Abner Hale, a rigid and humorless New England missionary, marries the beautiful Jerusha Bromley and takes her to the exotic island kingdom of Hawaii, intent on converting the natives. But the clash between the two cultures is too great and instead of understanding there comes tragedy.
Acting
Max von Sydow's jaw never unclenches for 189 minutes.
Production
Practical Hawaii locations before CGI ruined everything.
Costume
Jerusha's transformation from bonnets to tropical misery.
Director
George Roy Hill
Julie Andrews
Jerusha Bromley Hale
Max von Sydow
Abner Hale
Richard Harris
Rafer Hoxworth
Gene Hackman
John Whipple
Carroll O'Connor
Charles Bromley
Manu Tupou
Keoki
John Cullum
Immanuel Quigley
George Rose
Captain Janders
Lou Antonio
Abraham Hewlett
Torin Thatcher
Reverend Thorn
Michael Constantine
Mason
Malcolm Atterbury
Gideon Hale
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Jocelyne LaGarde, who played Queen Malama, had never acted before and spoke only Tahitian; she earned an Oscar nomination.
Native Hawaiian consultants walked off set due to script inaccuracies, making this a meta-commentary on its own colonial blindspots.
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