South Pacific (1958)

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Movie
German title South Pacific
Original title South Pacific
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1958
length 171 minutes
Rod
Director Joshua Logan
script Paul Osborn
production Buddy eagle
music Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein
camera Leon Shamroy
cut Robert L. Simpson
occupation

South Pacific , also known as South Pacific , is an American musical film by Joshua Logan from the year 1958 . It is the film adaptation of the Broadway musical South Pacific by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II . Although a classic in the US, the film is virtually unknown in Europe and could only make a profit at US box offices.

action

On an island in the southern Pacific , the nurse Nellie Forbush - in the rank of lieutenant - falls in love with the French plantation owner Emile de Becque, who is already old, during the Second World War . Meanwhile, the restless seafarers, led by the bustling Luther Billis, lament the absence of women and fighting that would free them from the oppressive boredom. Lieutenant Joe Cable of the US Marine Corps arrives on the island to take part in a dangerous espionage operation that could turn the fight against the Japanese. Billis convinces Lieutenant Cable to take him to the mysterious island of Bali Ha'i because only he can commandeer boats as an officer. There, "Bloody Mary", a native souvenir dealer, introduces Cable to her daughter Liat with the intention of a matchmaker and they both fall in love.

However, both couples get into trouble because of ethnic bias. Nellie first agrees to marry Emile. However, when she learns that he was married to a Polynesian woman and has two mixed race children, Nellie again distanced herself because of her racist prejudices. At the same time, Cable refuses to marry Liat - also because of her race, since it is unthinkable for an American officer to marry a local. Although Nellie and Cable are aware of the bigotry of their attitudes and are ashamed of them, they feel they have no other choice because of social pressures.

Dejected and with the feeling that there is nothing left to lose, Emile accompanies Cable on his dangerous mission, which is successful as far as they can transmit messages about hostile actions to the base. Cable is killed during the mission, which Emile reports over the radio, then the contact breaks off and he is also considered dead. Operation Alligator starts and the seamen who used to sit idle, including their spokesman Luther Billis, are sent into battle. Nellie - believing that Emile is dead - overcomes her racial dislikes and takes care of the children. Then Emile surprisingly returns alive and so Nellie, Emile and the children become a happy family.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack to the film, released in 1958, stayed at the top of the US Billboard 200 for several weeks and was a commercial success. The order of the pieces does not correspond to that of the film. The music for the film was released on LP , CD and as a download .

  1. "South Pacific Overture" (3:03)
  2. "Dites-moi" (1:19)
  3. "A Cockeyed Optimist" (1:45)
  4. "Twin Soliloquies / Some Enchanted Evening" (5:53)
  5. "Bloody Mary" (1:57)
  6. "My Girl Back Home" (1:42)
  7. "There Is Nothin 'Like a Dame" (3:50)
  8. "Bali Ha'i" (3:41)
  9. "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair" (2:56)
  10. "I'm in Love with a Wonderful Guy" (3:23)
  11. "Younger Than Springtime" (4:59)
  12. "Happy Talk" (3:46)
  13. "Honey Bun" (1:48)
  14. "You've Got to Be Carefully Taught" (1:15)
  15. "This Nearly Was Mine" (2:12)
  16. "Finale" (2:58)

Awards

The film was a huge box office hit, grossing over $ 36 million. The enormous popularity of the musical also contributed to this.

Academy Awards 1959

Won:

Nominated:

  • Camera (color film)
  • Music (Scoring of a Musical Picture)
Golden Globe Awards 1959
  • Best Film - Musical (Nomination)
  • Best Actress - Musical / Comedy (Mitzi Gaynor) (Nomination)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. http://www.ibdb.com/production.asp?ID=1831
  2. ^ Billboard_200
  3. http://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/ampas_awards/DisplayMain.jsp?curTime=1443479180897  ( page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / awardsdatabase.oscars.org