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This film today, is quite forgotten because it never turns up on TV and is not widely available on video, and certainly not yet on DVD. Tis is a great pity as THE HAWAIIANS is an excellent and interesting stand alone sequel to the whopper epic of 1966 HAWAII - which was a 70mm release with Julie Andrews and Max Von Sydow (and even Bette Milder in a crowd scene). James Mitchener and his tales of the south seas books presented film makers with many opportunities for grand and spectacular South Pacific extravaganza dramas and even one enchanted musical. THE HAWAIIANS is basically the story of how Charlton Heston started the pineapple industry in Hawaii, with the help of hard working clever Chinese peasants, some of whom were brought into the plantation household for love and 'marriage' and even unfortunately, a spot of leprosy. While that might sound trite, and I am not making fun of it, it allows for 'ordinary' people to feature center screen in an epic way. Because this film is not about "major Euro characters" like in the first film, THE HAWAIIANS unjustly has been derailed and forgotten. But it is actually more interesting because it is about someone else other than religious zealots smashing idols and their sexually repressed wives ripping the corset off to run barefoot down the beach with the native teenagers.. So if you wish to see a truly glorious epic film about the people who actually did something to and for Hawaii (whether it ultimately good or bad) THE HAWAIIANS lives up to its title showcasing the real hard working people who lived and loved in Hawaii a century ago. I had the unforgettable experience of seeing both HAWAII and THE HAWAIIANS back to back as a double feature (7pm-midnight) in a Sydney Suburban cinema one freezing winter night lashed by a monster cyclonic thunderstorm. Here we were rugged to the chin in woolly everything straining to hear the soundtrack over the crashing din of the rain on the theater's enormous tin roof whilst looking at a spectacular cinema-scope vista of tropical sunny island drama. About an hour into the first film, the plaster ceiling sprang several serious leaks and a very grimy waterfall left of screen that was washing 55 years of dirt from above the curtains. The tubby manager and the broom kid were heard scurrying into the ceiling with empty tin ice cream bins. With hissed directions from Mr Tubby, the kid was clomping about on the beams, creaking and thudding, placing empty tins under the drizzle from the roof above. That plugged the leaks but instead started a hilarious symphony of 'pling' and 'plong' and 'plish' and 'klading' and 'sklosh' as the huge raindrops fell into the empty bins and began to fill them. It sounded like when somebody plays "eidelweiss' using a dozen glasses of water of varying amounts. This began to cause the entire audience of a dozen of us to laugh and look about. Suddenly something crashed and splashed from behind the screen as the kid went straight through a part of the ceiling long unseen. A massive puddle gushed from under the masking, across the stage to the footlights and waterfall-ed straight into the front aisle. The kid made his way out from behind the screen cringing, wet and meekly looking about. The audience erupted into rapturous applause. The kid took a bow and slipped straight offstage onto the soggy carpet and out of sight. What a night! Value and extras like that never happen in multiplexes today. Anyway, after we survived HAWAII, we all got a free hot chocolate, congratulated the manager and wet kid, and went back in, storm raging still, buckets sploshing away , ceiling straining, and let THE HAWAIIANS transport us to another world in another (warmer) age. Such was the professional cinematic expertise of this very good sequel. I have never looked at a pineapple in the same way ever again.

I happened to be living in Hawaii when this was released (along with *Patton*) It was beautifully shot and the character portrayals were wonderful.

Based somewhat on historical facts, Heston is the hard-bitten adventurer/entrepreneur responsible for bringing pineapples to the islands.

As others have pointed out, the portrayal of the Asian immigration and subsequent influence in the islands is, if not accurate, certainly believable, given the Asian makeup of the island population, today.

All of the performances are strong, revolving around Heston as the central 'motivator'. The camera work brings the beauty of Hawaii right up to your face. Finally, the fire is accurate - Honolulu suffered more than one huge fire in it's early days.

I would very much like to see this out in DVD.

