South Pacific (1958) User Reviews

In Love With A Wonderful Guy

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 14 September 2005]

Though it is only the second longest running of Rodgers&Hammerstein's musical shows, South Pacific I believe contains the best score with The King and I running a close second. On Broadway it opened in 1949 and closed 1925 shows later in 1954. It gave Mary Martin her career role on Broadway and made a pop star out of Metropolitan Opera basso Ezio Pinza.

Opening on Broadway only four years after VE Day, South Pacific found a ready made audience with the American public who believed in the rightness of the cause just fought for. The show is based on two short stories from an anthology of stories entitled Tales of the South Pacific by James Michener. The success of South Pacific boosted Michener's reputation as a novelist in no small way.

It's only too bad that South Pacific was not made with the original Broadway leads because it took so long to come to the screen. Ezio Pinza had died in 1956. He had done a couple of films in Hollywood that didn't do that good, but Pinza scored another great success on Broadway in Fanny. Too bad he didn't get to do that film either.

Mary Martin was also getting a bit long in the tooth by 1958 to be playing young Ensign Nellie Forbush. Also in a previous sojourn in Hollywood she hadn't done that good for some inexplicable reason. Mitzi Gaynor stepped very nicely into Mary's shoes and being more of a dancer than Martin, Gaynor's part had more dancing than on Broadway. Check the routine she has when she sings and dances about that wonderful guy she's just fell in love with. It's a shame that Mitzi Gaynor did not come along when musicals were at their height. How great she would have been in some Busby Berkeley epics.

Pinch hitting for Pinza is Rossano Brazzi and for Pinza's voice, Giorgio Tozzi. The big hit of South Pacific, probably the greatest hit from Rodgers&Hammerstein is Some Enchanted Evening. The popularity of that song made the South Pacific original cast album a big seller. And a whole slew of singers recorded it. Bing Crosby and Perry Como had big selling records in 1949 and Al Jolson as well.

The comedy is supplied by Ray Walston who was fresh from Broadway and Hollywood playing Mr. Applegate in Damn Yankees. He plays Luther Billis, sailor and conman extraordinaire. On Broadway the part was done by Myron McCormick.

In fact Walston's big scene is a reminder of how film can do things that on stage you can only imagine. He accidentally falls out of a plane with a parachute fortunately just off a Japanese held island. He's thrown a rubber life raft and has to paddle like mad to get out of range of the enemy weapons. And then sits back and enjoys the show as a whole slew of fighters pound the Japanese on that island. It's described on stage, but here you can enjoy it first hand.

The primary story is the romance between nurse Nellie Forbush from Little Rock, Arkansas and French expatriate planter Emile DeBecque, Brazzi's character. The secondary story line concerns marine lieutenant Joseph Cable, nicely played by John Kerr with dubbed singing voice. Juanita Hall who is from the original cast is Bloody Mary is trying to match Cable with her daughter Liat played by France Nuyen in one of her first screen roles. She's quite the operator herself, Bloody Mary and more than a match for Walston.

Three young players who made it big later and had bit parts in South Pacific were James Stacy, Doug McClure and featured prominently is Tom Laughlin, the future Billy Jack.

It's too bad that we don't have a nice technicolor version of Mary Martin and Ezio Pinza, but this is a pretty good group of players who worked hard and made a wonderful movie.

1958 film version of South Pacific is a fine addition to R & H canon

[tavm · 7/10 · 17 February 2007]

Having taped this off HBO nearly 22 years ago, I finally got to see the 1958 version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific just now (I had also seen the PBS Great Performances Carnegie Hall version with Reba McEntire, Brian Stokes Mitchell, and Alec Baldwin last year). Mostly wonderful film version although I agree with most posters that the color filters during the songs can be a little distracting. Mitzi Gaynor is fine as Nurse Nellie Forbush in singing, dancing, and especially acting that I don't understand the criticism against her. Rossano Brazzi is likewise (although his singing, like the other cast members, was dubbed) as paramour Emile de Becque. John Kerr does indeed seem stilted and the dubbed singing of him is so obvious and I can't believe completely his love for France Nuyen. Ms. Nuyen is luminous, by the way. Juanita Hall and Ray Walston (who I first encountered as Mr. Hand in Fast Times at Ridgemount High) also lend fine support. That all said, this is classic R & H all the way in line with The Sound of Music, The King and I, Oklahoma!, and Carousel. P.S. Thurl Ravenscroft was the singing voice of Stewpot in the "There is Nothing Like a Dame" number. You might know him best as Tony the tiger and the singer of "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" in How the Grinch Who Stole Christmas.

