My first bit of critiquing hit me within the first 20 minutes of this rather long film. They could have made Max von Sydow's character appear awkward. Unfortunately, they overdid it made him appear oafish. Come on fellas...a little restraint.
A warning -- if you're the evangelical type, you're not going to like this film. Its entire purpose seems to be to put down evangelizing...and rightfully so. There is a very powerful, though brief, scene where 2 ministers (including Gene Hackman) are disrobed from the ministry; it sums up in just a couple of minutes the sentiment of the overall film. Make no mistake, there is a theme of racial prejudice throughout the film. And, in fairness, the film does show the weaknesses of both cultures.
Overall this is a rather lushly filmed epic. An exception is the very fake appearing sailing though a straight (at the tip of South America?). They sure saved money in that segment! Julie Andrews is superb here; it is a part that fits her well.
Even beyond the previously mentioned comment about Max von Sydow, I have a bigger problem with his role here as Reverend Abner Hale. Don't misunderstand me; Von Sydow is a wonderful actor, and I have enjoyed a number of his performances in other American films. But here, he seems to have no sense of subtlety at all,, and thus the role becomes one of constant excess. His fault? The director's fault? I have not noticed such excess in other Ggeorge Roy Hill films, so I will have to place the responsibility here on con Sydow.
Jocelyne LaGarde, here as an Hawaiian queen, made only this one film, though she lived until 1979. She was Tahitian and spoke no English, and learned her lines phonetically. It's a remarkable and entertaining performance.
Gene Hackman's role is not large (as another minister), but it is interesting to see him at age 36. This was his first significant film role.
Richard Harris is here as the sea captain who once was in love with Julie Andrews' character. His role here -- as a seaman -- is to cause trouble. You know what they say about sailors! A major plot point is how far Andrews' character will fall again.
Carroll O'Connor has a small role here as Andrews' father. Nothing notable, although he was well into his career at this point.
Manu Tupou Despite the issues mentioned, this is a fine and entertaining film. There are many touching scenes, as well as many powerful scenes. Were it remade today, it would be a very different film; I think I'm glad it was made nearly half a century ago.
A warning -- if you're the evangelical type, you're not going to like this film. Its entire purpose seems to be to put down evangelizing...and rightfully so. There is a very powerful, though brief, scene where 2 ministers (including Gene Hackman) are disrobed from the ministry; it sums up in just a couple of minutes the sentiment of the overall film. Make no mistake, there is a theme of racial prejudice throughout the film. And, in fairness, the film does show the weaknesses of both cultures.
Overall this is a rather lushly filmed epic. An exception is the very fake appearing sailing though a straight (at the tip of South America?). They sure saved money in that segment! Julie Andrews is superb here; it is a part that fits her well.
Even beyond the previously mentioned comment about Max von Sydow, I have a bigger problem with his role here as Reverend Abner Hale. Don't misunderstand me; Von Sydow is a wonderful actor, and I have enjoyed a number of his performances in other American films. But here, he seems to have no sense of subtlety at all,, and thus the role becomes one of constant excess. His fault? The director's fault? I have not noticed such excess in other Ggeorge Roy Hill films, so I will have to place the responsibility here on con Sydow.
Jocelyne LaGarde, here as an Hawaiian queen, made only this one film, though she lived until 1979. She was Tahitian and spoke no English, and learned her lines phonetically. It's a remarkable and entertaining performance.
Gene Hackman's role is not large (as another minister), but it is interesting to see him at age 36. This was his first significant film role.
Richard Harris is here as the sea captain who once was in love with Julie Andrews' character. His role here -- as a seaman -- is to cause trouble. You know what they say about sailors! A major plot point is how far Andrews' character will fall again.
Carroll O'Connor has a small role here as Andrews' father. Nothing notable, although he was well into his career at this point.
Manu Tupou Despite the issues mentioned, this is a fine and entertaining film. There are many touching scenes, as well as many powerful scenes. Were it remade today, it would be a very different film; I think I'm glad it was made nearly half a century ago.