''The Hawaiians'', released in the UK as ''Master of the Islands'', is a 1970 United States

historical film A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and swa ...

based on the 1959 novel ''

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

'' by

James A. Michener James Albert Michener ( or ; February 3, 1907 – October 16, 1997) was an American writer. He wrote more than 40 books, most of which were long, fictional family sagas covering the lives of many generations in particular geographic locales and ...

. It was directed by Tom Gries with a screenplay by James R. Webb. The cast included

Charlton Heston Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923April 5, 2008) was an American actor and political activist. As a Hollywood star, he appeared in almost 100 films over the course of 60 years. He played Moses in the epic film ''The Ten ...

as Whipple Hoxworth and

Geraldine Chaplin Geraldine Leigh Chaplin (born July 31, 1944) is an American actress. She is the daughter of Charlie Chaplin, the first of eight children with his fourth wife, Oona O'Neill. After beginnings in dance and modeling, she turned her attention to act ...

. The performance by

Tina Chen Tina Chen (Traditional Chinese: 陳婷, Hanyu Pinyin: Chén Tíng) (born November 2, 1943) is a Chinese-American stage, film, and television actress who starred in the films ''Alice's Restaurant'', ''Three Days of the Condor'', and '' The Hawaii ...

led to her receiving a

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...

nomination as best supporting actress. The film was based on the book's later chapters, which covered the arrival of the Chinese and Japanese and the growth of the plantations. The third chapter of the book had been made into the film ''

'' in 1966.

Plot

Forty years after the events in the film ''

'', Sea Captain Whipple "Whip" Hoxworth returns with a full hold of Chinese laborers to learn that his grandfather (Captain Rafer Hoxworth) has died and left his fortune to Hoxworth's cousin, Malama, and her husband, Micah Hale. Whip, considered the

black sheep In the English language, black sheep is an idiom that describes a member of a group who is different from the rest, especially a family member who does not fit in. The term stems from sheep whose fleece is colored black rather than the more comm ...

of his devout and conservative family, receives the worthless, waterless Hanakai plantation The story also follows two Chinese from Whip's ship, Mun Ki and Nyuk Tsin. When Nyuk Tsin is discovered in among the male Chinese immigrants, Mun Ki claims that she is his wife to protect her from rape. The man who kidnapped Nyuk Tsin from her

Hakka The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka Han, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas are a Han Chinese subgroup whose ancestral homes are chiefly in the Hakka-speaking provincial areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Zhej ...

village and sold her to a Honolulu brothel is killed during the voyage. At the dock, Mun Ki and the brothel owner argue over Nyuk Tsin. Whip's wife, Purity, intervenes and makes him accept Nyuk Tsin as Mun Ki's wife and hire both. The couple are provided a wood shack on the plantation to live in. Mun Ki takes the pregnant Nyuk Tsin to the merchant Foo Sen, a wise man, astrologer and genealogist. Mun Ki's horoscope foretells many sons to be named after the continents. The first-born will be Kee Ah Chow, Asia. Foo Sen explains to Nyuk Tsin that when her child is born, Mun Ki's first wife in China will be considered the “real” mother of all his anticipated sons, and will be called Mother of Wu Chow, Mother of Five Continents. Nyuk Tsin will be “Aunt of Wu Chow,” (familiarly called "Wu Chow's Auntie"), Aunt of Five Continents. One day, Mun Ki will return to China, taking his sons to their "real" mother. The boy is born, and, soon after, Purity also gives birth to a son, Noel. Purity has no milk, and Whip asks Wu Chow's Auntie to nurse the child. He notices her garden and learns she plans to save money to buy land by selling the produce. She declares never to return to China. A well-driller named Overpeck drills through

caprock Caprock or cap rock is a more resistant rock type overlying a less resistant rock type,Kearey, Philip (2001). ''Dictionary of Geology'', 2nd ed., Penguin Reference, London, New York, etc., p. 41.. . analogous to an upper crust on a cake that is ha ...

