In 1888, Hawaii was a paradise teetering on the brink of civil unrest. The tide had turned against the long-incumbent royal family, under the malevolent influence of a rebel party with links to the American government. Within months, the Palace was overthrown, and the royals exiled. Among them was the beautiful Princess Kaiulani (Q'orianka Kilcher). Scarcely 13 years old, she was separated from her family and her homeland and for her own safety, sent to a climate and a country that couldn’t be more different from Hawaii - Victorian England. Coming to terms with her fate, Kaiulani underwent a harsh and testing education that equipped her with a sense of honor, duty and pride. What's more, she fell in love, with the spirited and rebellious young Englishman, Clive Davies. Emerging from her childhood, and inspired by her blossoming romance, Kaiulani realized she had to bring an end to the injustices suffered by her people and set to sail for America, to meet President Grover Cleveland, to prove that she and her people were not the “barbarians” portrayed by the American press (the proof how American government's attitude toward other countries which they see as barbarian was and is always the same, hm?).
Starring also Barry Pepper and Will Patton, "Princess Kaiulani" combines the profound natural beauty of Hawaii with the sweeping romance of a classic Merchant Ivory epic.
Kilcher was great in The New World, though it's hardly a stretch that she's playing yet another Princess who falls for an Englishman. That lucky girl got to canoodle with Colin Farrell AND Christian Bale, oh my! I might check it out on dvd, though I'm not very familiar with the male actors in this one.
ReplyDeleteHawaiian history is not something with which I am familiar. I'm interested if it has a good dose of action as well.
ReplyDeleteFlixy, the main male actor isn't really famous, so I am not familiar with him either.
ReplyDeleteAlex, there is some action when the riots begin.
Looks nice. :) Too bad it's not a mainstream movie. USA public should be reminded of their country's occupation and anex of Hawaii.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I'll see this though. It's not really my favorite type of history film. To much drama, and too little action. Not that there is any thing wrong with that.
I'll collect it, like I did with Agora and Young Victoria, but I probably won't see it (soon).
Well, that generally is the point of movies like these - to remind people of the dark parts of their history (and present, one may add).
ReplyDeleteDezmond, you know Q'orianka is among my favorite actresses! Looking forward to anything with her.
ReplyDeleteThe Hawaiian people shared our tragic and sorrowful past so I am looking forward to this movie.
Marko, I agree. The USA should teach their children American history including the forceful removal and genocide of ALL this nation's indigenous people which includes my ancestors.
Avalon, I've put this post mainly for you :) I knew you would appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteAnd the sad thing is, Avalon, that all those nasty things that happened to your people and many others suffering American aggression are not just a part of the past, but they keep repeating today as well, as you can see from the example of my country.
Thank you. I truly appreciate you bringing Native people's movies into your blog. Often Native films or films dealing with Native issues get overlooked or not enough publicity.
ReplyDeleteI know it is still happening and that is immoral. We humans talked about injustice, yet we are the very ones committing these crimes or not stopping others from doing so.
When, I saw the trailer, I thought you might like it so I put it here, and plus HOLLYWOOD SPY always likes to mention some serious issues in the posts, and this was a nice opportunity to raise some questions.
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