Strange colors in this movie have often perplexed those who saw it on video, not to mention the big screen back in its original release. As a video store clerk, I had to explain to a few customers that the video wasn't defective; That's how the movie was made. But in retrospect, it is very bizarre, although in hindsight, I can see why it was done the way it was. Certain mood elements required perhaps different colors, and if "The King and I" could have a 3-D look about it in some scenes without requiring glasses, why couldn't gels or certain soft color focus give "South Pacific" the mood it needed to get its emotions across? By 1958 with three Rodgers and Hammerstein smash hit shows produced as hit films, "South Pacific" was ready to go through Magna Pictures, and with Mary Martin still youthful but 10 years older, the decision to re-cast Nellie Forbush with already popular Mitzi Gaynor became an obvious one, especially that outside of TV and Broadway audiences, Mary Martin's brief career in films in the early 1940's had not been a spectacular one, even if to many, she was ageless as Peter Pan. As the handsome Emile de Becque, Rossano Brazzi, who had recently co-starred with divas Katharine Hepburn in "Summertime" and Joan Crawford in "The Story of Esther Costello" was dashing enough and the right age to take over the role created by Ezio Pinza, known to opera fans and another example of how movies were not for all performers. But original Broadway star Juanita Hall did get to recreate her role as Bloody Mary, while a replacement Luther (Ray Walston) from the stage got to recreate his role on film, having just scored with "Damn Yankees" both on Broadway and on the big screen.The story of "South Pacific" is one that takes war, adds romance, drama, light comedy and a most serious subject matter, racism, into its plot purse. In this case, it's not about blacks in the sense of Africans, but dark skinned Pacific Islanders, particularly Tonkinese. Hall, a light skinned black singer and actress, looked perfect for the part of the vivacious Bloody Mary, a peddler, matchmaker and advise giver, attracted to pretty boy John Kerr as a potential mate for her daughter (Frances Nuyen), quite different looking than her friendly but hard looking mother, and instantly in love with the blonde Kerr. But Kerr can't escape from his own upbringing, and as he sings, "You've Got to Be Taught", indicating that prejudices are something that is drummed into your dear little ear, and it basically takes over one's soul as a disease would a body. He is definitely attracted to the gorgeous Nuyen, but something in his spirit keeps his love for her from going to the next step that ultimately offends Bloody Mary down to the core of her being. Obviously, she's not after just a pretty boy husband for her daughter to make pretty babies, but she sees Kerr as a step to something better outside her pathetic existence, making her a dark character within her soul, let alone her skin. When she goes off on Kerr for the offense of admittedly not able to marry Nuyen, it is with the ugliest of motivations being revealed, and her change from happy go lucky to cruel is very jarring, especially after pairing them up with her quest for "Happy Talk".That is the supporting story that guides the moral of the story, with the leads surrounding Arkansas native Nellie Forbush (Gaynor), the happy go lucky nurse who falls instantly in love with the handsome Brazzi but shocked by the revelation that he once had a Polynesian wife and has two children who don't look anything like him. They may be cute enough for her to duet a French nursery rhyme with, but for her to be stepmother to is another matter. This musical took the dramatic themes of "Show Boat", "Oklahoma!" and "Carousel" and made them even more serious, and "South Pacific" became the show that one had to wait years to get tickets to, or shell out the big bucks, like rich folks do today with "Hamilton". The score is picture perfect, and the story the most seriously dramatic of all musical dramas. The photography, while stunning, might perplex some when it comes down to the color filters, but something tells me that on a big Cinemascope style screen, the impact really worked. Of course, this being a war story, there are tragedies to be taken, yet a sense of triumph as one person's loss ends up being the heroine's big lesson in life. Like that saying, "When you love somebody and must let them go, when they return, love them forever", this is as profound and yet simple, something human beings need to remember as we deal with our own individual prejudices that really have no place in the human condition as we all fight the same battles and yearn for the same peace.