New 70MM Re-Release and Restored DVD!

[Cinemad--2 · 8/10 · 7 September 2005]

This film is due to be re-released in 70MM for limited engagements next year. A new restored DVD is also being prepared by Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment which includes scenes that were cut back in 1958. Somebody commented recently about the fact that "lap-dissolves" were used between many scenes in this film and this person obviously felt that this was some kind of fault. This was a common editing technique utilized in the past and was used usually to signify the passage of time. It is rarely used these days and obviously that person has not encountered this technique before and has assumed that it is a fault, but this is not the case.

I am curious to know if the new transfer will feature the Broadway continuity(the Emile-Nellie Plantation scene before the "Bloody Mary" scene)? I hope it is an anamorphic transfer?

'South Pacific?' It's Terrific.

[slush-1 · 9 February 2002]

When are folks going to give 'South Pacific' an even break? It's a wonderful film. A great big, colourful, emotional wallow, filled with romance, song, splendor, humor, and expert acting. Sure the colour filters are somewhat jarring. Blame it on the awful prints now (and it seems, forever) in circulation. Back in June 1958 the Films and Filming reviewer put it this way, "Logan has hit on the ingenious idea of using colour rather in the way that a composer underscores a films drama with music. As the emotions of his characters find their expression in music, so the cold clear tones of reality dissolve into the warm yellow and red hues of fantasy. I found this a wholly acceptable compromise, and many of the effects (indeed the whole level of the Todd-AO photography) were outstandingly good." Works for me to - and goodness knows I've seen them often enough. It also worked for the millions of cinemagoers who flocked to see the film - over and over again. Mind you, had Logan decided to supervise all aspects of the cutting etc., instead of trotting off to direct 'Blue Denim,' Fox might, possibly, have been persuaded to remove the filters before release? Perhaps, with film preservation on so many agendas these days, some of this colour-filter-exasperation could be channeled in that direction.

Now, regarding all this rubbish about 'South Pacific' being a financial and critical disaster? How? In Great Britain, where it had a four-and-a-half year run at the Dominion Theater in London, it recouped three times its negative cost before going into general release. It ran for three-and-a-half years in Sydney and Copenhagen. For over two years in NYC. It even broke box office records in Salt Lake for goodness sake. And this is just the tip of the successful iceberg. The critics? Sure there were dissenters, there always are, for any film. Most, however, echoed the headline which ran in London's Daily Mirror, 'South Pacific is just terrific.'

Which brings me to my final irritation, the casting of Mitzi Gaynor as Nellie Forbush. The delicious Mitzi is bloody marvelous in 'South Pacific.' She gives a beautifully multi-layered performance filled with truth and honesty. Her Nellie is real, human, and natural. In scene after scene this immensely talented actress subtly conveys, with humor and great sensitivity, her character's ever-changing moods. And, again, from NYC's Daily News to London's Daily Express, by way of Picturegoer and Films in Review, the majority of critcs agreed that, "Mitzi doesn't leave a palm-leaf on the trees when she goes into action."

'South Pacific?' It really is terrific.

Misunderstood by many reviewers here

[andrewpeel · 7/10 · 28 December 2022]

Having read many reviews here written probably 50+ years after the film was released I felt I had to write a review in response to the basic charge many are laying at the film - that it is 'racist'.

Firstly I believe the fact the film explores attitudes common at the time is exactly what Mitchener does in his novels. When Nurse Nellie says 'I can't explain it it's just emotional' in response to being asked to explain why she can't marry the man she loves because he had married a Polynesian woman - that cuts to the heart of the issue. Cable replies it isn't something people are born with it something people get spoken in their ears from age 6 or 7 to hate peoples of a different skin shade.

Even the women who sings 'Happy Happy' is called Bloody Mary and is prepared to sell her daughter to the Marine. There are extensive historical accounts of American servicemen having children with Polynesian women and leaving them after the war, similarly in the Vietnam War.

The film ends with Nellie realising her attitudes were racist and stupid and she changes. Unfortunately Cable dies before he gets the chance.

