South Pacific [1958] | ![South Pacific [1958]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51WECGZ3C3L._SL500_.jpg)
| Director: Joshua Logan
Actors: Rossano Brazzi, Mitzi Gaynor, John Kerr, Ray Walston, Juanita Hall
Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Category: Video
New (9) Used (21) Collectible (6) from £0.01
Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 444
Format: Digital Sound, Hifi Sound, Pal
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: Universal, suitable for all
Media: VHS Tape
Discs: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 143 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.3 x 4.2 x 1.1
EAN: 5013738704558
ASIN: B00004CK1V
Theatrical Release Date: March 19, 1958
Release Date: March 13, 2000
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Amazon.co.uk Review
The dazzling Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, brought to lush life by the director of the original stage version, Joshua Logan. Set on a remote island during the Second World War, South Pacific tracks two parallel romances: one between a Navy nurse (Mitzi Gaynor) "as corny as Kansas in August" and a wealthy French plantation owner (Rossano Brazzi), the other between a young American officer (John Kerr) and a native girl (France Nuyen). The theme of interracial love was still daring in 1958, and so was director Logan's decision to overlay emotional moments with tinted filters--a technique that misfires as often as it hits. The comic relief tends to fall flat and an overly spunky Mitzi Gaynor is a poor substitute for the stage original's Mary Martin. But the location scenery on the Hawaiian island of Kauai is gorgeous and the songs are among the finest in the American musical catalogue: "Some Enchanted Evening", "Younger than Springtime", "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair", "This Nearly Was Mine". That's Juanita Hall as the sly native trader Bloody Mary, singing the haunting tune that launched a thousand tiki bars, "Bali H'ai". The movie is based on stories from James Michener's book Tales from the South Pacific. --Robert Horton, Amazon.com
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| Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
 Excellent film, could do without a break in the middle October 21, 2005
3 out of 6 found this review helpful
If I'm commenting on the film I would have to say it's wonderful. I've always loved it, probably because of the music, scenery and it's a perfect way to spend a couple of hours.
If I'm commenting on the product, it was so annoying to have an intermission in the middle. What's the thinking behind that? It may not bother most people but it really irritated me. If I'd wanted a break I would pause it when I wanted. I sold my DVD and will probably buy a video. That's the only reason for the low score.
 This could have been better! July 21, 2005
Tank Girl (Bristol, England)
2 out of 8 found this review helpful
This was a surprising attempt to high-light racial issues, but it is just a pity the ending was such a cop-out. I found the love story between Lt Joe Cable and Liat to be more interesting than the main storyline between the Frenchman and Nellie. 'Spoiler coming': When Joe Cable died at the end I thought that the film was cowardly back-tracking on its sympathy for mixed-race relationships. Perhaps the audience of that time were not prepared for a mainstream family film that endorsed an inter-racial marriage, therefore Cable had to die. I did not like this tragic ending! I thought it would have been more fitting for the Frenchman to have died, seeing as he was older and had lived his life; Nellie could have raised his children, thereby making amends for her conditioned racism, and Joe Cable and Liat could have married and led the way forward for a less bigoted society. Other than that, it was pleasant enough, but a good rather than great film.
 One of the all time classics March 6, 2005
dragondrums (Ingleby Barwick, United Kingdom)
8 out of 10 found this review helpful
This Rodgers and Hammerstein musical is one of the all time greats. Set on a South Pacific island during the war, it deals with what were contentious issues at the time, mainly inter-racial relationships and racial prejudice.
Mitzi Gaynor stars as a nurse who falls in love with a local French plantation owner (Rossano Brazzi). She has to confront her own prejudices when she finds he has two Polynesian children from a previous relationship. A parallel story features a young, white pilot who falls in love with a native girl but doesn't feel able to take her back to his Philadelphia home.
The film is peppered with toe-tapping songs such as 'There aint nothing like a dame', 'Bali H'ai', 'Younger than springtime' and many, many more. The cast all play their parts very well but particularly good is Juanita Halls 'Bloody Mary', the local 'entrepreneur'. One downside of this film is the director's choice to use colour filters, which at times gives a very strange look to the movie, but once you get used to this it is barely noticeable and certainly it doesn't detract from what is an excellent production.
It Is That Good! June 27, 2004
E. A. Redfearn (Middlesbrough)
15 out of 19 found this review helpful
Er yes, this popular musical finally makes it onto DVD and about time too. Very popular during the late 1950s, it enhanced audiences all over the world; it remains one of the most successful ever made. Now about this DVD. Er yes, it is that good! Picture and sound, bearing in mind the movie's age, is very good indeed. The color filters used in some scenes look very smudgy on Video, but not on DVD. Moreover, it also has an Overture and and Intermission if you fancy a cuppa half way through. Extras are minimul which is a shame. There is no trailer which would have been nice. Still, dont let that put you off buying this classic. You will find yourself singing along with it, after all There Is Nothing Quite Like a Good Musical!!
"There Is Nothing Like....................." March 15, 2004
P. A. Rushforth (Yorkshire, England)
12 out of 13 found this review helpful
Well, you could quite sincerely add -- ".... a Rodgers and Hammerstein film", but in their film "South Pacific" the title of one of their songs, as you may remember, is "There Is Nothing Like A Dame". And it is just one of the memorable songs from this enjoyable film.
Made in 1958, there is plenty of romance but although the action takes place on a South Sea Island during World War II we see little of the war.
The film received the Academy Award for Best Sound and was a nominee for the score and was also nominated in the Colour Cinematography class.
Heading the cast are Mitzi Gaynor, Rossano Brazzi, John Kerr and Ray Walston. Mitzi playing a young Navy nurse and Rossano, playing an older French plantation owner provide the main love interest.
Other notable songs in this musical are "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Out Of My Hair", "Some Enchanted Evening" and "I'm In Love With A Wonderful Guy".
Turn the lights down, make yourself comfortable, switch on the film for 'there is nothing like' a good musical to help you relax and forget your problems for two and a half hours.
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