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His Majesty O'Keefe More at IMDbPro »

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15 reviews in total

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19 out of 22 people found the following review useful:
Ah, Burt. You were great!, 19 March 2001

Author: artzau from Sacramento, CA

Aside from some good old studio stand-bys, like Benson Fong and Philip Ahn (A Korean usually cast as some other Asian), this film has few of the faces that hung around the screens of Hollywood. But, Lancaster teamed up with the lovely Joan Rice from the UK to give us a wonderful tale of adventure in the South Seas. This time, it takes us to the Solomons to the island of Yap, who worship the stone Fey, spirits who reside in stone wheels cut and transported nearly a thousand miles. O'Keefe winds up becoming their king but with profit in mind. He wants to exploit the copra market but the Yap Islanders won't work. So, he hits on the plan to bring their Fey back and this is the beginning. The Solomons were part of the old German trust Islands and there actually was a man named O'Keefe who slipped in by marrying a local girl. But, the Germans, unlike in the movie, eventually kicked him out until they were kicked out after the first world war and then the Island went to the Japanese who were kicked out after the second world war and then...well, you get the idea. I loved this film when I saw it as a kid. No, it's far from perfect but it is a charming story with lots of action and Burt was at his best. But, those beautiful green eyes of Joan Rice were a delight as well. It's too bad we saw so little of her afterwards. Also, there's a lovely song from this film, based in part on Rachmaninov's rhapsody, called Sweet Emerald Isle. Check it out.

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9 out of 9 people found the following review useful:
Fluffy but Entertaining, 30 July 2003

Author: Dawnfrancis

This film is not Lancaster's best but is enjoyable if you enjoy watching him in his athletic prime. Beautifully shot, it captures the exciting times of adventure on the high seas and island exploration. The plot is fairly insubstantial and there's nothing new here but at just over 90 minutes, the story never drags. Definitely worth a look if you're a fan of Burt's.

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4 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
Why work?, 4 May 2008
Author: Sillyhuron from Canada

A deeply subversive, yet utterly enjoyable (and kinda true) film from the 50's. Burt Lancaster is a typical 19th century trader/pirate whose only ambition is to make money out of the "natives", and fast. He comes to a Pacific Island Utopia where no one has to work... because who needs money?...

Vastly underrrated, this film makes all kinds of points. The Natives (half of whom, admittedly,are white guys in blackface)are dangerous quasi-cannibals. But the white guys (including Burt!)are plain Euro- Trash. The head chief, and Burt's head wife (Joan Rice in a lovely performance - she takes the cliché of the innocent island girl and makes a performance out of it with her eyelashes) are the real heroes.

Did I mention the Chinese dentist who knows more about investments than Burt? Or the German philosophy student who can relate to the natives better than Europeans? Filmed on location in Fiji with a cast that seem to be having the time of their lives, HIS MAJESTY O'KEEFE is a very simple, yet completely fun relic of the non-PC days. (P.S. Check out the other scripts by Borden Chase. Some good ones there...)

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2 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
I like Burt, but this was silly, 14 October 2011
Author: audiemurph from United States

If you like Burt Lancaster, than this film is worth watching. The plot is very silly, and takes place largely in the South Seas. There is the usual large contingent of half-naked South Sea natives interacting with the "white man", although several of the natives with speaking parts are white themselves, as always: Joan Rice and Abraham Sofaer in particular come to mind. And as always, the natives who speak English speak it better than many people I know in real life. Joan Rice, in particular, has a beautiful English accent of dubious ancestry for a native girl (OK, yes, her father was British, but she was brought up in the South Seas and somehow speaks a more polished English than he does).

There are many bad Germans, with very stereotypical movie accents (proto-Nazis?), and one good German, played by Andre Morell, with a less disagreeable accent (although his saying "zee" for "the" gets tiring). His genial friendship with Burt Lancaster is pleasing. Most hilariously, Joan Rice, as Burt Lancaster's eventual wife, looks completely lost most of the time, smiling her way through most scenes, looking like a confused tourist in Paris who doesn't speak the language.

But we started with Burt Lancaster. Burt gets to show off his acrobatic skills in several scenes, swinging on ropes and so forth, although in one shot he is shown only beginning to climb a coconut tree; I would like to have seen him climb to the top. He smiles a lot in this film, and this too is always pleasing.

