THE HAWAIIANS

US, 1969, 132 minutes, Colour.
Charlton Heston, Tina Chen, Geraldine Chaplin, John Philip Law, Alec McCowan?.
Directed by Tom Gries.

The Hawaiians is the second film chunk of James Michener's Hawaii. It is not as interesting nor as grand-scale as the first film Hawaii (directed by George Roy Hill with Max Von Sydow, Julie Andrews and Richard Harris). In fact this story of the development of Hawaii during the second half of the 19th century is quite domestic and, at times, quite flat.

The film is concerned with the third and fourth generation settlers in Hawaii, their fleets, crops, money wrangles and their family problems, like insanity from inbreeding among the native Hawaiians. But the most impressive feature of the
film is its insight into the Chinese settlers in Hawaii and their ways. They are certainly more interesting than the Americans and we are shown practically nothing of the native Hawaiians.

Photography, music, action are all rather old-fashioned. Only rarely does the film come alive as it does with the sequences of the leper outcasts on Molokai. Nevertheless, many audiences would enjoy its undemanding entertainment, and be interested in some of the issues involved. An interesting comparison is Paul Cox's film about Fr Damian the leper, Molokai.

1. Was this film anything more than an old-fashioned adventure story?

2. If you saw Hawaii, how did this film differ in theme, interest, scope and production values?

3. What was your immediate impression of Whip Hoxworth in the ship sequence? Did your opinion about him change? Was he any more cruel or greedy than the other men of his time?

4. What impression did the two Chinese characters make on you in the ship sequence? Did your opinion change?

5. What was wrong with Purity Hoxworth? Did she love her husband? Why was she so absorbed in Hawaiian culture? Did Hawaiian inbreeding explain her deterioration?

6. Did you find the Chinese sympathetic? Why? What aspects of the Chinese characters appealed to you?

7. How did the Chinese attitudes contrast with the attitude of the Hoxworths and the Hales and their wealth, greed and hatreds?

8. What did you think of Hoxworth's African expedition for the pineapples and his summary justice over the killing?

9. Did Noel grow up into the type of man you expected him to be? Why?

10. Did you understand the political significance of the second half of the film - the queen, Micah Hale and the American alliance? what comment, if any,, on race relations did it make?

11. Comment on the leper sequences. How horrible was leprosy in Hawaii in the 19th century? Do you know anything of Molokal?

12. What was the point of the plague and building-burning sequence towards the end?

13. Why did Hoxworth take a Japanese mistress? Should Noel have married the Chinese girl?

14. Who was the hero,, heroine of the film?

15. Did the film give you an understanding of the development of Hawaii last century? Did it concentrate too much on the Americans and Chinese?