Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

The musical film version of South Pacific (1958) has a lot of history behind it. The film is based on a wildly popular Rodgers and Hammerstein stage musical of the same name that was released in 1949 and ran on Broadway for nearly 5 years.  And the musical was drawn from the James Michener best-selling book Tales of the South Pacific, written shortly after the end of World War II.

South Pacific is set in (where else?) the South Pacific during World War II.  A cluster of idyllic islands serves as an outpost for the US Navy, who will soon be undertaking a new offensive in the war. The islands are populated with the friendly Tokinese people, as well as American naval and marine personnel and some ex-patriots from elsewhere.  The mysterious and stunningly beautiful island of Bali Ha’i looms on the horizon.

Early in the film a group of American Sea Bees (Construction Battalion) men lament the fact that most of the women in the area are segregated away from the men. They soon break into song with ‘There is Nothing Like a Dame’, an amusing and lively number about the men wanting to meet some ‘dames’ right now.  Shortly thereafter Bloody Mary, a popular Tokinese fixture on the island who sells souvenirs to the Americans, serenades newly-arrived US Marine Lt. Joe Cable (John Kerr) with the enchanting song ‘Bali Ha’i’.

As the film progresses two love stories develop, and both are marred by racist attitudes. The most prominent one is when Navy Ensign Nellie Forbush (Mitzi Gaynor) starts falling in love with French ex-patriot Emile de Becque (Rossano Brazzi), who owns a large plantation on the island.  And then Lt. Cable falls for a Tokinese girl named Liat (France Nuyen).  The latter relationship is egged-on by Liat’s mother Bloody Mary.  In the background the US Navy is planning to recruit de Becque for a risky mission that will help evict the Japanese troops occupying nearby islands.

While Mitzi Gaynor sings her own songs on screen, many of the other characters do not. Their singing voices are actually dubbed from a professional singer. While this is generally OK, in a few cases, such as actor John Kerr, the singing voice does not match the actor’s voice, so you can tell it has been dubbed over.

Rossano Brazzi’s character de Becque sings (Giorgio Tozzi provides the actual singing voice) ‘Some Enchanted Evening’ to Ensign Forbush.  Not long afterwards Forbush realizes she is falling for de Becque, and sings the peppy number ‘I’m in Love with a Wonderful Guy’. Some other memorable songs are ‘Younger Than Springtime’, ‘I’m Gonna Wash that Man Right Outta My Hair’, and the pointed ‘You’ve Got to be Taught’, which addresses the issue of racism.  While about half the songs were enjoyable, quite a few seemed ‘blah’ to me, or had corny lyrics.

A character called Luther Billis (Ray Walston) adds some comedy to the film.  Walston’s character was often making mischief or running some kind of operation that the Navy brass disapproved of.  His role was quite prominent throughout the film and added a humorous touch when needed.

One thing that made the film less enjoyable was an odd color process that takes place at times.  The whole landscape turns reddish, yellowish, or blue, and the picture has a grainy quality. A few scenes also have a gauzy ‘halo’ around the characters, which doesn’t translate well to a TV screen at all.

I thought South Pacific was a good film to watch and I enjoyed it. The acting was good (especially Gaynor and Kerr), the setting beautiful, there’s an important underlying message, and some of the musical songs were fun to hear. But I wouldn’t rush out to see it again since overall the film version of South Pacific is just ‘average’. The scenes involving the military action seemed rushed, the characters who fall in love do so too quickly to be believable, and the color filter feature made it difficult to watch some scenes. So even though I recommend seeing South Pacific, I will only rate it as 3 stars.

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good Date Movie
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older