Crappy film

Better Late Then Never

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

I loved this movie!!!!! Charlton Heston (King) as the bigoted brother or Yvette Mimieux (Sloane)was superb. The story still has relevance. There is racism on both sides of the fence. Throw in a triangle of James Darren (Paul) brother to George Chakiris (Dean) and you have a very entertaining movie. Super hot chemistry between Chakiris and Mimieux. Some didn't like the cast. I don't have a problem with it, just as long as the acting is good. I even liked the supporting players like France Nyugen as the beautiful but doomed Mai Chen and Philip Ahn as the police inspector. But I have to say the script stank to high heaven. The dialogue was line after line of what I can only think the writer thought was catch phrases. Margaurite Roberts wrote a lot of old westerns. The dialogue would have been perfect for a campy old western but for a modern day setting it was only a distraction from what should have been a very important story line. For instance... "My brother knows you were born to the purple, but he doesn't know how much you like to wear it." and how can I forget... "Look, I hit you and I'm sorry. It's been hurting ever since."????? Did she really think this was cool, or that real people talk to each other this way. I love the movie, but the script? PLEASE!!!!! Maybe this movie could be redone. Anyway script problems and all I still love the movie.

So, you decide you want to make a film with a strong social statement about prejudice. You want to show the stupidity and hypocrisy of folks hating mixed-race people...and they then get folks like George Chakiris and James Darren to play these 'mixed' characters!! The actors were lovely men...but looked about as much like they were from mixed ancestry as Shirley Temple! In other words, despite a great story idea they cop out and pick the very white actors to play these characters!! What a mistake...and it clearly was a sign of the times in which it was made. Perhaps the producers had a hard time finding mixed actors suitable for the roles...but finding pretty teen heartthrobs seemed inappropriate given the serious plot. My assumption is that the writer probably felt a bit sick about this...but they almost never have any influence on who plays their characters. But I will excuse some of this--for its day it was rather broad-minded. Plus, Charlton Heston should be applauded for such a role, as he was one of the few white actors who stood along side the Freedom Marchers...so it's pretty obvious that this film meant something to him. After having recently completed BEN HUR and THE BIG COUNTRY he could have chosen any project and chose this. The film is a soapy affair in which a supposedly liberal-minded and very powerful Hawaiian man, 'King' Howland, is horrified when his sister (Yvette Mimieux) falls in love with a guy of mixed white and Hawaiian blood (James Darren). But he's also a complete hypocrite, as on the side he has an Asian woman (France Nuyen) of his own!! And, when she become pregnant he refuses to have anything to do with her or the child! Nice guy, huh?! What's next? See the film...or not.Overall, this is a decent film...though if you're looking for Heston in a better film about Hawaii, I prefer THE HAWAIIANS (a sequel to HAWAII). The story is interesting and engaging but loses a bit due to the casting and the soapy elements which deter from the film's believability. The worst is some of the dialog (particularly some of the drivel given to Mimieux to deliver). Not bad entertainment but that's really about it.

Overwought, overcooked film-version of Peter Gilman's book about a politician and land baron in Hawaii who is having an affair with a native girl, butting heads with his own sister over her affair with an island boy! Not-bad, though somewhat stilted island soaper is occasionally funny unintentionally. Despite a good cast (including Charlton Heston, Yvette Mimieux, and James Darren), the characters themselves aren't a very likable lot, and the plot-developments are eventually stagnated by a direction with little inspiration. There was potential here for a really strong melodrama, but it goes unrealized. Nice Hawaiian locales are a compensation, as well as a rousing score by Johnny Williams. **1/2 from ****

This movie was a good one for showing another view point in racism with a wealthy young white heiress who lives in Hawaii getting engaged with a native of the island that she grew up with. Her brother who always thought he was unbiased until it came to his little sister's beau has a big problem with it. Although, all along you get the feeling that she's only fond of him, after his death she goes on a binge. Not because she's sad, but because she's not sad. She states to his brother, Dean, (who she carries a torch for, and he also has wanted her for years) that his brother must of loved her but all she felt was a blank, she doesn't know how to love. She makes him leave her alone, but not long after she collapses from drinking an calls out for him. He comes to get her and takes her to his home where they come to terms with there feelings toward each other. Just when another wedding is being planned they fight and don't see each other for months. Until the birth of her brother's baby (that he doesn't want) when Dean realizes he can't go with out her anymore and comes for her. She apparently comes to realize she could love all along it just had to be the right man and agrees with a kiss. Then her brother, King sees and throws a fit, telling Dean to take her and riding his horse into the ground. At this point he seems to wake up. And endears himself by going to get his son.There is mention about a incestuous undertone between Sloane and King. There wasn't any sexual tension between them, just plain tension. King had go use to her always being is baby sister, his pet. He didn't have anyone else in his life, didn't want anyone else, he just had her. Racism was a big part of his actions, selfishness at the forefront. The scene where Sloane is dreaming about skinny dipping (reference to an earlier remark made by Dean about the time she jumped into the water buck naked and urged him to join her, but he didn't) and motioning to Dean to join her and then Dean turns into Paul, who runs in and kisses her. When he pulls away he is still Paul and she's smiling, but when she opens her eyes he has turned into King and she jerks away in misery and desperation and starts going under the water as if she is drowning. I don't believe this was suppose to be in response to some incestuous feelings that may have existed between the two siblings. It was to point out that King pushed himself into every part of her life. He set out to live up to his name and dominate and rule every part of his life and Sloane couldn't escape him even in her sleep, he had become her nightmare, never giving her peace. She had feelings of at least a young crush on Dean at an early age and he wanted her as well, but, from comments he makes later, he knew that deep down King was a racist and would not take to the idea of him becoming involved with his sister and it could only cause trouble with the still too young Sloane. She grows up, get's with Paul when they are returning from college. She never loved Paul, though. Was just attracted to him and the idea of marrying him. King objects to her marrying an island boy. He became violent about is objections, Paul is accidentally killed and Sloane is upset because she's not upset. King pushed in between her and Paul and on some level it locked in her mind. King pushes himself into everything in her life, even a dream. She can't escape him.I find Dean enthralling and loved the actor's performance. I don't think his upset was because he knew his brother would get trouble from the racial aspect, it was because he had feeling for Sloane. I'm sure he was worried for his brother, sure. But in a part of his mind he had marked Sloane for himself, even though he made up his mind to never have her. It just hit home when he found out about Paul and Sloane. You don't get a time stamp on these events, you just know it's been years. He cared about her regardless and when they were thrown together he only put up a slight hesitation before giving in to his feelings. Then of course they both had to be stubborn and fight, not talking for months until they were forced into proximity. Which was good in my opinion. Gave Sloane the time to work some stuff out in her mind (Dean said there was a war going on in her head and she had to decide who win's) and grow up. He realized that what he felt for her was too strong to ignore and he went to get her. I loved his arrogance, though it may not have been arrogance, maybe he just knew that she would be ready to take his hand if he held it out. He went to get her and it seemed almost a formality to go through the motions of apologizing and declaring his intentions out loud. He even told her "You know why I'm here". All he had to do was show up and he did. She wouldn't make the first step so he did. He knew all along it would be that way and she seemed to be waiting. Waiting on herself, mostly. She had to be ready. When he took her in his arms and held her tight she seemed happy for perhaps the first time in her life. Like coming home.