The story of the desperate love affair between a young Samoan chief and a beautiful American painter, against the will of her father, the powerful governor of the island. Amid this man-made tension comes a powerful hurricane so devastating, the lives of the lovers and the entire island are imperiled.
Cinematography
Actual hurricane footage mashes with soap opera close-ups.
Production
$12 million blown on an island nobody visited.
Director
Jan Troell
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Dino De Laurentiis built a $4 million artificial island that was immediately destroyed by real storms during filming. The universe has opinions.
The film was originally a passion project for Roman Polanski, who fled the US before production. Troell inherited the chaos.
US
