Two cultures collide in this vast, lavish and truly spectacular film starring Julie Andrews, Max Von Sydow, Richard Harris, Gene Hackman and Carroll O'Connor. Adapted from James A. Michener's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and nominated* for seven OscarsÂ(r), this "majestic, gorgeously framedepic is adventuresome picture-making, a credit to the industry" (The Film Daily) and riveting entertainment! They came to bring God, but instead brought disease and destruction. The Rev. Abner Hale (Von Sydow) and his gentle wife Jerusha (Andrews) attempt to convert early 19th-century Hawaiian natives to Christianity but find themselves ill-equipped to endure the unexpected tribulations of paradise. Surging with the excitement of windstorms, firestorms, shark attacks and magnificent island scenery, Hawaii shines as passionately as the island paradise itself!*1966: Supporting Actress (Jocelyne LaGarde), CinematographyColor, Costume DesignColor, Special Visual Effects, Score, Song, Sound
George Roy Hill (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) directed this adaptation of James Michener's novel about the history of the 50th state. Max von Sydow plays a zealous missionary with a Calvinist bent, intent on enlightening the natives even as his wife (Julie Andrews) is romanced by the dashing Richard Harris. The film is both a glossy vision of Hawaii in the early 19th century and a sometimes-brutal drama full of death, a rough childbirth, stormy weather, etc. Hill's blunt editing, meant to emphasize the more terrifying aspects of the natural order of life, makes the film look particularly dated and mannered today. This is best appreciated for its cast, all of whom were making inroads in Hollywood at the time. --Tom Keogh

Customer Rating:
Summary: Please Release Full Version on DVD
Comment: I don't like abridged novels and films that are chopped to pieces are in the same category. This shortened version lacks the depth of the original full version film. The full version film should be considered an all time classic.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Hawaii, the Destruction of An Epic
Comment: The complete uncut original version of this film is one of my favorites as it was for my late mother. I feel it was one of the greatest film epics Hollywood had produced. The acting was superb. Max Von Sydow is my favorite actor. Julie Andrews was magnificent as well as a little known actress named Jocelyn Lagarde who played the Ali Nui, in fact she was nominated for an academy award. I met Manu Tupou who played Keoki and thanked him for his excellent portrayal.

The marriage of film music with the movie by the late Elmer Bernstein was film scoring at its finest. The cinematography was breath taking and the screenplay was witty and engaging. The story albeit a shorter adaption of the mamoth Michener epic novel was nonetheless very poignant. I have the full VHS version. This film was not too long in my book! Why did MGM butcher the DVD version? Is there a way that Amazon can press the powers that be for a complte version of a much maligned masterpiece on DVD?

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Excellent Movie
Comment: I saw this movie years ago growing up in Hawaii. I could not wait to purchase it so I could see it again. Paradise truly was ruined....

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Hawaii
Comment: Max von Sydow pops up again in this story of missionaries who went to Hawaii in the 1820s. It is really the story of his wife, Jerusha, who pines away in the island paradise. Von Sydow took a similar role in The Emigrants, a film in which he again uproots his wife only to see her disintegrate. Von Sydow the missionary is unyielding and out-of-touch. Themes are typical. We watch native Hawaiians suffer as a result of contact with Europeans. I rented this film when I decided to go to Hawaii.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Too much footage lost on the DVD
Comment: I have been a fan of this movie for years. I owned the 2 tape VHS version and was so happy when it was finally released on disc. For those who have never seen the film, this version will certainly suffice and Julie Andrews is irresistable. However - I was very disappointed to see how much of the original was cut. Interesting and important scenes are left out - Jerusha on her wedding day bidding her sister farewell - scenes aboard ship and when Abner was ill from the shark bite. Scenes that may not have been ultimately necessary to the plot, but leave spaces in the general storyline when left out. Had I known that so much was missing, I would never have gotten rid of my VHS tapes. I would say if you have the means to play them, buy the tapes instead.

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