Hawaii's Last Queen (27 Jan. 1997)

Writer:

Vivian Ducat

Stars:

David McCullough, Anna Deavere Smith, H.J. Bartels

Cast

Episode credited cast:
David McCullough	...	Himself - Host
Anna Deavere Smith	...	Narrator (voice)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
H.J. Bartels	...	Himself - Curator, 'Iolani Palace
Thelma Bugbee	...	Herself - Commentator
Malcolm Naea Chun	...	Himself - Cultural Specialist
Glen Grant	...	Himself - Historial Researcher
Patricia Grimsaw	...	Herself - Historian
Aaron Mahi	...	Himself - Conductor, Royal Hawaiian Band
Davianna McGregor	...	Herself - Historian
Tennant Mcwilliams	...	Himself - Historian (as Tennant McWilliams)
Thurston Twigg Smith	...	Himself - Grandson, Lorrin Thurston

Storyline

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Genres:

Documentary | History

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 January 1997 (USA)

Filming Locations:

'Iolani Palace, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ducat Segal Productions Inc.

Technical Specs

Color:

Black and White Color

Did You Know?

Goofs

The narrator says that the U.S. Marines came ashore with Gatling Guns and Revolving Cannons. In fact, a Gatling Gun is a Revolving Cannon, so this statement was inadvertently repetitive.

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Soundtracks

"Sanoe"
composed by Queen Lili'uokalani
arranger: Robert Cazimero
performed by The Gaillard String Quartet
courtesy of Wa Nui Records

User Reviews

Profoundly sad and very informative.

This is an hour-long episode of the PBS show "The American Experience" and aired over a decade ago. Fortunately, many of the episodes are available on DVD. I think it's fascinating that most Americans have no idea how the Hawaiian islands were acquired. And, I must admit I was a bit hazy on this--and I am a retired history teacher! So, when I saw this on DVD, I jumped at a chance to see it in order to learn more about this.

The story of the last queen, Hawaiian monarch, Liliʻuokalani, turned out to be a sad one. In some ways it might be seen as an indictment of American imperialism (as one reviewer talked about at length) but it's also a case of her people simply being outnumbered and the rich and powerful majority forcing her out and pleading to become a part of the United States. Both aspect of the story are essentially correct--the displacement of the original owners of the land and the majority making the rules. Sad, though, that it came to this--and the story makes for, at times, rather heart-wrenching viewing. Overall, a super-informative show that didn't seem to stack the deck too far either way of the argument--and I appreciated that. An exceptional historical show.