Hawaii (1966) on Netflix
NR19663h 9mAdventureDramaHistoryRomance
Newly ordained Abner Hale must marry before he can sail as a missionary to the Hawaiian Islands. Jerusha Bromley, whose whaler captain Rafer Hoxworth is away at sea, agrees to wed him.
- Netflix3.4/5
- IMDb6.5/104,249 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes70%
Trailer
Plot summary
In 1819, Prince Keoki Kanakoa asks Yale Divinity School for Christian teachers for the Hawaiian Islands. Abner Hale, newly ordained, may join the mission only if he takes a wife, so he courts Jerusha Bromley, who believes the whaling captain Rafer Hoxworth, away at sea, has forgotten her. The couple sail with Keoki and other missionaries to Lahaina on Maui, where the islanders' customs shock them. Malama Kanakoa rules there; her husband Kelolo is also her brother, a match kept to preserve the royal bloodline, and Keoki, who wants to become a minister, is expected to wed his sister Noelani. The Hales settle in a grass hut and begin building a church.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Hawaii (1966)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Heavy rain and tidal wave alerts during Oahu filming ballooned Hawaii's budget past $10 million; producer Walter Mirisch sacked director George Roy Hill and meant to hire Arthur Hiller, but Polynesian extras refused to work with any other director, so Hill was rehired.
- Tahitian Jocelyne LaGarde had never acted and could not speak English when she was cast as the island ruler Malama in Hawaii; her screen test showed a powerful presence, so the producers hired a coach to train her phonetically for the dialogue.
- Even though Hawaii was filmed on location in Hawaii, a significant portion of the props used in the film were imported from Mexico, Taiwan, Ireland, Hong Kong, Japan, and the Philippines.
- Bette Midler had her first on-screen movie appearance as an extra in Hawaii, visible behind a woman covered in a white shawl during Abner's sermon.