So how anybody can say the film is racist when the whole story is patently pointing out the stupidity of racism is beyond me.

Flawed but entertaining!

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 10 March 2009]

The most obvious flaw is its running time, it's very long. I think it's longer than Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Unfortunately there were other flaws with the movie, so I can't overlook what I've just said. Another flaw was the colour filtering;the orange and yellow picture did get a bit distracting after a while, although the Pacific does look beautiful. Rossano Brazzi, whose singing voice was dubbed, looked wooden, but was he ever not wooden? I must say though, the dubbed singer did a marvellous job.

However, there were a lot of truly excellent things about this movie. Mitsi Gaynor was a lovely lead, and she was wonderful in the musical numbers. She does get a little tiresome toward the end, but most musicals do have the same problem. But Juanita Hall was just perfect as Bloody Mary, I had absolutely no problem with her. The songs were absolutely outstanding. Rodgers and Hammerstein have given us some truly fantastic music scores, and South Pacific is among them. Ray Walston gives comic relief as Luther, I think, and the focus on the war was very endearing. The real star was the stunning choreography, that made the musical numbers so energetic.

All in all, an entertaining, but flawed film, that is underrated in my opinion. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Cinema Paradiso

[ianlouisiana · 10/10 · 21 August 2006]

I did a significant amount of my courting to this film.It was on for so long at the "Astoria",Brighton that I must have taken at least 5 different girls to see it during its run.It may even have moved to another cinema in the town later,my memory is a bit hazy about that,but by the time it was taken off at the "Astoria" I had become a little more sophisticated and was going up to West End shows (15 shillings on "The Brighton Belle"),but I knew all the words to "There is nothing like a dame". Based on James Michener's "Tales from the South Pacific "it has some of Rodgers and Hammerstein's finest songs blended into a stirring tale of love,prejudice,redemption and heroism in wartime.Everything a 1958 audience could wish for,simple people that we were. The world is now a much smaller (and scarier)place,and what to us was exotic is now the everyday.We have lost our sense of wonder,become blase,what once evoked a gasp now merely evokes a yawn. To make any meaningful criticism of "South Pacific" we must regain our lost innocence. In 1958 American Culture was universally coveted.The American Way was the way everybody wanted to go.The idea that U.S. military personnel were ordinary decent human beings(now considered laughably naive) was widespread. Lt Cable,then a legitimate target for a mother with a beautiful daughter would now be a legitimate target for a suicide bomber. Of course the movie seems trite and laboured,disingenuous and clichéd in 2006 if viewed with nearly half a century of hindsight,but,please believe me,it wasn't always so. Rossano Brazzi was impossibly handsome and sophisticated,Ray Walston your wisecracking All-American noncom (homoerotic subtext?you're having a laugh,surely?).OK so John Kerr was a bit of a milquetoast but he was from Princeton N.J.And France Nguyen.......surely no child was ever more beautiful. I was a bit puzzled as to why Juanita Hall was dubbed because I had an L.P. at home titled "Juanita Hall sings Bessie Smith" and she sounded pretty good to me.But that was showbiz;they'd dubbed Harry Belafonte and Dorothy Dandridge in "Carmen Jones" hadn't they? And Mitzi Gaynor,surely one of the most underrated song and dance women in movies."I'm as corny as Kansas in August......"brilliant. If I'm ever on one of those endless white beaches looking out to sea and shielding my eyes against the sun,I shall fully expect Nellie Forbush and her fellow nurses to come running through the surf towards me and then I'll know I've died and gone to heaven.

been a favorite of mine a long time

[widescreenguy · 7/10 · 3 March 2007]

since before internet and IMDb existed so I an unfazed by the snipping trivial criticisms here.

it is basically an very good, not outstanding, effort to show some of the romanticism associated with that terrible event, the war in the pacific.

there are 100s of thousands of islands in that great ocean, can we not believe a bali hai exists undiscovered somewhere, if only in our imaginations? the DVD which I just bought today has the Michner 60 minutes interview. he refused to let the film crew on the island out over the water in the distance. he wanted it to stay an idyll.

cant we all do that? France Nuyen is the most beautiful actress of her generation and a very talented and strongly principled and intelligent lady.

the racism angle has been flogged enough here, suffice to say it is handled fairly accurate in depicting the mood of the times.

and thank you to those who explained what 'road show' version meant.