on Whip's land and releases water trapped between layers of ancient lava, creating the first artesian well in Hawaii. Purity, like Whip, is one-quarter Hawaiian. She becomes obsessed with their native ancestry and rebuffs Whip's affections. The doctor believes Purity suffers from post-natal depression, but says her mental decline could also be from generations of inbreeding by her royal Hawaiian ancestors. Whip's relatives refuse to finance him farming sugar cane, saying it will fail. He then has two seed

pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centuri ...

plants smuggled out of

French Guiana French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label= French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic coast of South America in the Guianas ...

. He gives the nearly-dead specimens to Wu Chow's Auntie. The plants flourish under her care. Whip, ecstatic, buys her some land in gratitude, then returns to French Guiana to steal more pineapples. While Whip is away, Wu Chow’s Auntie and Mun Ki discover that he has

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria '' Mycobacterium leprae'' or '' Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve d ...

. Whip returns to find that Mun Ki is about to be banished to the

leper colony A leper colony, also known by many other names, is an isolated community for the quarantining and treatment of lepers, people suffering from leprosy. ''M. leprae'', the bacterium responsible for leprosy, is believed to have spread from East Afr ...

Molokai Molokai , or Molokai (), is the fifth most populated of the eight major islands that make up the Hawaiian Islands archipelago in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is 38 by 10 miles (61 by 16 km) at its greatest length and width with a us ...

. Wu Chow's Auntie insists on going with him, leaving her sons behind. Whip fetches his son Noel from Purity, who now lives among Hawaiian natives and refuses to return home. Whip then goes to Molokai to retrieve Mun Ki and Wu Chow's Auntie's infant daughter. At Wu Chow Auntie's request, Foo Sen names the baby girl, Mei Lei. Years pass. Teen-aged Noel goes to sea. Japanese arrive to work in the pineapple fields. Whip meets a beautiful, well-educated Japanese girl named Fumiko, who becomes his mistress. Mun Ki dies. With Whip's help, Wu Chow's Auntie is reunited with her grown, educated, and prospering sons and young daughter. She sends one son to America to study law. The United States annexes Hawaii. When Noel and Mei Lei fall in love, Whip and Wu Chow's Auntie are against their marrying, although her sons approve. She says that white people do not understand the value of building a large family that expands exponentially through generations. This is Mun Ki's immortality.

Plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pes ...

comes to Honolulu. Fires set to burn out vermin rage out of control. Amid the ashes, Whip and Wu Chow's Auntie agree that Mei Lei and Noel can marry, and Whip will lend Wu Chow's Auntie the money to rebuild. The film ends with Wu Chow's Auntie sitting next to Mun Ki's grave, telling him about their family.

Cast

as Whip Hoxworth *

as Nyuk Tsin *

as Purity Hoxworth * John Phillip Law as Noel Hoxworth *

Alec McCowen Alexander Duncan McCowen, (26 May 1925 – 6 February 2017) was an English actor. He was known for his work in numerous film and stage productions. Early life McCowen was born in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, the son of Mary (née Walkden), a dance ...

as Micah Hale *

Mako , better known by the mononym name Mako (sometimes stylised MAKO), is a Japanese voice actress, singer and a member of the band Bon-Bon Blanco, in which her prominent role is as the maraca player. She has also performed in a Japanese television ...

as Mun Ki * Don Knight Milton as Overpeck *

Miko Mayama Miko Mayama (born August 15, 1939 in Kyoto, Japan) is a Japanese-American actress who was active in the 1960s and 1970s. Career Mayama made several film and television appearances from the mid 1960s to the late 1970s. She had a supporting role in ...

as Fumiko * Virginia Lee as Mei Li * Tanya Chang as Mei Li at 8 * Naomi Stevens as

Queen Liliuokalani Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mo ...

