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South Pacific

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South Pacific (1958)

March. 18,1958
|
6.8
| Music Romance War
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Can a girl from Little Rock find happiness with a mature French planter she got to know one enchanted evening away from the military hospital where she is a nurse? Or should she just wash that man out of her hair? Bloody Mary is the philosopher of the island and it's hard to believe she could be the mother of Liat who has captured the heart of Lt. Joseph Cable USMC. While waiting for action in the war in the South Pacific, sailors and nurses put on a musical comedy show. The war gets closer and the saga of Nellie Forbush and Emile de Becque becomes serious drama.

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Reviews

Hayden Kane
1958/03/18

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

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Allison Davies
1958/03/19

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

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Geraldine
1958/03/20

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

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Fleur
1958/03/21

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

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SimonJack
1958/03/22

"South Pacific" is a hugely successful Rodgers and Hammerstein musical adapted from the stage to film. "Oklahoma" in 1943 was the first Broadway collaboration of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein. They would soon garner recognition as the greatest musical team of all time. "South Pacific" opened on Broadway in 1949 and ran for more than five years. "Oklahoma" was made into a successful film in 1955, and "South Pacific" followed in 1958. It enjoyed enjoyed as much success as did the stage musical. "South Pacific" was the number one box office film of 1958. The story is based on a James Michener book of 1947, "Tales of the South Pacific." He wrote its collection of stories while serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He was stationed then in the New Hebrides Islands - today's Vanuatu. Michener's book earned a Pulitzer Prize in 1948. Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical play earned them a Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1950. Like "Oklahoma" before it, "South Pacific" tells a story of depth and meaning. In these stories, Rodgers and Hammerstein solidified a style that incorporates song and dance in the story, rather than as stand alone entertainment aside from the story. Indeed, "South Pacific" is set in a real time and place. The American naval forces are in the South Pacific of World War II, about to engage the Japanese. The plot also has two separate love stories and some comedy. And, it deals with racial prejudice, and overcoming it. This film is among my favorite musicals. Two years after the movie coming out, my high school put on the play. I was a member of the school orchestra that played all of the music for the play. "South Pacific" holds the Broadway record for most Tony awards. It's original 1949 production earned 11 Tony's and its 2008 revival garnered six Tony's, for a total of 17. Three Broadway productions tie with the second most total Tony's - 12. Yet, for all its popularity, recognition and endurance, the film of "South Pacific" seems to have been snubbed by regal Hollywood - the actors and moguls who make up the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Politics did indeed seem to be at play in the Academy Awards for 1958. "South Pacific," the number one box office draw of the year, was nominated for just three Oscars. It won one, for best sound. The fifth place film at the box office that year was "Gigi." It won nine Oscars of nine nominations. Yet, except for best costume, none of the production work on that film was equal to or better than that for "South Pacific." Most of "Gigi" was shot on stage or in sets. Most of "South Pacific was shot in Hawaii and location. The cast of "Gigi" was more prominent in the film industry, and it was made by MGM, the king of musicals studio. But, "South Pacific" wasn't made by a studio. Rodgers and Hammerstein created their own company for the movie. The studios were known to do a lot of campaigning for their favorite films. And, since "Gigi," was MGM's biggest property and musical that year, MGM probably spared no expense to garner votes for its film. Without the connections in Hollywood, "South Pacific" was at a clear disadvantage. So, Hollywood went for "Gigi" at the Academy Awards, and Hollywood's foreign press corps followed suit. "Gigi" won three Golden Globes and had three more nominations. "South Pacific" merely had three nominations. But politics of a time can't outlast superior quality and public favor. So, decades later, "South Pacific" remains a favorite film and stage play. And, "Gigi" is all but forgotten. The song, "Some Enchanted Evening," is ranked number 28 on the American Film Institute's 100 greatest songs from film. One song from "Gigi," made the list at number 58 - "Thank Heaven for Little Girls." But, besides "Some Enchanted Evening," other "South Pacific" songs continue to be sung and played decades later, where there are no memorable tunes from "Gigi." Other popular "South Pacific" songs are "Younger Than Springtime," "I'm In Love With a Wonderful Guy," "This Nearly Was Mine," and others. Perhaps nothing so typifies the politicking of the Academy Awards as the fact that the Oscar for the best song was for "Gigi." It's a dated, specific song that just isn't played or sung outside of an occasional theater play. And, it has no standing anywhere. While "Some Enchanted Evening" wasn't even nominated as best song but continues to be sung and played around the world.I also enjoyed the musical, "Gigi." But it's not on the level of "South Pacific." The story, songs and production of "South Pacific" put it in a level above the other film.

