what a horrible movie


this ran at a retirement home the other day. only watched the first 45 minutes and it was awful. thank goodness musicals are passe.

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This film is the big screen adaption of the greatest musical in the history of the Brodway stage. Unlike almost all film adapations, all of the original musical numbers were kept in. I have been a fan of R&H shows since I was 11 years old. I always dreamed of seeing them on the live stage being I grew up in New York. After 45 years,my dream came true in May 2008 when I saw the Broadway revival and when the lights when down and the overture started , It gave me a chill right up my spine. It was the best show I ever saw. Since seeing it live, I think this film is fine . The only thing I wish they did not do was the color filters. But it's the same wonderfull R&H music and story and I am so happy a print was found in good condition and it was converted to digital so we will be able to enjoy it for ever.

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Musicals aren't to everyone's taste and musical fans are definitely a niche market.

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f116/PhantomPhans/SisterMandarinOcto pus-1.jpg

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I liked this movie. I agree about the colour filtering being distracting, that it was overlong and I found Rossano Brazzi wooden, but his dubbed singer was marvellous. However Mitsi Gaynor was wonderful in my opinion especially in the musical numbers, I liked the choreography, the scenery was stunning and the score was outstanding. I imagine the reason why they didn't allow Brazzi to sing was because they wanted someone with a similar voice to Ezio Pinza, who would have been ideal as Emile had he not died in 1956. Anyway, South Pacific while my least favourite of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals(on big screen that is) is well worth watching. 7/10




"Life after death is as improbable as sex after marriage"- Madeleine Kahn(CLUE, 1985)

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Musicals aren't to everyone's taste and musical fans are definitely a niche market.

From the 1930s through the ’70s, every major film studio made musicals and they were popular with all kinds of audiences. It’s only in recent years that the popularity of musicals has dwindled, particularly among younger people.




All the universe . . . or nothingness. Which shall it be, Passworthy? Which shall it be?

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I think that you are passe.

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One does not watch SP for the story, but for the glorious music. And the score still brings a lump to my throat, even after many years and countless hearings. But I always found the story rather trite and a bit boring, plus full of racial stereotypes. Also the whole reason for Nellie's initial rejection of Emile, after falling for him, so laughably inconsequential that it was a feeble excuse to add some dramatic tension to the story. I also thought all that color filter stuff rather silly.

I abhor any film version that does not follow the original stage version faithfully and cutting out or replacing songs is sacriligious. That might make the film seem "stagey", but that's fine with me, musicals are an "artficial" art form anyway. Although in the case of SP it wasn't truncated too much, but cutting down "Gonna Wash ...." was disgraceful, it being one of the wittiest songs in the show. The best thing for me about the film was the addition of the song "My Girl Back Home", such a pretty song and I don't understand why it was cut from the stage version. That's one thing I enjoy about present day revivals of those classic musicals, they put the cut songs back in.

I for one find it sad that our present day culture has little room for musicals, although due to the High School Musical phenomenon it seems to be coming back in fashion.

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A good but not terrific version. It was spoiled by the casting and the constant use of color films which mars the beauty of Kauai. Ms. Gaynors' acting could have been better but Bloody Mary, John Kerr, and Rosanno Brazzi were good. The musical numbers were done well and the photography (except for those color filters) was great. My sister hates this film, too but I disagree. Maybe Nellie should have been played by Shirley Jones or Doris Day.

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The only trouble is, however, that (Although I've admittedly never seen South Pacific, either on stage or on screen.) is that many musical revivals today are somewhat of a shell of their original selves, because the producers are all too eager to make them more "hip" and up to date for today's younger generations. Why the originals can't be introduced to today's generations is beyond me.

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While I don't consider this to be a horrible movie, it has at least two glaring flaws. First, the one that everybody talks about -- the color filters. They do nothing but distract from the plot. Second -- the acting. And for that I blame Josh Logan. What was he thinking??? Everyone in the film goes around like they're strung out on prozac or something. There is very little or no energy, and South Pacific is a vibrant, high energy story. It just seems like the cast was purposely kept back from giving everything they had. And we are talking about people who in other films showed that they were quite capable of the energy and vitality necessary. With that said, it's the score that keeps the film from sinking to the depths of "horribleness". You can't go wrong with the likes of "A Wonderful Guy", "Some Enchanted Evening", "Younger Than Springtime", etc.

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I love musicals but this was a struggle to watch in spite of the good songs, it was the odd plot angles:

Racism: It was so overt it was disturbing. I don't know what was worse, Nellie not wanting to be with a Emile because he had been with a Tahitian woman or Mary wanting to marry her daughter up to a white man.

Joe's Death: How random and abrupt was that? No final words, nothing. Let's just sweep that part of the story under the carpet.

Luther: The make-up scene was on screen a little too much.

strange...

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South Pacific is a lovely film with beautful music and scenery and a meaningful message about racism,in case you didn't notice, in addition. We need more films like this one. What do we have NOW? Crap such as "theDeparted",with bloody violence and a thousand "F" words per hour. WHat has happened to the human race when a movie such as South Pacific is called "a horrible movie" ?

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Very well said friend.

Jeanne, Gloria, Toby, Mitzi, Eleanor, Frances, Deborah - are adorable - I love them all.

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