Beautiful, despite critics' criticisms

[lulu18 · 10/10 · 16 November 2005]

This is my favorite R&H musical and I play the original Broadway s/t frequently because I love Pinza.

I agree with an earlier poster who commented that Mary Martin was much too old and earthy for the young innocent Nellie. Mitzi Gayner was perfect. I also love the different hues for the singing. It does give the movie a different feel to it.

Of all the R&H musicals, this one was the best to transfer to the screen (with exception of King and I). Too bad they can't find a complete reel of the latter movie.

And my favorite song from the show/movie is This Nearly Was Mine, a heartbreaking song if there ever was one. Pinza breaks my heart on the OBC recording. Tozzi is good, too, but Pinza is the peak.

And R&H were pressured to drop You've Got to be Carefully Taught and they refused. The racial prejudice runs right through the picture without hitting you over the head with it and it was way ahead of its time. But then the book was written by James Michener who had an Asian wife and who knew about prejudice.

I love this movie -- still!

Miscast and plodding

[LBX Dude · 6/10 · 21 September 1998]

This musical is one of the legendary classics of Broadway and it is tremendously underserved by the film version. With the exception of Mitzi Gaynor as Nellie Forbush, every actor is dubbed for their musical moments. The audio gap between the actor's dialogue and the singer's song is so jarring that it is laughable. I get the unvoidable feeling that the producers just cast this film recklessly with dependable stars, relying on the success of the original show to enhance word-of-mouth. Aside from the "voices", the acting (particularly from the men) just doesn't have the juice.

Still, I strongly believe that this was the fault of the director, Joshua Logan. I say this for two reasons: the cinematography and the pace of the film. The location photography (filmed in Hawaii) should be breathtaking. Instead, "color filters" are used during the musical numbers which not only distract from what is taking place between the characters but also make the screen appear alternately murky and just plain ugly. You have to see them to believe them.

Even this could be overlooked, though, if the pace of the film were not so ABYSMAL! The pauses that occur in the dialogue are simply interminable. The film does not trim the original Broadway show (not always a necessity), but rather adds several scenes (including one where Ray Walston almost "bungles" the DeBecque mission and a song that was cut from the original show before it opened in New York) and, although they are supposed to progress the narrative, here they only seem to drag the story down because they go on FOREVER! Where is the charm? Where is the excitement? These were exciting times and this music is unforgettable.

It is a shame that the film musical is considered extinct because this is a movie just screaming to be remade. I give it a 6.

Ambitious

[localsixeight · 4/10 · 13 January 2009]

I would recommend the soundtrack of this film far more than seeing the film itself. There are some really fun and catchy songs ("Wash that Man Right out of my Hair" and "There is Nothing like a Dame") as well as the provocative "You have to be Very Carefully Taught". The movie itself is very (way too) long, story too wide-spread, and it seems to be (clumsily) strung together only to incorporate the great songs, whose arrivals are generally awkward. The love story- it's hard to care about. Mitzi Gaynor was a cold fish. Mentally you wanted her to overcome her raised in a small town closed-mindedness, if nothing else to just give a chance to Emile's character- but there wasn't any romance you could feel. Cable and Bloody Mary's daughter's romance evoked more affection, strangely, since they barely spoke two sentences to each other.

The hazy color that would come on for every other song was bizarre; we wondered if it was an old worn out tape at first until the frequency of the occurrences cleared that up. I think the movie aimed admirably high and landed somewhere in the middle. I think the message is that love can be found anywhere, that it forms in the heart, mind and soul- and is not to be determined (or deterred) by skin color or nationality.

Worth seeing once.

South Pacific Update

[darkinvader45210 · 10/10 · 4 March 2004]

I remember when South Pacific was first released in the movie theaters, and if a person had been around for that time and witnessed the viewing on the large curved Todd-A-O screen with surround sound stereophonic sound like Cinerama had. Yyes dear people; surround sound is nothing new], then the younger critics today would have a different outlook on this film, but I will admit that it is a little bit too long, but a beautiful movie it is. The only thing that I find wrong is that it's just too perfect. You expect a little flaw here or there, but there's nothing, and even though most of the actors and actresses singing voices were dubbed except for Mitzi Gaynor, you can't see any flubbing up of the lip-sync hing. Look at Rozzano Brazzi - his lips look like he's really singing. Even his breathing is right in there with Giorgio Tozzi who did the actual singing.

