Hurricane

I don' understand why most words written about this film have been negative. Just because it is a remake of a film people think is a classic? This version of Hurricane with Jason Robards and Mia Farrow is a very competantly told story with good special effects. I was involved. I was moved from beginning to end. I felt that the characters were a little more credible than in the John Ford film. A very good film but not a popular one. I had to tape it at 3AM.

Although this is a remake of the famous and far superior John Ford masterpiece, HURRICANE manages to be one of MIA FARROW's least impressive jobs as an actress--not entirely her fault since the script, based this time on the Nordhoff-Hall novel, is a mess. It's really not the same storyline used in the Ford film.

The only similarity to the original is that it ends with a furious hurricane that cost $22 million to recreate but doesn't save the disastrously weak story from being anything but an unmitigated bore. The love interest is practically non-existent, consisting of close-up stares between Mia and her island sweetheart. Whenever there is any dialog, it's about as clumsy as can be. (Example: When he proposes that they elope, he says: "Come to the altar with the white flower--I will be there with the red.") Somebody should of been there with some directorial talent. Jan Troell falls far short of John Ford, as does the script. Usually, it's worth it to sit through a boring romance to see the howler of a hurricane. In this case, not so.

Long before I saw "Hurricane", I bought the soundtrack album in a second hand store.

It was a happy purchase. I knew Nino Rota's music for "War and Peace", the Fellini movies and "Death on the Nile", but his score for "Hurricane" was a surprise. It is a seductive blend of mandolin, ukulele, orchestra, primitive instruments, wordless chorus and even whistling. The whole thing beautifully captures the mystique of the Pacific islands of legend. It was Rota's last score. He died before the film was released.

It's interesting how often those mega-budget movies set in Polynesia seem to have been lured to destruction by swaying palms and swaying hips. "Mutiny on the Bounty" (1962), "The Bounty" (1984), and Kevin Costner's Rapa Nui (1994), all hit a reef financially. Mind you, I find them all guilty pleasures in their own way. Unfortunately "Hurricane" didn't fare any better.

Set in the 1920's, Charlotte Bruckner (Mia Farrow) arrives on Pago Pago to visit her father Captain Bruckner (Jason Robards), the U.S. Governor. She falls in love with Matangi (Dayton Ka'ne) an islander destined to become chieftain. Dad is not pleased; there are racial tensions and somewhat disturbing father/daughter tensions. Then the hurricane hits.

Apparently there were also tensions on the set. In fact, all those big epics had tensions behind the scenes. Maybe it was the isolation with stars and crew trapped on their respective islands for weeks on end. According to an article in "The Independent", at some point during the making of "Hurricane", Mia Farrow fetched co-star Timothy Bottoms a smack in the mouth.

Few critics had a good word for "Hurricane". The love affair between Charlotte and Matangi doesn't quite register. Dayton Ka'ne was a good-looking surfer plucked from obscurity, but he struggled with his lines. He made one other movie and retired from the screen - he died a few years ago aged only 61. The film suffers from some one-dimensional characters, but the storm at the end is good if a little long although it is called "Hurricane" after all.

I feel the film has a certain ambience definitely helped by Rota's haunting score. It's a long way from being the worst movie I have ever seen.

The much maligned remake of John Ford's 1937 film (or at least the second adaptation of the novel, which came out in 1936) is not as bad as its reputation, but it doesn't really work. They change things up a bit to make it about an interracial romance. Mary Astor's character (now played by Mia Farrow) is now the daughter of the governor character (played here by Jason Robards), and the lead native character (played by newcomer Dayton Ka'ne) falls in love with her. This being the 1920s, their romance is looked down upon (by both races). The initial premise change isn't too bad, but it weakens the rest of the plot, which plays out pretty similarly to the original film. Ka'ne's crime is far less sympathetic than it was; there he was arrested for assaulting a racist who insulted him. Here, he, as chief of his people, allows a custom of checking for a bride's virginity before she's married - the girl is so upset about it she drowns herself. Farrow helps Ka'ne escape, but their plans, and everyone's lives, are disrupted by the hurricane. Jon Hall was kind of the weak link in Ford's film, but Ka'ne is far worse. Even besides his more detestable crime, he's just not that likable an actor. Farrow's infatuation with him never comes off as real love, so there's no romance to latch onto. Farrow herself isn't too bad, but she's ten years older than the character should be at least. Robards is the best thing about it. Trevor Howard plays the priest and Max von Sydow the doctor. Both are fine, but the roles probably should have been reversed. It doesn't really matter, though, since both characters get short shafted by the script. Timothy Bottoms is pretty good as Farrow's initial love interest (he doesn't really have an analogue in the original). The actual hurricane is still pretty good, but the ending is lame. The film looks great, thanks to Sven Nykvist and, you know, Bora Bora just being beautiful in general.

HURRICANE is not a great film, but it sure IS entertaining. Some of the scenes and situations are ludicrous (Jason Robards has the hots for his daughter, Mia Farrow) and the dialogue is often hilarious. But if you stick around, you'll find that the production values are astonishing. Among the talents behind the camera are Jan Troell (THE EMIGRANTS, THE NEW LAND), who directed; Sven Nykvist (cinematographer for many of Ingmar Berman's later films) who filmed on location in the South Pacific; and Nino Rota, who wrote a lovely, haunting musical theme. The performances aren't so bad (considering the dialogue) and the special effects at the end show you why this was one of the most expensive films of its day.