Julie Andrews and Richard Harris in Michener's Hawaii - PC Movies via Movielink

Wanna' See A Good Movie??

Hawaii is one of the most beautiful, bittersweet movies
ever made. From the opening prologue with Keoki
(Manu Tupou) relating the history of the Hawaiian
people over the glorious music of Elmer Bernstein I
knew I was going to love this movie.

Keoki, a native Hawaiian and first convert to the Christian
faith has traveled across the ocean to America in hopes
of convincing some of the upcoming graduates of a
Calvinist College in New England to sail to Hawaii and
share their faith with his people.

Amongst those to accept the challenge is Abner Hale
(Max Von Sydow) a young man of good intentions, but
overzealous and prideful in his Christianity. Unable to
join in the missionary effort unless he is married, one
is arranged for him with the lovely Jerusha Bromley
(Julie Andrews).

The hardships of the sea voyage are only a taste of the
hardship that face them once they arrive at their
destination. As the new arrivals acclimate themselves
to their new surroundings Jerusha soon falls in love with
the open and loving nature to the natives while Abner
grows more narrow and unbending in his proselytization
efforts. Unable to appreciate the beauty around him, he
sees only heathens doomed to hell for their pagan ways.

Abner eventually loses sight of the Christian message to
"love one another" and in a fit of range calls upon God to
bring death and destruction to the unrepentant Hawaiians.
When a measles epidemic spreads through the islands
it appears Abner prayer has been answered with dire
consequences.

A poignant and ultimately sad tale of the lose of yet another
native 'land of paradise' brought about the greed and lack
of concern by foreign powers.