Harry Townes Harry Rhett Townes (September 18, 1914 – May 23, 2001) was an American actor who later became an Episcopalian minister. Early life Harry Townes was born in Huntsville, Alabama. the son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Townes. He had a brother and ...

as American minister *

Khigh Dhiegh Khigh Alx Dhiegh ( or ; born Kenneth Dickerson; August 25, 1910 – October 25, 1991) Includes short biographical summary of Khigh Dhiegh. was an American television and motion picture actor of Anglo-Egyptian Sudanese ancestry, noted for portr ...

as Kai Chung *

Keye Luke Keye Luke (, Cantonese: Luk Shek Kee; June 18, 1904 – January 12, 1991) was a Chinese-born American film and television actor, technical advisor and artist and a founding member of the Screen Actors Guild. He was known for playing Lee Chan, t ...

as Foo Sen * James Gregory as Dr. Whipple, Sr. * Lyle Bettger as Janders * Mary Munday as Malama * George Paulsin as Noel at 15 * Jules Martin as Noel at 8 * Winston Char as Europe at 17 * Michael Leong as Africa at 18 * Randy Kim as Asia at 19 * Victor Young as America at 16 * Bill Fong as Australia at 14 * Chris Robinson as Young Dr. Whipple * Mark Lebuse as Kilauea captain * Mathew Fitzgerald as Symes * Bruce Wilson as Morris * Mailie Mccauley as Iliki * Alan Naluai as Kimo * Forrest Wood as Hewlett * Murray Staff as A. Whipple * Harry Holcombe as Fredericks * Daniel Kaleikini Jr. as Lieutenant Keholo * Galen Kam as Jim Wu * Herman Wedemeyer as Fire chief * Victor Sen Yung as Chun Fat * Soo Young as Mrs. Ching *

James Hong James Hong (; born February 22, 1929) is an American actor, producer and director. He has worked in numerous productions in American media since the 1950s, portraying a variety of roles. With more than 650 film and television credits as of 20 ...

as Ti Chong * Elizabeth Smith as Apikela *

Reception

The film opened to mixed reviews, with many critics feeling it was not as successful as the earlier movie ''

'' (1966), which was liked by both moviegoers and critics. It earned less money than the original film. Writing for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'',

Roger Greenspun Roger Greenspun (December 16, 1929 – June 18, 2017) was an American journalist and film critic, best known for his work with ''The New York Times'' in which he reviewed near 400 films, particularly in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and for '' ...

called it a "movie with reasonable claims to having something for almost everybody", with "spectacle" that proceeds with "efficient and attractive modesty"; he complimented the director's craftsmanship and highlighted the performances of John Phillip Law and Charlton Heston, but said "Geraldine Chaplin offers only a disturbing evocation of her father's face, without the other qualities of his presence." He calls

"not remarkable", even though she has a "role almost equal to Heston's". ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...

'' magazine was even less complimentary, saying "the plot is laced with the usual colonial tensions and pretensions: Hoxworth feuds with a polyglut of races while his pineapple princess (Geraldine Chaplin) goes quietly mad. Every time the pace slackens, which is often, someone goes to sea, either to pick up field hands or to transport lepers to

. The incessant ebb and flow is intended as a metaphor for the turbulent tides of Hawaiian life. But the real metaphor here is the pineapple, which in the good old gangster days was a synonym for

bomb A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechan ...

received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Bill Thomas William Marshall Thomas (born December 6, 1941) is an American politician. He was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1979 to 2007, finishing his tenure representing California's 22nd congressional district a ...

was nominated for an

Academy Award for Best Costume Design The Academy Award for Best Costume Design is one of the Academy Awards presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) for achievement in film costume design. The award was first given in 1949, for films made in 1948 ...

Home media

''The Hawaiians'' was released on a home video format (DVD) on January 28, 2011 as part of the MGM Limited Edition Collection series.

References

External links

* * *
''The Hawaiians''

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from

Hulu Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television series ...