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mark.waltz
1958/03/23

Strange colors in this movie have often perplexed those who saw it on video, not to mention the big screen back in its original release. As a video store clerk, I had to explain to a few customers that the video wasn't defective; That's how the movie was made. But in retrospect, it is very bizarre, although in hindsight, I can see why it was done the way it was. Certain mood elements required perhaps different colors, and if "The King and I" could have a 3-D look about it in some scenes without requiring glasses, why couldn't gels or certain soft color focus give "South Pacific" the mood it needed to get its emotions across? By 1958 with three Rodgers and Hammerstein smash hit shows produced as hit films, "South Pacific" was ready to go through Magna Pictures, and with Mary Martin still youthful but 10 years older, the decision to re-cast Nellie Forbush with already popular Mitzi Gaynor became an obvious one, especially that outside of TV and Broadway audiences, Mary Martin's brief career in films in the early 1940's had not been a spectacular one, even if to many, she was ageless as Peter Pan. As the handsome Emile de Becque, Rossano Brazzi, who had recently co-starred with divas Katharine Hepburn in "Summertime" and Joan Crawford in "The Story of Esther Costello" was dashing enough and the right age to take over the role created by Ezio Pinza, known to opera fans and another example of how movies were not for all performers. But original Broadway star Juanita Hall did get to recreate her role as Bloody Mary, while a replacement Luther (Ray Walston) from the stage got to recreate his role on film, having just scored with "Damn Yankees" both on Broadway and on the big screen.The story of "South Pacific" is one that takes war, adds romance, drama, light comedy and a most serious subject matter, racism, into its plot purse. In this case, it's not about blacks in the sense of Africans, but dark skinned Pacific Islanders, particularly Tonkinese. Hall, a light skinned black singer and actress, looked perfect for the part of the vivacious Bloody Mary, a peddler, matchmaker and advise giver, attracted to pretty boy John Kerr as a potential mate for her daughter (Frances Nuyen), quite different looking than her friendly but hard looking mother, and instantly in love with the blonde Kerr. But Kerr can't escape from his own upbringing, and as he sings, "You've Got to Be Taught", indicating that prejudices are something that is drummed into your dear little ear, and it basically takes over one's soul as a disease would a body. He is definitely attracted to the gorgeous Nuyen, but something in his spirit keeps his love for her from going to the next step that ultimately offends Bloody Mary down to the core of her being. Obviously, she's not after just a pretty boy husband for her daughter to make pretty babies, but she sees Kerr as a step to something better outside her pathetic existence, making her a dark character within her soul, let alone her skin. When she goes off on Kerr for the offense of admittedly not able to marry Nuyen, it is with the ugliest of motivations being revealed, and her change from happy go lucky to cruel is very jarring, especially after pairing them up with her quest for "Happy Talk".That is the supporting story that guides the moral of the story, with the leads surrounding Arkansas native Nellie Forbush (Gaynor), the happy go lucky nurse who falls instantly in love with the handsome Brazzi but shocked by the revelation that he once had a Polynesian wife and has two children who don't look anything like him. They may be cute enough for her to duet a French nursery rhyme with, but for her to be stepmother to is another matter. This musical took the dramatic themes of "Show Boat", "Oklahoma!" and "Carousel" and made them even more serious, and "South Pacific" became the show that one had to wait years to get tickets to, or shell out the big bucks, like rich folks do today with "Hamilton". The score is picture perfect, and the story the most seriously dramatic of all musical dramas. The photography, while stunning, might perplex some when it comes down to the color filters, but something tells me that on a big Cinemascope style screen, the impact really worked. Of course, this being a war story, there are tragedies to be taken, yet a sense of triumph as one person's loss ends up being the heroine's big lesson in life. Like that saying, "When you love somebody and must let them go, when they return, love them forever", this is as profound and yet simple, something human beings need to remember as we deal with our own individual prejudices that really have no place in the human condition as we all fight the same battles and yearn for the same peace.

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jwb001
1958/03/24

Positive1. Absolutely beautiful locations (especially compared to the low-budget sound stages of "Oklahoma!", another Rodgers & Hammerstein musical)2. When the story progresses at a steady pace, it's a pleasant experience.Neutral1. Mostly singing, minimal dance numbersNegative1. When the story trudges, harping ad infinitum on one topic such as Emile De Becque's murder of a bully or any of the romantic interludes, the audience screams with frustration, "Move forward!"2. The director employs a cheap tactic of making the frame edges fuzzy and changing the background tint when an emotional scene occurs. Doesn't the director trust the dialog and the actors' skills to convey these emotions?

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williwaw
1958/03/25

Rodgers and Hammersetein created a masterpiece on Broadway in South Pacific. After WW2 these two cerebral men got into the hearts and minds of the returning veterans of the Pacific War and created magic. Mary Martin immortalized the role of Nellie on Broadway but Ms. Martin a super star on Broadway never made the transition to films, a point that even mystified the Queen of Hollywood Bette Davis.Josh Logan who brilliantly directed the film versions of Picnic at Columbia with Kim Novak and Bill Holden and in the process created one of the more erotic moments on film in the dance sequence between Holden and Novak and Bus Stop at 20th with a celebrated performance by Marilym Monroe that should have resulted in an Oscar nomination for MM, was assigned the job of bringing South Pacific to the screen.Beautiful movie, literally with great scenery of the South Pacific and a wonderful performance by Mitzi Gaynor who like Ms. Martin never made it as a great movie star, a point that baffles this reviewer. Mitzi had it all: Sexy great looks and could sing, dance and act but the mysterious factor of what makes a star is never truly understood. Susan Hayward a box office powerhouse and a star at 20th wanted to play Nellie but refused to test for the role. Susan Hayward would have brought her intense and unforgettable presence to this movie. Doris Day was also mentioned for the role.I never like to see great films of the past remade but South Pacific should be remade. In the meantime, enjoy this film for the Songs alone. Some Enchanted Evening

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