''Pacific Destiny'' is a 1956 British

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Wolf Rilla Wolf Peter Rilla (16 March 1920 – 19 October 2005) was a film director and writer of German background, who worked mainly in the United Kingdom. Rilla is known for directing '' Village of the Damned'' (1960). He wrote many books for students, ...

and starring

Denholm Elliott Denholm Mitchell Elliott (31 May 1922 – 6 October 1992) was an English actor. He appeared in numerous productions on stage and screen, receiving BAFTA awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for ''Trading Places'' (1983), '' A Private Fu ...

, Susan Stephen and

Michael Hordern Sir Michael Murray Hordern (3 October 19112 May 1995) was an English actor. He is best known for his Shakespearean roles, especially King Lear. He often appeared in film, rising from a bit part actor to leading roles; by the time of his death ...

. It was written by Richard Mason and Jack Lee based on the 1952 memoir ''

A Pattern of Islands ''A Pattern of Islands'' (also known as ''We Chose the Islands'' in American editions) is a memoir by Sir Arthur Grimble recounting his time in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands The Gilbert and Ellice Islands (GEIC as a colony) in the Pacifi ...

'' by Sir

Arthur Grimble Sir Arthur Francis Grimble, (11 June 1888 – 13 December 1956) was a British Colonial Service administrator and writer. Biography Grimble was educated at Chigwell School and Magdalene College, Cambridge. He then went to France and Germany ...

recounting his time in the

Gilbert and Ellice Islands The Gilbert and Ellice Islands (GEIC as a colony) in the Pacific Ocean was part of the British Empire from 1892 to 1976. It was a British protectorate, protectorate from 1892 to 12 January 1916, and then a crown colony, colony until 1 January 1 ...

as a cadet officer and

Resident Commissioner Resident commissioner was or is an official title of several different types of commissioners, who were or are representatives of any level of government. Historically, they were appointed by the British Crown in overseas protectorates (such a ...

in the 1920s. The screenplay concerns a young British couple who win the respect of the inhabitants of a South Pacific island during the colonial era. Film credits show

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...

as the filming location.

Plot

The true story of inexperienced

District Officer The District Officer (abbreviated to D.O.), was a commissioned officer of one of the colonial governments of the British Empire, from the mid-1930s also a member of the Colonial Service of the United Kingdom, who was responsible for a District of ...

Cadet Arthur Grimble who arrives with his bride Olivia on a remote Pacific island to work in the

Colonial Service The Colonial Service, also known as His/Her Majesty's Colonial Service and replaced in 1954 by Her Majesty's Overseas Civil Service (HMOCS), was the British government service that administered most of Britain's overseas possessions, under the aut ...

. He finds it hard to meet the approval of his superior, the Resident Commissioner, who had been expecting a more experienced man. The harder Grimble tries to please him, the more things seem to go awry, and he soon finds himself banished to a smaller neighbouring island. Olivia though is not as easily discouraged as her husband by the situation, and lends her support in a way that eventually meets with the approval of the island people.

Cast

* Gilbert Harding as narrator *

* Susan Stephen as Olivia Grimble *

as Resident Commissioner * Felix Felton as uncle * Peter Bathurst as uncle * Clifford Buckton as uncle * Gordon Jackson as District Officer * Inia Te Wiata as Tauvela * Henrietta Godinet as Lama * Su'a Ezra Tavete Williams as Tiki-Tiku * Hans Kruse as Kitiona * Ollie Crichton as Taloa * Rosie Leavasa as Sea Wind * Moira Walker as Voice-of-the-Tide * Sani as King's-Bundle-Of-Mats * Fiti s Grandmother * John Bryce as Tulo * Tuiletufuga Taualai as Matangi * Afamasaga Kalapu as Teraloa * Ovalau Bureta as Fa'afetai * Cecilia Fabricious as Movement-Of-Clouds * Polo as Fa'alavelave * Tusa as prisoner * Noa as warder Dances arranged by The Hon. Peseta Sio and Mailo

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin The ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 until April 1991, when it merged with '' Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those wi ...

'' wrote: "''Pacific Destiny'' has the merit of getting away to an unfamiliar scene; and though it rarely manages to convey a vivid sense of life lived in a remote place, it strings together a series of enjoyably varied incidents, ranging from the comic to the melodramatic. The script, perhaps unavoidably episodic in view of its source, is inclined to simplify character and situation rather than to penetrate them. The shark episode is quite exciting, but in general the film lacks tension: Grimble's ultimate success is hardly in doubt.

CinemaScope CinemaScope is an anamorphic format, anamorphic lens series used, from 1953 to 1967, and less often later, for shooting widescreen films that, crucially, could be screened in theatres using existing equipment, albeit with a lens adapter. Its cr ...

and Eastman Colour paint an attractive tropical background, though more, one feels, might have been made of the lively islanders, especially the children. Denholm Elliott and Susan Stephen give competent and likeable performances, but Michael Hordern as the Commissioner creates a more recognisably living character, ''Pacific Destiny'', despite its limitations, is pleasingly unpretentious and warm-hearted."

Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic, film historian, and author. He is known for his book of film capsule reviews, '' Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide'', published from 1969 to 2014. Maltin was the film criti ...

called it a "Boring (but true) story." ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...

,'' though praising the performances of Elliott and Hordern, called it "a routine and boring story with a pretty picture backdrop."

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pacific Destiny 1956 films 1950s adventure drama films Films directed by Wolf Rilla British drama films British Lion Films films Films scored by James Bernard Films shot in Samoa Films set in Kiribati 1956 drama films 1950s English-language films 1950s British films English-language adventure drama films