Fast Facts

Title: South Pacific Director: Joshua Logan Year: 1958 Run time: 2hr 23

Background Info

I know a lot of the songs from the musical, but I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen it. I certainly don’t remember the story, except that at one point she is washing a man right out of her hair. The iPlayer to the rescue, then, as this film must have been on over the bank holiday weekend.

Live Blog

00:01:31 - That does look pretty much like paradise. 00:04:32 - I like the sign in their cockpit for tradesmen to use the rear entrance. Get a lot of tradesmen in a plane, I bet. 00:07:06 - Isn’t he in The Sting? Bit different to playing with grass skirts. 00:09:12 - Boar’s teeth or women. Tough choice. 00:10:07 - Perfume = poifoom. 00:18:30 - Gosh, is that really her voice? It doesn’t sound like that would come from her. 00:21:16 - An island where the sky goes purple. That sounds familiar. 00:25:20 - You’d think they might have sent word that he was coming. He could be anyone. 00:28:26 - Now the sky is yellow. I’m very worried about this paradise place. 00:32:42 - I get that these two are in love, but did I miss who they actually are? Is she the nurse? 00:35:22 - Is the whole film going to have coloured filters over the lens? 00:37:51 - This is an incredible amount of screen time for two people who are essentially just saying they like each other. 00:39:15 - Now he’s telling her about their children, how he’ll be dead while they’re growing up, and what she should do. Planning ahead, much? **00:42:39 - Oh, that’s the Frenchman he was asking about in the plane! D’oh. **00:47:45 - That is the nurse. I think I understand the characters now. 00:59:08 - Way to wash a man right out of your hair. Washing fail. 01:07:34 - Does Bali Hai hold a parade for every new visitor? 01:14:31 - Like that would ever happen. The mother wants to set them up, and he does actually fall in love with her. 01:21:50 - Those are some massive lilypads. 01:23:57 - I like that she says she’s had enough champagne and takes the glass from him as well. He’s had enough too. 01:33:24 - It’s like a slightly less embarrassing form of the birdy dance.** **01:39:03 - Is that dancing or an aerobics routine? 01:40:11 - It was dancing. 01:48:12 - That darn malaria… 02:00:38 - There’s a gaping hole in that plane! 02:04:05 - Somewhere along the way, this turned into a proper war film. 02:12:13 - WHAT?? 02:21:47 - Nice ending, but I can’t believe that about lieutellant.** **

Conclusions

It’s a bit long, for a start, but the story is just about good enough to hold it for that long. The songs are good, as expected, but I really wasn’t a fan of all the coloured filters and things. I don’t need a purple sky to be convinced that Bali Hai is a special place to visit, and I certainly don’t need a yellow screen to believe these two are in love. Why yellow?

Rating: ³⁄₅