Compelling parallel tales of two connected families, in a time of great change in 19th century Hawaii. Charlton Heston is the black sheep of his rich family, who uses ruthless and criminal ways to build a pineapple empire. Mako and Tina Chen are Chinese immigrants, that Heston brings to the islands. Mako and Tina end up working for Heston on his plantation, and they soon recognize the importance of land ownership, and Tina becomes a tough business woman. And how both families adapt to the changes in Hawaii, including the growth of agriculture, slum like conditions for immirgrants, a leper colony on Molokai, America's overthrow of the Hawaian monarchy, bubonic plague, and the great Chinatown fire. All of this works, thanks to the strong performances by Heston and escpecially, Tina Chen.

James Mitchner's books on the south seas and the people living there are always fascinating reading. Any one of his novels can easily fit onto the silver screen. This particular film, " The Hawaiians " is a case in point. Following the exploits of the main character who draws the most attention, Charlton Heston plays Whip Hoxworth, an experienced sea Captain who dreams of overseeing a scheduled line of commercial vessels. His force of acting brings the worthy sea Captain ashore to confront the religious power of his clan. Having enough of the high Seas, Whip decides to stay shore-bound and tend to his Grandfater's sailing ships. Unfortunately, he arrives too late as his Grandfather left all his businesses to his laboriously pious and financially selfish family, leaving him an unpromising island called Hanni-Ki. Disappointed, he begins to despair his future when Milton Overpeck, a drunken driller (Don Knight) offers him an opportunity to become rich. At nearly the same time an oriental pair Tina Chen (Nyuk Tsin) and Mun Ki (Kako) arrive in Hawii and during the ensuing years, join Hoxworth in the ever changing social and political landscape. Geraldine Chaplin plays Purity Hoxworth a woman who slowly loses her mind, her son and her husband. John Phillip Law, Alec McCowen and Keye Luke add to the star studded film. With the magnificent Hawiian landscape as a backdrop, this movie is a splendid example of art come to life. The story is solid as is the acting with the result being a Classic created from a literary novel. ****

An epic drama movie about the obstinate captain Whip : Charlton a Heston going back to Hawaii . He has inherited a worthless land , but Whip then becomes himself a powerful pineapple owner by smuggling pineapple from French Guyana . Meanwhile , aboard his ship , The Carthaginian , there is a cargo of Chinese emigrants : Tina Chen and Mako subsequently disembarking in Hawaii following hardship ways . As Heston and his ambition bringing distresses to his family via his stubborness . Dealing with the Giant Story of Modern Hawaii in which mean colonists attempt to topple the Hawaii Queen and to create a new state to unite it to the United States . Along the way Whip prohibites his son : John Philip Law to marry a Chinese girl . The continuation of James A Michener's epic novel, Hawaii !

A soap opera and unpretentious entertainment movie about a proud and mighty pineapple owner and his family, including drama , love stories and tragedy . A James A. Michener's enormous novel and compressed it into compact , intelligent and sensitive scenes . This is the follow-up to Hawaii 1966 by George Roy Hill with Richard Harris , Julie Andrews , Max Von Sidow , Gene Hackman , concerning a stiff-upper-lip minister sent to Hawaii to convert the natives . In this sequel , The Hawaiians 1970 , Charlton Heston gives a fine performance in his ordinary style as the tough and bigoted land baron who founds an empire in pineapples and he will stop at nothing to get his civilian or political purports . His portrait clearly delineates the authority and alternating torment to communicate his emotions . Heston also performed a similar movie titled " Diamond Head" 1962, equally playing an ambitious pineapple owner . While Geraldine Chaplin is passable , though she has not quite the weight for the role of the consumptive wife . There's a captivating performance from Tina Chen as the pregnant Chinese emigrant who disembarks in Hawaii to face off a new life along with Mako . Accompanied by good secondaries as Alec McCowen, John Phillip Law, Don Knight , James Gregory , MIko Mayama and you'll have to concentrate harder to pick up actors as Chris Robinson, Lyle Bettger and James Hong .

It displays a marvellous and gorgeous cinematography from the sunny Hawaii by cameramen Lucien Ballard and Philip H Lathrop . As well as a rousing and stirring musical score by Henry Mancini .The motion picture was uneven but professionally directed by Tom Gries , including some flaws and disjointed scenes . Tom was a good craftsman who made a lot of films as cinema as television until his early death at 54 . As he directed Westerns as 100 rifles , Will Penny , Mustang , Nevada Smith and other genres as in Breakout and The Glass House . Rating : 6/10 . The movie will appeal to Charlton Heston fans .