Hurricane (1979 film)
Encyclopedia
1979 in film
The year 1979 in film involved some significant events.- Major events :* March 5 - Production begins on Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.* May 25 - Alien, a landmark of the science fiction genre, is released....
romance
Romance film
Romance films are love stories that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate involvement of the main characters and the journey that their love takes through courtship or marriage. Romance films make the love story or the search for love the main plot focus...
, epic-adventure film featuring an all-star cast and impressive special effects, produced by: Dino De Laurentiis
Dino De Laurentiis
Agostino "Dino" De Laurentiis was an Italian film producer.-Early life:He was born at Torre Annunziata in the province of Naples, and grew up selling spaghetti produced by his father...
and Lorenzo Semple Jr, and directed by Jan Troell. It is loosely based on the 1937 film of the same name
The Hurricane (1937 film)
The Hurricane is a 1937 film set in the South Seas, directed by John Ford and produced by Samuel Goldwyn, about a Polynesian who is unjustly imprisoned. The climax features a special effects hurricane. It stars Dorothy Lamour and Jon Hall, with Mary Astor, C. Aubrey Smith, Thomas Mitchell, Raymond...
.
Plot
Set in the 1920s in Pago Pago, Eastern SamoaSamoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
, Charlotte, an American painter, arrives from Boston on the island of Alaya, to visit her father, U. S. Navy Captain Bruckner who she hasn't seen in quite some time. Bruckner is the U.S. Congress-sanctioned Governor of the island, and he rules it with a stern, patrician, and thoroughly patronizing attitude towards the natives. Charlotte is somewhat taken aback by her father's rigid adherence to the law, particularly when she tries to intervene on behalf of Bruckner's charge/houseboy Matangi who has involved Charlotte in a scheme to get Bruckner to toss out a harsh penalty issued to a native man who stole a boat "for love." Bruckner refuses, pish-poshing all this talk of love over the law, and severely reprimands Matangi - much to Charlotte's dismay.
Soon, however, Bruckner comes to regret that intractability, because Matangi is soon anointed the High Chief of his island, Alava. Matangi isn't as willing to whole-heartedly accept the edicts of the U.S. forces, particularly if they go against the well-being of his own people. His stubbornness quietly enrages Bruckner. After a public showdown between Matangi and Bruckner at Matangi's coronation and after a suggestive dance by Matangi and his intended, Siva. Charlotte wants to stay for a month on the island, chaperoned, no doubt, by Dr. Danielsson and Father Malone, missionaries who both reside on Alava. Despite Captain Bruckner’s jealousy over his daughter’s attraction to Matangi, he agrees to the stay and sails off for a month. Bruckner’s absence is just what the doctor ordered for Matangi and Charlotte, who quickly become lovers. When this is discovered by her father, he has Matangi arrested on a trumped up charge. He escapes, with Charlotte's help.
However the lovers' fate soon rests with Nature, not Captain Bruckner Just as tensions are beginning to boil, disaster strikes in the form of a giant hurricane, bringing inevitable destruction and death with it. When the winds die down, how many lives will be shaken up?
Production
The film is based on a 1937 film of the same name, directed by John FordJohn Ford
John Ford was an American film director. He was famous for both his westerns such as Stagecoach, The Searchers, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and adaptations of such classic 20th-century American novels as The Grapes of Wrath...
. Filming was entirely on location on the remote South Seas island of Bora Bora, Sven Nykvist
Sven Nykvist
Sven Vilhem Nykvist was a Swedish cinematographer. He worked on over 120 films, but is known especially for his work with director Ingmar Bergman...
's brilliant cinematography showcases both the beautiful island splendor and the catastrophic destruction of Hurricane.
Roman Polanski was originally hired to direct by producer Dino de Laurentiis
Dino De Laurentiis
Agostino "Dino" De Laurentiis was an Italian film producer.-Early life:He was born at Torre Annunziata in the province of Naples, and grew up selling spaghetti produced by his father...
, not long after Polanski's infamous arrest in 1977. While his case worked its way through the courts over many months, Polanski developed the script with writer Lorenzo Semple, Jr. and supervised pre-production, including the selection of Bora Bora
Bora Bora
The commune of Bora-Bora is made up of the island of Bora Bora proper with its surrounding islets emerging from the coral reef, 29.3 km² in total, and of the atoll of Tupai , located north of Bora Bora...
as a location and the construction of sets there. When Polanski was sent to prison for a brief period and his future became uncertain, De Laurentiis had to replace him with Jan Troell, as the film was ready and waiting to shoot.
This film was aired on TV as Forbidden Paradise
Cast
- Mia FarrowMia FarrowMia Farrow is an American actress, singer, humanitarian, and fashion model.Farrow first gained wide acclaim for her role as Allison Mackenzie in the soap opera Peyton Place, and for her subsequent short-lived marriage to Frank Sinatra...
- Charlotte Bruckner - Jason RobardsJason RobardsJason Nelson Robards, Jr. was an American actor on stage, and in film and television, and a winner of the Tony Award , two Academy Awards and the Emmy Award...
- Captain Bruckner - Dayton Ka'ne – Matangi
- Max von SydowMax von SydowMax von Sydow is a Swedish actor. He has also held French citizenship since 2002. He has starred in many films and had supporting roles in dozens more...
- Dr. Danielson - Trevor HowardTrevor HowardTrevor Howard , born Trevor Wallace Howard-Smith, was an English film, stage and television actor.-Early life:...
- Father Malone - Bernadette Sarcione - Siva
- Timothy BottomsTimothy Bottoms-Early life:Bottoms was born in Santa Barbara, California, the eldest son of Betty and James "Bud" Bottoms, who is a sculptor and art teacher. He is the brother of actors Joseph Bottoms , Sam Bottoms and Ben Bottoms . In 1967, Bottoms toured Europe as part of the Santa Barbara Madrigal...
- Jack Sanford - James KeachJames KeachJames Keach is an American actor, producer, and director. He is the younger brother of actor Stacy Keach, Jr., and son of actor Stacy Keach, Sr.-Background:...
- Sgt. Strang