This was directed by the very manic-depressive Josh Logan whose insanity is all over the screen in his directing of the movie version of "Paint Your Wagon", but Logan said that his first choice for Nelli was Elizabeth Taylor, but when she tried to sing for Rogers and Hammerstien, she was so nervous that her throat closed up on her, and she lost out. He was too afraid that Doris Day would turn South Pacific into a Doris Day vehicle, and then one day Mitzi Gaynor showed up and told him, "I know you probably think I can't play Nelli, but I'd like to test for it anyway!" After the test, he asked someone what he thought of her as Nelli and he was told, "Oh! She'll be very good if you can get her to do the things she should be doing instead of the things she's doing, her Gaynorisms - big winking eye's etc., and then he added, "Of course, you'll have to police her!" She smoked cigarettes like a chimney. So, Mitzi got the part, and at the world premier it was then well known that everyone's voice was dubbed except for Mitzi Gaynors and some woman in the audience was explaining to her friend who sang for who, and then ended up asking, "I wonder who sang for Mitzi Gaynor?" and not knowing that Ms. Gaynor was sitting in front of them, she turned around, looked at the two women and quipped, "Frank Sinatra"!

Personally, I love the filters on the musical sequences, and it really adds to the enjoyment of the film. Josh Logan didn't like them, but he was warned not to film the movie in Technicolor for fear that it would look like a picture post card that you could turn over and write "Having a Wonderful Time", but with it being a little bit too long, I love the movie, and again, it's just a shame that these movies cannot be seen in a movie theaters anymore. Then - the would see the expert craftsmanship in such movies as the glorious "South Pacific"!

So, considering Glenn Close in her version of South Pacific. Take it for what it is, it's not that bad. In fact, a big surprise that it turned out as well as it did. I understand that the Josh Logan version with Mitizi Gaynor is going to be released into the movie theaters again. After everyone today see's it as it should be seen, maybe this will cause the release of other musicals such as Oklahoma, The King and I, Carousel, and Guys and Dolls to be released into the theaters again. What a treat that will be, but here's another version, and a wonderful surprise:

You can purchase the South Pacific Concert on C.D. starring, ready for this, Reba McIntyre as Nellie Fobush, with audience response on the disc, and is everyone in for the surprise of their life. Beba is perfection. All of the music is combined with bits and pieces of the shows Dialogue so that you feel you're watching the complete show on the stage. Reba sounds like someone from Little Rock, and her singing is wonderful. All I can say is: Rogers and Hammerstien would approve 100% and be very proud of this version. Reba and the cast is perfection! Reba knocked their socks off on Broadway playing a dynamic performance as Annie in "Annie Get Your Gun"! No wonder she is simply wonderful playing Nellie in South Pacific! If Reba is smart, the next role she'll play is Sally Adams in the Ethel Merman hit "Call Me Madam"! Go girl! Go!

South Pacific is Bigger, Longer & Uncut!

[wes-connors · 6/10 · 19 January 2011]

Some enchanted evening, you will meet a stranger. True to form, during World War II, perky blonde nurse Mitzi Gaynor (as Nellie Forbush) and handsome navy Lt. John Kerr (as Joseph "Joe" Cable) find their strangers on a lush "South Pacific" island. She meets middle-aged French planter Rossano Brazzi (as Emile De Becque). And, he finds nubile native girl France Nuyen (as Liat), with help from weighty mother Juanita Hall (as "Bloody Mary"). Unfortunately, racial prejudices and other factors threaten to railroad both romances. Above all, there is a war going on. Comic reliever Ray Walston (as Luther Billis) dons a makeshift bra for his grass-skirt number.

Rodgers and Hammerstein's soundtrack music remains excellent for this adaptation of their great stage hit. However, the story involving the "mixing" of American and Asian, considered daring and/or forward-thinking at the time, looks more plainly like an old-fashioned sex date; other versions of what you see here have played the match-up better. "South Pacific" is also lengthened past its endurance level. Even greater deterrents are the often eye-bleeding color enhancements and other peculiar choices, especially Mr. Brazzi as the male lead. It's an incredible tribute to the soundtrack that sustains this version of "South Pacific" through its flaws.

