her negative influence on her.  However it all gets worked out in the end, and even Chad's mother accepts their relationship in the magical fairy tale Hawaiian fantasy wedding.
Love the music in the movie, not surprising, since it IS Elvis Presley.  I think the movie did a little better job at including some locals.  The hula was more natural and less of a choreographed production.  The local boys were seen as beach bums and the audience could still get a feel for the status of the Hawaiian people in comparison with the wealthiness of the Gates family who owned a plantation. In contrast to films we have viewed in the past, love was actually attainable, and the fairy tale of eternity finally became possible.

Jungle Heat

Jungle Heat almost did the complete opposite of what the movie Go For Broke did.  Whereas we see the patriotism and honor of Japanese American soldiers, in Jungle Heat we are made to see them as "filthy, nasty orientals."  Yikes!! This movie was extremely racist, yet telling of the time when it was shown.  It gives the message that Hawaii was permeated with saboteurs.  As with many movies written about Hawaii, the main characters step off the plane and are greeted with hula dancers and leis.  But this time, instead of allowing the audience to accept it as hospitality, we hear the main character utter the words, "It's all an act."  

In November of 1941, labor relations negotiator Roger McRae and his wife Ann arrive at the Hawaiian island of Kauai to resolve disputes at sugar plantations owned by his employer.  McRae constantly reminds us of the laborers low class status, while the laborers are constantly portrayed as angry workers trying to get rid of the man sent to shape them up.  From the beginning, it is made clear that there is an assumption that the laborers are trying to kill McRae, in an attempt to control the powers that be.  Blinded by his hatred and racism, McRae fails to see that the person who set all of these attempts up, was someone who he trusted because they were seemingly two of the same kind. The plot has a twist as McRae's wife seems to hold a separate set of beliefs about the value of the lives of the laborers. 

The idea of infidelity is a strong theme in this movie.  Infidelity of what McRae thought to be a friendship that ended in his death, infidelity of his wife, and infidelity of a soldier whose lover was charged with being a Japanese spy. We end the movie finding out that after all of that racism and blame, the Japanese were not responsible for everything that happened after all.  But then....we see the screen flash the date 12/7/41.  Hmmm....   The plot was interesting and the movie was full of action.   I did enjoy watching it, but at the same time I was frustrated with the abhorrent racism throughout. 

Go For Broke

Being married to a Japanese-American man with family ties to members of the 442nd, I really enjoyed this movie.    It shows the racial prejudice and the formation of changing attitudes towards these very brave Japanese-American soldiers.  The most decorated military unit in United States history, made completely up of Japanese-American volunteers, they were so eager to prove their patriotism to the rest of America.  I was most impressed with the fact that the film featured many of the actual veterans of the 442nd, and included real footage  of the men receiving their honors.  

The movie begins with the introduction of a Lieutenant Grayson, who gets assigned to be in charge of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.  Trying to get out of it because of his preconceived prejudices, he steps into this position resentful and angry.  Starting with basic training, he makes them feel inferior every chance he gets.  Towards the end, he comes to the realization that these men are actually more dedicated soldiers than he is. 

Parts of the film were hard to watch. It tells the story of the pain that they endured being separated from their families, the lack of support they had from many of their superiors, and the lack of support they had from the American population in general. 

From Here to Eternity







 From Here to Eternity begins just months before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.  Main character, Robert E. Lee Prewitt, acted by Montgomery Clift, was a newly transferred infantryman to Schofield in Hawaii. .  Though he is known to be a very good boxer, Prewitt deals with pressure to avoid stepping back into the ring.  His captain has the company putting extreme pressure on him and has made his life difficult in an attempt to change his mind. He does a good job of holding back, until he experiences the death of a friend at the hands of another officer, and seeks revenge. 

The movie does a really good job of showing the frustration, anger and restlessness of the officers.  It also offers the notion of a love that is unattainable, yet desired.  Infidelity by the captain's wife with a sergeant, Prewitt falling in love with a call girl in a gentleman's club, and the desire to escape the life that they all are "stuck" in, without a foreseeable way out.

This movie is very passionate and moving, and though you spend the whole movie hoping that someone gets the fairy tale ending of eternity, it always seems to be just out of arms reach.

Bird of Paradise

Dolores del Rio dancing the hula in Bird of Paradise

Well, now I understand why people always thought I lived in a grass shack and wore coconuts to cover my breasts.  This movie is a very telling history about the way people that live in Hawaii are portrayed.  It's very entertaining, and at times, risque for the period it was popular.  The music is a very important aspect of the film.  From the sensual tunes played while the ladies are dancing, to the sound of danger implicated by the pounding of the drums, they set the mood and tone for the audience about what to expect and what is happening at the time.

The movie Bird of Paradise has many exciting aspects.  An interracial relationship, the danger of an unknown land, the whimsical tale of the life of a native, and the devastating fate of a beautiful Hawaiian Princess at the hands of an angry volcano god.  For its time, the movie is advanced and of excellent quality.  If you're interested in entertainment and like older movies, this movie is perfect.  It is not, however, a good ethnographical reference to Hawaiians.  The main character is played by popular actress, Dolores del Rio, a hispanic woman playing the part of a Hawaiian Princess.  With her jibberish language, mixed in with some authentic Hawaiian words, she is a beautiful woman appealing to the audience wearing a grass skirt and leis glued to her breasts throughout the movie.  The natives are portrayed as savages through the way they eat and the way they react in times of trouble.  Superstition is thrown in when their Kuhuna shows up to predict a curse on the interracial lovers.

There is drama, comedy, and excitement as the main characters fall in love, deal with complex issues regarding their relationship and the differences in their cultures, and an unusual twist of fate at the end that leaves the audience full of emotion and confusion.  It is a movie that should be enjoyed strictly for entertainment purposes.