This article is about the 1958 film . For the stage musical, see South Pacific (musical). For other other uses see South Pacific.
| South Pacific | |
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 DVD for 1958 film |
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| Directed by | Joshua Logan |
| Produced by | Buddy Adler |
| Written by | Oscar Hammerstein II Joshua Logan James Michener Paul Osborn |
| Starring | Rossano Brazzi Mitzi Gaynor John Kerr France Nuyen |
| Music by | Richard Rodgers |
| Cinematography | Leon Shamroy |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox Magna Corporation |
| Release date(s) | March 19, 1958 |
| Running time | 171 min. (roadshow version) 151 min. (general release version) |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
South Pacific is a 1958 film adaptation of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific which was based on James A. Michener's Tales of the South Pacific. The film starred Rossano Brazzi and Mitzi Gaynor in the leading roles, with Juanita Hall in the part of Bloody Mary that she had played in the original stage production. Ironically, Hall, who not only sang in the stage production but also took part in the recording of the cast album, had her singing dubbed for the film version, by Muriel Smith. Metropolitan Opera star Giorgio Tozzi provided the singing voice for the role of Emile de Becque. Ray Walston starred as Billis, and his singing in the There Is Nothin' Like a Dame number was dubbed. John Kerr starred as Lt. Cable, and his voice was dubbed by Bill Lee. Ken Clark, who played Stewpot, was dubbed by Thurl Ravenscroft.
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Production history
Kauai, one of the Hawaiian Islands, served as the filming location for the movie (with special effects providing distant views of the fantastic island Bali Hai). Shots of the tropical island Tioman Island off Malaysia's south east coast are featured. Location filming provided sweeping shots of tropical island scenes, as well as a memorable sequence in which Billis, having parachuted from a damaged plane, has a boat dropped on him, then comes under a series of attacks, following his fatalistic "Oh, it's going to be one of those days, huh?" The film is known for the use of colored filters during many of the song sequences, which has been a source of criticism for the film. Director Joshua Logan wanted it to be a subtle change, but 20th Century Fox, the company that would distribute the 35mm version, made it an extreme change, and since tickets to the film were pre-sold (it was a roadshow attraction), they had no time to correct it. Criticism of the filtering did not prevent the film from topping the box office that year, and the 65mm Todd-AO cinematography (by Leon Shamroy) was nominated for an Academy Award, as was the music adaptation and the sound, winning the latter. All of the songs were retained, and a song entitled "My Girl Back Home," sung by Lt. Cable and Nellie, which was cut from the Broadway show, was added. The soundtrack album has spent more weeks at Number 1 in the UK album chart than any other album, spending 115 weeks at the top in the late 50s and early 60s. It spent 70 consecutive weeks at the top of the chart and was Number 1 for the whole of 1959. Originally shown in a nearly 3-hour roadshow version and later cut to two-and-a-half hours for general release, the 3-hour version, long feared lost, was rediscovered in a 70mm print owned by a collector. This print was screened in Bradford, England at the National Museum of Photography, Film, and Television on March 14, 2005. [1]. When Fox (which by that time owned partial rights to the film, including home video) learned of the print's existence, they brought it to the United States to reinstate the 14 missing minutes and attempt to restore as much of the color as possible. [2] A 2-disc DVD set of both the longer and shorter versions was released in Region 1 on November 7, 2006. Today, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (through their acquisition of the Samuel Goldwyn Company) owns the domestic theatrical and television rights, while Fox handles home video and all other underlying rights. "Some Enchanted Evening" was ranked #28 on the American Film Institute's (AFI's) "100 YEARS...100 SONGS" (2004).
Song list
Note: The film opens with a three-minute, thirty-second musical overture
- "Bloody Mary"
- "Nothing Like a Dame"
- "Bali Ha'i"
- "A Cockeyed Optimist"
- "Twin Soliloquies"
- "Some Enchanted Evening"
- "Dites-Moi"
- "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair"
- "Wonderful Guy"
- "Younger Than Springtime"
- "Happy Talk"
- "(I'm in Love With) A Wonderful Guy"
- "Honey Bun"
- "You've Got to Be Carefully Taught"
- "My Girl Back Home"
- "This Nearly Was Mine"
Awards and nominations
- Best Cinematography (nominated)
- Best Sound (won)
- Best Score (nominated)
- Best Motion Picture - Musical (nominated)
- Best Motion Picture Actress - Comedy/Musical (Mitzi Gaynor)(nominated)
External links
- South Pacific at the Internet Movie Database
- South Pacific on Turner Classic Movies site
- R&H Theatricals
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