****** South Pacific (3/19/58) Joshua Logan ~ Mitzi Gaynor, Rossano Brazzi, John Kerr, Ray Walston

Disappointing Film

[JamesDF · 5/10 · 29 October 2007]

Having read the original stage script for this show, I find the film version very disappointing. Much of the connective dialogue was axed for scenery shots and a rubber boat. Even the wonderful songs were hyphenated. Luciano Brazzi may be a 'hotty' for the ladies, but most of the time he wears a constipated scowl and does a lousy job of lip-syncing to songs. Mitzi Gainor is fabulous; a saving grace.

The real culprit here is the director, Joshua Logan. From what I understand, an accomplished stage director, but it is very obvious he is lost in the film medium. Clunky staging and lonnnnnnng static shots abound. Emile crooning his love song of 'Some enchanted evening' to Nellie while his body language with his arm blocking her off makes me cringe. And don't get me started about those color filters! They actually work in the Bali Hai number, but later on in the love scene, well, as another reviewer wrote, "obviously, love is best served soaked in urine" There are good acting performances, however. Ray Walson, as Billis, is excellent, but a lot of his dialogue is axed and butchered, and that coconut bra stage dance is embarrassing, not funny.

All in all, the movie is paced too slow, and with the connective dialog removed, has no flow. Too bad. This could have been a lot, lot better. I hope this movie will not stop people from seeing a good stage production of it. It is an excellent musical. On the other hand, if you like this movie, you're gonna LOVE a good stage showing.

Josh Logan's colour-filter paradise

[didi-5 · 9 May 2004]

This slush-fest version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's famous musical suffers on the small screen because of its constant use of colour filters during the songs. On a big screen, this looks great, but just looks odd on TV.

This aside, though, this film of 'South Pacific' has much to enjoy. Mitzi Gaynor is a bubbly personality and is clearly enjoying herself as Nellie Forbush, 'washing that man out of her hair' and so on. Rossano Brazzi is charming as Emile (the singing is expertly done by Giorgio Tozzi); we can have a pang of regret that Ezio Pinza was seen to be too old to play the role by the time the film appeared - his work with Mary Martin in the original cast survives in cast recordings - but Brazzi looks the part.

John Kerr is a bit of a wet fish as Lt. Cable, while Juanita Hall as Bloody Mary is excellent, and Ray Walston as Luther, and France Nuyen as Liat, make an impression in smaller roles. The musical numbers are done extremely well - 'Bali Ha'i', 'I'm in Love With a Wonderful Guy', 'Some Enchanted Evening', 'Younger Than Springtime', and 'Happy Talk' and the rest.

Where the film does flag is in the sequences where Emile and Cable go to the island to report on the Japanese invaders. This was handled rather better in the 1990s remake, and also moves along better in the stage version. Here, it clashes a bit with the romantic overtones of the rest of the production.

Singing a Slow Song in the Pacific

[jimmylee-1 · 7/10 · 28 September 2006]

The Broadway version of South Pacific was an amazing breakthrough in confronting attitudes that today's politically correct culture would consider completely racist. According to Mary Martin and others, she received death threats and the play was picketed regularly, which is hard to believe now.

I have to hope the Broadway version moved along a bit faster than the movie version, or there would have been a massive exodus from the unforgiving New York crowd. I can only guess that Josh Logan was feeling the humid heat of those islands, because the pace of the film is not just temperate, it's downright slow. I know it's hard to fit in songs when you're not used to doing musicals, but it only got worse from here for him (Camelot and Paint Your Wagon were just dreadful). If we're trying to get across that the machine of the military moved inexplicably slow, I got it, but I don't think that's it. I think it's Josh.

The music, of course, is wonderful. And I loved Mitzi Gaynor. I think she's perfect as light-hearted, silly Nellie, who lives within boundaries she's never even thought about, but suddenly finds some strength of character when she realizes that she loves someone without reservation. I'm not a fan of choosing the actor and having him lip sync, but Rossano certainly did so with feeling. Ray Ralston played his usual belligerent/con artist character. And who knew Tom Laughlin could act like a human being instead of just Billy Jack? Nice appearance there.

The colored filters are unfortunate. Good thing all the other directors saw Josh's mistake and didn't head down that rainbow road.

And I still find the job that Oscar Hammerstein III did of condensing James Michener's collection of short stories into this socially relevant (at the time) play truly amazing.