Two love stories, each involving an American and a non-American, occurring in some unnamed small island grouping in the SW Pacific, near Japanese-held Solomon Islands, in WWII, form the 'heart' of this R&H musical. The two love affairs are based on two different stories from James Michener's "Tales of the South Pacific". Some other aspects of the screenplay are derived from some other 'tales'. Near the end, looks like both these romances will fizzle because of indirect racial prejudice. Specifically American navy nurse Nellie(Mitzi Gaynor) discovers that her beau : middle-aged wealthy French expatriate Emile, has two children from a deceased Polynesian wife, which she cannot emotionally accept. Meanwhile, Lt. Cable, after an erotic whirlwind romance with young Tonkinese(Vietnamese)Liat, whose mother(Bloody Mary) was brought to this island by French colonialists, implies he can't marry her because she wouldn't be accepted by his upper crust family and friends , back in the US. The film ending suggests that Nellie eventually overcame her emotional prejudice sufficiently to marry Emile, who unexpectedly arrives back from a dangerous war mission he barely survived. After, initially rejecting taking part in this mission, because he was sure he would die, he signed up after Nellie told him she decided not to marry him. Lt. Cable decided he would remain in this area after the war, implying that he now felt he could marry Liat. However, he never got the chance, as he was killed on this mission. Thus, this secondary romance, as in the case of the secondary romance in the subsequent "The King and I", has a tragic ending, with the fate of the girl undetermined. Actually, in Michener's story, Emile had 8 children, all illegitimate, from several mothers: some Asian , other Polynesian or perhaps Melanesian. It is the latter than Nellie cannot accept, initially.The racial and location aspects are rather disjointed and confusing. We have light-skinned mulatto Juanita Hall playing a Vietnamese. Her daughter, Liat, is played by part Vietnamese France Nuyen. The people, dances and costumes at the Bali Ha'i festival suggest a mix of Polynesians and Melanesians present : an unlikely mix. Probably , the location is meant to be in the (then) New Hebrides, to the south of the Solomon Islands, where the nearby Japanese are. The New Hebrides were a joint protectorate of France and the UK, with the natives nearly all Melanesians. Michener met an old lady there, called Bloody Mary, who was imported by the French from Vietnam, to work the plantations there. This is the origin of the character in the film. Contrary to the general assumption that Bali Ha'i was named after the Bali in Indonesia, it was actually named after a family pig that Michener happened across in his tour of the South Pacific!Emile explains that he was motivated to emigrate from France to this isolated island group after a brawl with the village bully, in which the bully died accidentally. He was generally considered a hero, but not by the judicial system. Thus, he hopped a freighter and eventually landed here. During this screenplay, he becomes a much greater hero by guiding the mission to spy on the Japanese in the Solomons.Nearly all the featured singing was dubbed, except for Mitzi Gaynor's several songs. Even true for Juanita Hall, who actually sang her parts in the stage version. The other leads were replaced from the Broadway version. Ezio Pinza, as Emile, had since died, and Mary Martin, as Nellie, was consider too old, especially since there is some discussion on the pros and cons of marrying an older man. Her mother favored it, but Lt. Cable didn't. Thus, after "The Cock-eyed Optimist" is seduced, as Emile sings "Some Enchanting Evening", she has a moment of doubt, expressed as "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair", as she is washing her hair, followed by a quickly reconsidered "I'm in Love With a Wonderful Guy", when Emile appears : my favorite of her musical performances. The extensive lyrics of the first major song "There is Nothing Like a Dame" I found clever, as expressed by several SeaBees. But, the most memorable song for me is the haunting "Bali Ha'i", which most succinctly expresses the charm and mystery of these islands and their native peoples.After 3 very successful stage productions or films scripted as taking place within the US, and involving only Caucasians in the cast, R&H did 3 very successful plays, followed by film adaptations, scripted as taking place far from the continental US. South Pacific still included a dominating Caucasian American presence among the characters, but included several other ethnic groups. The later "King and I" and "The Sound of Music" lacked any significant American characters. The dominating American military presence, along with the spectacular tropical settings, periodic inclusion of exotic cultures and a variety of memorable songs makes for a memorable film that Americans could easily identify with. However, the periodic extreme use of color filters(red, yellow or blue) I found quite disconcerting. Also, the depiction of the mission to assess the Japanese in the Solomons is quite amateurish and overblown...The romance between Cable and Liat seems forced and all too spontaneous, initially. Obviously, Liat was coached by her mother to immediately fall for Cable, as the most available US naval officer.

I have always had a soft spot for this musical, as I recall my parents (my mother, especially) playing the original LP over and over. My uncle, who served in the Navy in the South Pacific during WWII, loved it, too. The Blu-ray transfer is breath-taking and it is fun to see the restored version (though for those bits, the picture quality is quite faded). Yes, it's old fashioned, yes, it's a bit creaky, and, yes, those filters are a little strange, but just listen to that glorious R&H score, look at the beautiful scenery, and immerse yourself in excellent performances, and you have be taken away. I am a fan of Mitzi Gaynor, though many feel that Doris Day should have played the role. Doris could have done it justice, no doubt, but Mitzi had a wide-eyed freshness, excellent voice, and believability that was refreshing. They don't make musicals like this any more and I'll take this any day over most of the frenetic musicals of today (with their unmelodic scores).

*One spoiler in the last paragraph* South Pacific is one of Rodgers and Hammerstein's best. The hit rate with the songs is remarkably high. 'Younger than Springtime' and 'Some Enchanted Evening' have entered many a singer's repertoire, and songs like 'I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Out Of My Hair' and 'Honey Bun' add some up-tempo fun.Mitzi Gaynor is adorable as Nellie, the young American nurse who falls in love with charming older Frenchman Emile De Becque, played by Rossano Brazzi. Brazzi is old enough to make the age gap noticeable but he is no OAP. He's your typical cultured 'maturer' man, with good looks. Their romance is believable.John Kerr has been unfairly maligned in reviews. Lt. Cable is a secondary character who exists to contrast this secondary romance with the main one. It's your typical pretty man role and Kerr is sufficiently attractive. He also gets one of the best songs to act (although he doesn't sing it as his singing voice is dubbed): 'You've Got To Be Carefully Taught', a song which argues that it is parents (and on a wider scale,a society) who pass on their racism to their children.It's a long film but with the static camera, it's essentially a night in at the theatre. You can make an evening of it- there's even an intermission. The colour filters are clumsily done. They do add a feeling of strangeness and exoticism but they are overused. You do get used to them eventually though.Back in the fifties and before, musicals were quite innocent entertainment. There is a sweet innocence in South Pacific with the relationship between Nellie and Emile but this is still wartime. Both romances would probably never have started if Nellie and Cable weren't on the island and it wasn't wartime. The theme of racism is handled subtly but daringly. Nellie and Cable are not bigots but simply the product of an intolerant society. Luckily the film doesn't sell out and pair Nellie off with Cable, which would be the more conventional romance.