Monarch, the movie
So I’ve been really interested in learning more about a movie currently in production: The Last Princess, the Princess Kaiulani film. I first heard about this low-budget film when an article in the Advertiser ran, claiming people were outraged by the original title of the film which was “The Barbarian Princess”.
I became even more intrigued when I saw them filming on the grounds of Iolani Palace when I rode the bus to work. People in period costumes at a buffet line (off-camera) and authentic carriages awaiting riders were amazing sites to see. Very anachronistic.
No IMDB page has been created yet, so I combed the web more and came across this blog entry about The Last Princess aka The Princess Kaiulani film from Vivacious Valenian. I think the actresses selected are interesting choices. I just hope they don’t overdo the accent; That could really kill the believe-ability.
And in regards to the title “The Barbarian Princess”, I think it’s an interesting tactic to use a title to get audiences in the “mood” for a film. Case in point, the racist views about interracial relationships in “South Pacific” carry no weight in today’s society. Segregation is so passe, therefore lost on today’s audiences. But, when you use outdated vernacular (ie: Hawaiians, polynesians and other indigenous cultures were referred to as “barbaric” by colonizers) you paint a picture for the audience of the time period. I understand how some could perceive it at insensitive, though.
Can’t wait for this one to come out.
Filed under: Pearls of Wisdom, People, Rants, hawaii | Tagged: barbarian, film, hawaii, independent, monarchy, princess kaiulani
Why be excited? Barbarian Princess has a bad script. The script writer, Forby, has ignored not only Native Hawaiian cultural experts but even Native Hawaiian academia who had offered to help him out.
Besides the script writer was very insensitive. How would you like a movie about President Aguinaldo of the Philippines called “Heathen Insurgent” (something American press did call him) or maybe a movie about Meiji era Japan called “Slant Eyed Monkies”? Did they call Cate Blanchette’s movie “Elizabeth, Really a Man”, something that the French called Queen Elizabeth I? Those things may have been normal for the 19th century, but we’re in the 21st century.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRDx8ouk2xQ
http://youtube.com/watch?v=gubVK_Si-Y4
Thanks for the feedback, Hokulani. I think Forby being a non-resident would offer an interesting objective point of view. Sure, it will miss some nuances and maybe even flub a few facts, but as long as they put a disclaimer up front, I’ll still be interested in watching it.
I’m in a play at Kumu Kahua theatre where the plot revolves around a filipino man and his fellow filipino labor workers. The story was based on a short tale from Carlos Bulosan and features many filipino culture references, but it was written in fact by a haole man named Lonnie Carter. What effect did that have on the story? He wasn’t writing from his personal experiences so it made the themes and morals more universal, something I think is valuable to recognize as a storyteller.