South Pacific (1958 film)
 Theatrical release poster | ||
| Starring |
| |
| Directed by | Joshua Logan | |
| Produced by | Buddy Adler | |
| Based on | South Pacific (musical) and Tales of the South Pacific by James A. Michener | |
| Studio | South Pacific Enterprises | |
| Music by | Richard Rodgers ↗ | |
| Distributed by | Magna 20th Century-Fox | |
| Released | Mar 19, 1958 in United States | |
| Runtime | 137 mins | |
South Pacific is a 1958 American romantic musical film based on the 1949 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific, which in turn is loosely based on James A. Michener's 1947 short-story collection Tales of the South Pacific. The film, directed by Joshua Logan, stars Rossano Brazzi, Mitzi Gaynor, John Kerr, and Ray Walston in the leading roles with Juanita Hall as Bloody Mary, the part that she had played in the original stage production. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards and won the Academy Award for Best Sound, presented to Fred Hynes. It is set in 1943, during World War II, on an island in the South Pacific.
Plot
During World War II, the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marines are preparing a counteroffensive against the Imperial Japanese Navy in the islands of the South Pacific. Lieutenant Joe Cable, a Marine officer, asks a local French planter, Emile de Becque, to help him on a reconnaissance mission behind Japanese lines, but de Becque declines. De Becque is falling in love with a U.S. Navy nurse, Nellie Forbush, and does not want to get involved. A Navy Construction Battalion sailor (Seabee) named Luther Billis persuades Cable to visit the nearby island of Bali Hai, where he falls in love with a local girl named Liat. Nellie is tormented by the revelation that de Becque had children with a Polynesian woman (who has since died) and runs away, while Cable says he will not marry Liat; he is distressed by the thought of bringing her back to his family, fearing their reaction. Distraught by his separation from Nellie and with nothing to lose, de Becque volunteers for the mission with Cable, who wishes to complete the mission and then live the rest of his life on Bali Hai with Liat. They fly out to a local fishing boat in order to secretly make it to a Japanese-held island to provide vital intelligence for the U.S. Navy. The group comes under heavy fire from a Japanese plane and Cable is killed, but the mission is a success and the navy gains knowledge that allows it to move on the Japanese forces. De Becque survives the gunfire and is rescued. He returns home to find his children being looked after by Nellie. They reconcile and reunite.
Production
Following the successes of the film versions of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma! (1955), Carousel (1956), and Flower Drum Song (1957) the producers decided to adapt South Pacific for the big screen as their next project.
The film was produced by "South Pacific Enterprises", a company created specifically for the production, owned by Rodgers, Hammerstein, Logan, Magna Theatre Corporation (owners of the Todd-AO widescreen process the film would be photographed in), and Leland Hayward, producer of the original stage production. 20th Century Fox partially invested in the production in exchange for some distribution rights.
External links
- South Pacific (1958 film) at the American Film Institute Catalog
- Review South Pacific at the Internet Movie Database
- Pacific Review South Pacific (1958 film) at the Turner Classic Movie Database
- South Pacific (1958 film) at Rotten Tomatoes
- More information is available at [ Wikipedia:South_Pacific_(1958_film) ]
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