A Disappointing Continuation

I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

Old Hollywood musical that mildly tackles racism. No-one seems to be in control so the message is mostly lost. Too stagey- just look at the last scene! Highlights are the musical numbers and the setting. Otherwise, forgettable. Not one character really gains our sympathy. Bloody Mary's match-making of her pubescent daughter is hard to accept. Emile has killed a man for obscure reasons. Cable and Nellie's redemption from their racist attitudes is hardly convincing. And wouldn't it have made more sense for Emile to sing "You've Got To Be Carefully Taught"? He is the person who has been most affected by racism. Cable's change of heart happened without any exposition at all. I realise it's a musical! I watched the Roadshow version (14 mins extra with intermission also)

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.

This film almost works until it introduces the sub-plot which is so blatantly racist I simply walked out. When I researched the film and learned its debut on Broadway was in 1949, I could understand how the producers could get away with a storyline as embarrassing and silly as this one is. Ten years later on the big screen the story did not improve a bit and in fact seemed even worse than it should have been. Perhaps I am being too politically correct but there are boundaries you know and you simply do not insult an entire culture by giving the impression their pretty daughters are for sale. Geez! There are some great things about the film - the color for one, Mitzi Gaynor for another and Ray Walston who practically walks away with it - but the sub-plot which is introduced somewhat late in the film is so awful that I just cannot recommend this film to anyone.

Rodgers and Hammersetein created a masterpiece on Broadway in South Pacific. After WW2 these two cerebral men got into the hearts and minds of the returning veterans of the Pacific War and created magic. Mary Martin immortalized the role of Nellie on Broadway but Ms. Martin a super star on Broadway never made the transition to films, a point that even mystified the Queen of Hollywood Bette Davis.Josh Logan who brilliantly directed the film versions of Picnic at Columbia with Kim Novak and Bill Holden and in the process created one of the more erotic moments on film in the dance sequence between Holden and Novak and Bus Stop at 20th with a celebrated performance by Marilym Monroe that should have resulted in an Oscar nomination for MM, was assigned the job of bringing South Pacific to the screen.Beautiful movie, literally with great scenery of the South Pacific and a wonderful performance by Mitzi Gaynor who like Ms. Martin never made it as a great movie star, a point that baffles this reviewer. Mitzi had it all: Sexy great looks and could sing, dance and act but the mysterious factor of what makes a star is never truly understood. Susan Hayward a box office powerhouse and a star at 20th wanted to play Nellie but refused to test for the role. Susan Hayward would have brought her intense and unforgettable presence to this movie. Doris Day was also mentioned for the role.I never like to see great films of the past remade but South Pacific should be remade. In the meantime, enjoy this film for the Songs alone. Some Enchanted Evening