The plot is too absurd and improbable to describe. Everybody wants the oil of the coconuts, which is very valuable, except the natives themselves. There are too many changes of power on the island, and it is not that interesting to follow. But it is a pleasant enough film, and totally harmless.

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1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
We all lose ourselves sometimes., 20 April 2012

Author: JohnRouseMerriottChard from United Kingdom

His Majesty O'Keefe is directed by Byron Haskin and adapted to the screen by Borden Chase & James Hill from the novel written by Lawrence Klingman & Gerald Green. It stars Burt Lancaster, Joan Rice, Andre Morell and Abraham Sofaer. Music is by Robert Farnon and Technicolor photography by Otto Heller.

Plot finds Lancaster as Captain David O'Keefe, who after a mutiny is tossed overboard in the South Pacific. Making his way to Yap Island, O'Keefe is pleased to see the money making potential by harvesting copra from the mass coconut growth on the island. However, the natives aren't exactly thrilled by his intentions and there's also some serious German businessmen interested in the island as well. Too many cooks spoil the broth and this once peaceful little island is soon to become a hotbed of greed and division.

It's all very muscular and pretty (actually filmed on location in Fiji), led by a super tanned, white toothy grinned Lancaster, film has a very decent theme at its core, but sadly this mostly get lost in the confusing mixture. Picture never quite settles into being one cohesive whole, at times a wannabe swashbuckling adventure propelled by a South Seas love story, at others an observation of capitalism corrupting the beautiful untapped paradise's of the world. The pace is stop/start, with Haskin (Treasure Island) struggling manfully to make the various strands of the screenplay work, and cast are effective enough in just about retaining viewing Interest.

Worth it for Lancaster fans, and for fans of great choreography and attractive scenery. But it remains a hit and miss affair, it takes an age to make its point but survives ignominy on account of the unusual flavours in the mix. 5/10

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3 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
Nice Action Adventure, But Some 1950's Racism, 10 February 2010

Author: Jay Raskin from Orlando, United States

The cinematography is often quite beautiful and the dances and ceremonies of the Pacific Island natives are fascinating. The story moves along at a brisk pace with lots of surprises and Burt Lancaster gives a vibrant, relaxed and fun performance. The only problem is the overt racism toward the islanders in the film. O'Keefe (Lancaster) is the good guy because he only wants to exploit the natives, while the bad guys want to exploit and enslave the natives. There is a very interesting and sweet moment when O'Keefe reconsiders his exploitation of the natives and asks, "Where did I go wrong?" If the film didn't contain this reflective moment, I would have probably been more critical of the film's racism which reflects the prevalent ideology of 1950's Hollywood. But does a fairly progressive anti-exploitation message excuse the racism in the film? Burt Lancaster fans and adventure fans should enjoy the film. Those who see racist ideology as a sickness might have problems getting through the film

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Farily enjoyable but nothing special..., 30 January 2011

Author: planktonrules from Bradenton, Florida

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

"His Majesty O'Keefe" is a pleasant adventure film, but one that it far from Burt Lancaster's best. For fans of the charismatic actor, it's well worth seeing but for the rest it is imminently forgettable.

The film is set around the now the middle of the 19th century in the South Pacific. After a mutiny, the Captain (Lancaster) is cast adrift and eventually finds his way to the Fijian island of Yap. Here he meets a nice German guy who has been working there for 20 years trying to get the locals to work to produce copra (a dried coconut product), but without much success. However, the newly arrived Captain O'Keefe is a natural for this sort of work and is able to eventually figure out how to get the islanders to produce tons of the stuff--and finds himself as their new king! The problem is that there are greedy forces out there that want this crop and are willing to take it if necessary--and His Majesty O'Keefe needs to mobilize his people for this onslaught. In between there is a romance and lots of other happenings.

Pleasant. That's my feeling about the film. It's not super-exciting nor extraordinary, but given Lancaster's nice screen presence, it's easy-going and of some interest.

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1 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
Haskin's best film at his best moment, 3 September 2011

Author: psagray from Spain

Film made the biggest and best art director Byron Haskin, "His Majesty O'Keefe" has never enjoyed the same popularity as "The War of the Worlds" 1953 or "The Naked Jungle" 1954, although it is quite superior in almost every respect.