I gave the movie a seven because musicals always get five from me, the concept of the movie/play is great (if it gives us a reminder of where we've been), and the acting solid. I have to think that, in the hands of a better director, this movie might be dated, but truly wonderful.

Not a big fan of Rodgers & Hammerstein

[jwb001 · 6/10 · 28 January 2016]

Positive

1. Absolutely beautiful locations (especially compared to the low-budget sound stages of "Oklahoma!", another Rodgers & Hammerstein musical)

2. When the story progresses at a steady pace, it's a pleasant experience.

Neutral

1. Mostly singing, minimal dance numbers

Negative

1. When the story trudges, harping ad infinitum on one topic such as Emile De Becque's murder of a bully or any of the romantic interludes, the audience screams with frustration, "Move forward!"

2. The director employs a cheap tactic of making the frame edges fuzzy and changing the background tint when an emotional scene occurs. Doesn't the director trust the dialog and the actors' skills to convey these emotions?

Possibly the most complete musical ever made

[avp64_hhw · 10/10 · 28 February 2005]

While I was too young to have seen the original Broadway production - and thus that might account for the previous criticism posted above - I think the fault lies with the reviewer (seeing a 1950's musical in 1990's terms).

The lighting, so criticized, added and accented the moods of the film as few films did at the time. The music, possibly without match in an American musical, fit the moods equally well - taking the viewer from the high tensions of the Young Lovers or of the eventual return of Emile. At the same time, the bawdy humorous numbers add temporary humor while the tension of the story line mounts.

Socially, the themes of race and general human cruelty are delivered to the audience without them even noticing. Something in which so many of the modern-day productions fail miserably.

Truly the most complete American musical on many levels!

A great man, Emile

[tw1zzlers · 7/10 · 2 February 2008]

We all know this is a brilliant movie... telling, true, and so well executed. I'm curious if anyone has drawn the connection that I just did... I just saw the Life of Emile Zola for the first time (with Paul Muni) - amazing film, true story, about a Frenchman named Emile, from the end of the 19th century, who knows that affluence is not all there is to life, and that it is each of our responsibility to stand up to fight injustice and change the word to make it a better place. Sound like the hero of South Pacific perhaps? The one with the same name? Coincidence? Both movies are gems. I'd love to know if the connection was purposeful.

As Corny As Kansas In August, But High As A Flag On The Fourth of July

[RiffRaffMcKinley · 10/10 · 9 September 2007]

Commence groaning as necessary for that summary, but at least prepare to be dazzled by R&H's most amazing, underrated musical of all time.

The love story is between a spirited young Navy nurse and an older French planter who's afraid of losing anything. While that makes for some very groan-friendly moments, everything is forgiven when you peer through the weird, multi-colored lenses and pay attention to what's actually going on: a fantastic story (besides the romance) is unfolding. It's the story of a world where everything is changing, and the road down that way could not have been better.

There's lots to love here, so don't be distracted by what you can use to maul this movie. The performances are great, the songs are probably the only songs I've never minded having looped in my head that weren't written by Richard O'Brien, and the beauty of the South Pacific is something that would be amazing to behold anywhere from a majestic silver screen to a tiny little kitchen-table TV set.

As far as musicals go, this is one of my all-time favorites and should be the same for more people.

Great material, poor presentation

[dalermatt · 6/10 · 15 July 2005]

You're handed one of the all-time greatest works of musical theatre to convert into a movie. It has compelling story lines, interesting characters and a thought-provoking field of subjects that ranges from the war in the Pacific to racism to many variations on the themes of love and loss. The music, lyrics and arrangements are arguably the supreme accomplishment of perhaps the greatest musical-producing team in theatre history.

Could you make a bad movie out of it? You or I might have a hard time trashing such sublimity. Unfortunately Joshua Logan and crew did not. The filters; good grief, what were they thinking. The languid pacing. The dubbing of all those vocals. John Kerr (no offense to him; he was miscast for this role). The standard issue performance turned in by poor Mitzi Gaynor. This was a play that cried out for real locations; what we get here is plastic. And filtered.

I don't know what Richard Rodgers or Oscar Hammerstein thought about this movie but they couldn't have been that happy with it.

This is a show that should have the sweep of the whole Pacific behind it. Instead the movie version leaves you wanting to catch it in the confines of some local high school theatre production. 'Nuf said.

