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.