Last night was the world premier of the movie “Barbarian Princess”–the final, much-debated title of a feature-length film about Princess Ka’iulani (kah-EE-OO-lah-nee, “Gift from Heaven). Director/writer Marc Forby was there but his wife Leilani, a Hawaiian, was unable to attend the Honolulu event.
The theater was sold out and a second showing, also sold out, has been added Sunday, Oct. 25, midday. Tickets will be sold thru Hawaii Theatre. http://www.hiff.org/ It was definitely Hawaii’s acting community’s chance to shine, and not only did almost all of the local actors attend, Q’orianka Kilcher, 19-year-old star of the show, attend dressed to the nines and arriving in a stretch limo.
Hubby and I hooked up with some of the other actresses we knew from the shoot and looked for others, but it’s amazing how different everyone looks a year and a half later, with hair down and without corsets under long gowns!
Movie review: I liked it, but not in the usual way I like movies I see. I liked the visual symbolism; I loved being able to identify where each shot was taken; and, surprisingly, I adored seeing the scenes we’d been in. Will Patton and Barry Pepper did an outstanding job. Barry in particular created a very interesting role; a humorous villain whom we could still sympathize with. He felt that he should grab an opportunity. Heck, movies are made vaunting this attitude all the time! Others, such as the patient, benevolent, supportive Senator Dole, disagreed. Q’orianka Kilcher had quite a job portraying a giggling love-struck girl, a girl/woman struggling to order her personal and princessly priorities, and the last hope of a sovereign nation being overtaken.
Many of the actors had never acted in anything before. I spoke with several of them on set. As I wrote in my first post about it, http://savvybeliever.wordpress.com/2008/03/, the aloha on set was amazing. It was really a huge effort to come together to make this film which we all understood was and is a monumental educational tool.
After the film, Marc took the stage with the producers and Q’orianka, who called up the actors who played the Queen, the King, the crown prince, and others. Each spoke. Then the floor was opened for questions.
Several interesting statements were made. One was that the point of the title was that, when seen along with the dignified photo of the Princess in a beautiful Victorian dress, the idea would come across that she was anything but a Barbarian (a point that was actually made very specifically in the film). Another was that a movie is an emotional journey and that the last half of the film, wherein the Princess has to come to grips with her nation being overtaken, is what sticks in peoples’ minds when they leave the theatre; not the romance with Clive.
I noticed that the audience became an Applause-o-meter; rather accurate, in my opinion. Various statements were made and, while many of the statements represent hotly-held opinions, the audience was extremely polite. No booing, no protestors, no calling out, no rotten tomatoes (thank God!). Instead, no applause, or mild applause, or enthusiastic applause greeted various sentiments. Judging by this, more people think that a little faith in the intelligence of the public will carry the day on the title; and with Marc claiming that there is evidence that the Princess was romantically interested in several young men during her time in England, the love interest with Clive is plausible. (My own opinion is that, being ali’i–royalty–AND it being the Victorian era, she should never have had physical contact with him, and if she had kissed anyone romantically she would have been considered a prostitute. I don’t know why all filmmakers have to assume that no one can contain their romantic urges; it is entirely possible to be chaste and still be human.)
Personally, I plan to buy the DVD, which I happen to know will have extra features, because I saw some of the interviews being conducted. I have also been looking for films with a gentle theme and beautiful scenery that I can play while I do housework. The music is great, especially the Hawaiian singing/chant near the end. It also makes for a very rich viewing experience to personally know the actors and actresses on the screen. I also want to fully appreciate the costumes, hair, locations, and the horses! And along the way, I’ll learn more about Hawaiian culture: the language, events, and people–which is, after all, the whole purpose of the movie, according to Marc.
For me, personally, I give the movie 8 stars out of 10.
See the Honolulu Advertiser’s review of the premier at honoluluadvertiser.com , back issues for Oct. 17., 2009; Local News, headline
Ka’iulani film met with applause, disappointment.
An excellent job of balancing the protesters, moviemakers, and feedback. I looked closely at the photo of the Hawaiians who observed the day, the Princess’ birthday, by going to the vault where she is buried. I’ve never talked with those folks. Would they wish that many more of us joined them in that observance? I and many others are open to that idea, but I get the feeling I wouldn’t know enough to observe the occasion properly, and would be castigated for not being an insider. Not too many people of goodwill care to go places they’re not welcomed. How, then, would those of us who don’t know the customs and traditions, language and dress, support the observances? This would need addressing in order to be solved.
My own Trace bucked after going up a two-tier log jump; I hadn’t known we were going to jump, and hadn’t included that in my warmup on the ground. I clung to his mane and he stopped before I fell off–probably only due to the fact that he stayed straight instead of twisting. I’d have fallen off if he’d turned at all, because I was leaning forward so far. I latched on to a couple of brave acquaintances to have Trace finally go into the lake (and then retreated before he could lose confidence), go into the part of the forest that he knows is infested with monsters (see photo of monsters at right; click to enlarge), and do scary tasks. The teeter-totter kind of freaked him out but he got his head around it and did very well, me doing a lot of approach and retreat until I felt he’d given it all he could without totally losing patience with me and it.