Not being a sci-fi is essential to understand this result, as the adventure genre that has always had a bias as contempt for critics and awards.

Three elements make it an interesting film: The presence of a Burt Lancaster in a compelling and extraordinary physical fitness, which make it again won the award for best actor-athlete of all time. It has beautiful locations and images that we can taste at a time when it was fashionable these films on remote islands and idyllic, as shown in the same year opened the magnificent "All the Brothers Were Valiant" 1953, Richard Thorpe. Finally, a script by Borden Chase New York author of works such as "Red River" 1948, "Bend of the River" 1952, "Vera Cruz" 1954 or "The Far county" 1954, which left its mark by introducing a series of political components unusual trading in the adventure genre.

But the film can not avoid some ballast important as ethnocentric character of certain contempt for the Aborigines over the years is most noticeable. Besides the love story is at the excess in both length as the argument to be so bland. Byron Haskin almost always prevails special effects technician who was on the director.

This is probably the best film of its golden age Haskin, of the sixties should be noted "The Adventures of Sinbad" - at least it was a pure family entertainment quite achieved.

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1 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
Lancaster Does Copra, 5 February 2011

Author: dougdoepke from Claremont, USA

19th century freebooter O'Keefe (Lancaster) uses his wiles to set up copra trade in south seas despite native resistance and organized competition.

Lancaster was made for this kind of role. With his athletic frame, blinding grin, and iron jaw, he's a great adventurer. Later, he became a serious actor, but I always preferred the grinning swashbuckler ever up to some kind of daring-do, as he is here.

This is one of his lesser known action films and I'm not sure why. At times the shifting loyalties are hard to follow, so it's not the simple action narrative of good guys versus bad. Still, the story's based on fact, and I like the insight into how the Europeans try to turn the simple native economy into a commodity producing one (copra). In that regard, I really like the ending that seems surprisingly contemporary in its respectful politics. As a result, the story may be complex, but there's also considerable substance.

Meanwhile, I'm on my way to Yap to see if the green-eyed Dalabo (Rice) left any female offspring. Besides, the scenery there is spectacular, nicely captured by Warner's Technicolor department. Traditional Hollywood usually went to Catalina for its south seas background. Not here. Instead, Warner's popped for authentic Pacific locations-- probably to compete with newfangled TV. Then too, Lancaster's big, native ceremony is elaborately colorful and unusual, especially the costuming. At the same time, he gets to do some of his effortless acrobatics and come up grinning.

In my book, it all adds up to an entertaining package and well worth tuning in.

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2 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
The King Of Yap, 30 July 2008

Author: bkoganbing from Buffalo, New York

Right on the heels of his first Academy Award nominated performance in From Here To Eternity came this film which was a return to the more traditional roles Burt Lancaster did in his early years. Besides the charismatic actor's presence, His Majesty O'Keefe boasts some splendid location photography in the Fiji Islands. And most of you thought it was Marlon Brando who discovered the South Seas in that remake of Mutiny on the Bounty.

The year is 1870 and Captain O'Keefe (Lancaster) is set adrift by his mutinous crew in the same manner John Wayne was in Wake of the Red Witch. But he manages to be rescued on the island of Yap by the natives and given shelter by German missionary Andre Morrell.

Lancaster's not a man to pass an opportunity up when he sees all the unpicked coconuts around which will yield the valuable copra. The trick is to get the natives to work for it. Before long Lancaster is mixing in the political situation on Yap among the various tribal chiefs and in the European politics where all kinds of powers are making their presence felt in the South Pacific.

In fact the South Seas were undergoing colonization then much like Africa and Asia. By the end of the 19th century even before the Spanish American War when we took over Spain's colonies there, we were among many powers like the British, Germans, French, Spanish, and the Japanese who were expanding into the Pacific.

Because he leads a rescue of the island from out and out slavers led by Charles Horvath, Lancaster is proclaimed a King of Yap. But the crown carries responsibilities and people who resent him having it.

Lancaster playing a larger than life role and the splendid location cinematography of Fiji make His Majesty O'Keefe fine viewing and it holds up well today. A must for Burt Lancaster's many fans.

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