North of Bali, South of Hollywood and Vine

[macpet49-1 · 5/10 · 19 August 2017]

Yes, Mitzala was trained to do it all like Dodo Day--sing, act, dance. However, poor Mitzi was always the second banana even when she was the first banana. She did a very (and I praise her for this) honest interview in the 70s explaining that she felt she never discovered her real persona or self in films and was never a very good film actress. She's correct. It's nothing to be ashamed of as she entertains well enough to pass just not well enough to be memorable. For decades I mistook her for Vera Ellen and a host of other dancer type actresses from same era who were also unmemorable. Her voice is high school audition style--on pitch but weak and unsophisticated. It doesn't speak from the soul; it is merely adequate to get an audition. Her dancing is terrific but her roles never quite gave her the chance to show it off much. She was the girl you went on a blind date with while you fantasized of Doris Day. She knew her lines and showed up. However, in terms of making a film like this wonderful, she and the miscasting of many others here were the cause of it being just above average. The best performances are by the character actors/sailors like Ray Walston. Sad waste of money and talent. Mitz proved herself in Vegas and live stage which was her niche.

The best of R & H

[VetteRanger · 10/10 · 17 May 2009]

Although Rogers and Hammerstein wrote many great musicals, I believe that overall the score of South Pacific is the strongest, producing many 'old standards'.

"There is Nothing' Like a Dame", "Younger than Springtime", "Bali Hai", Gonna Wash that Man Right outa my Hair", and the eternal "Some Enchanted Evening" are major highlights, but many other delightful and strong songs help fill this impressive musical.

Of course there is a love story, but there is also a strong lesson of the dangers of bigotry even for people who would never imagine themselves to be so.

Many have criticized the filters used in camera shots during many songs (and a few other scenes). It was ground breaking at the time, and certainly different. Although I myself would certainly rather see the 'pure colors' of those scenes as well, I can respect the wish of the cinematographer to try something that had really seldom been done in major films, but is a staple of still photography.

Unless you just hate musicals, this is a must see film in its genre.

Great songs, but kind of a mess

[cherold · 6/10 · 19 October 2018]

This film was a huge hit based on a Broadway show that was also a huge hit. And I'm a little perplexed as to why.

True, the songs are terrific, including I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair, Nothing Like a Dame, In Love with a Wonderful Guy, and the infectious earworm Happy Talk. But at times there's a disconnect between the song and the story. Wonderful Guy is the story of someone whose jaded feelings about romance have been shattered, yet Nelly is always perky and upbeat. Happy Talk is a song about making plans for the future sung to people who don't speak the same language.

The story feels unfocused. An hour in I still wasn't quite sure what the story was really about. I think that might be the result of the filmmakers switching the first two scenes; had it begun with Nelly and the "French" guy then it would have been clearer that they were the main plot devices ... er, characters.

There are also some really dumb moments, most notably the ridiculous scene with Ray Walston on a raft. And there's some things that are odd, like Bloody Mary's obsession with Cable. But there are also some really good moments, such as the casual vaudeville of Honey Bun or the searing indictment of racism, You've Got to Be Carefully Taught, which is about the only thing I remember from watching this movie when I was 12; that song blew my mind!

There's also those weird color filters; the claim is this was an error and it was supposed to be a subtle effect, but if so, why was it never fixed? Couldn't it be digitally fixed now? It's really annoying.

Anyway, Mitzi Gaynor and Juanita Hall are good, everyone else is acceptable, and the score is terrific. All in all, a mixed bag.

I'm Not in Love With This Movie

[senrgatr · 4/10 · 28 September 2006]

I have seen this movie adaptation on the big screen and many times on television, most recently on 9/28/06. I also directed a stage production in Ohio. Regrettably, Joshua Logan was not a superb movie director (this has been evident in other movie versions of stage musicals)...the movie languishes at a tepid pace, the movie is too long, the principals are miscast (and unfortunately most singing voices are dubbed, including Juanita Hall), and the bizarre color filters are a major distraction. Having seen the beaches on Kauai, I fault Logan for not letting that beauty show through. I do not know what possessed Logan and others, after viewing any dailies, to go along with the final product (probably, MONEY). The great humanitarianism of Oscar Hammerstein II still shows through, however, like in "You've Got to Be Taught."