Hurricane (1979)

The desperate love affair between a young Samoan chief and an American painter, against the will of her father. Amid this man-made tension comes a hurricane so devastating, the lives of the lovers and the entire island are imperiled.

Director:

Jan Troell

Writers:

James Norman Hall (novel), Charles Nordhoff (novel)

Stars:

Jason Robards, Mia Farrow, Max von Sydow

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jason Robards	...	Capt. Bruckner
Mia Farrow	...	Charlotte Bruckner
Max von Sydow	...	Dr. Danielsson
Trevor Howard	...	Father Malone
Timothy Bottoms	...	Jack Sanford
Dayton Ka'ne	...	Matangi
James Keach	...	Sgt. Strang
Ariirau Tekurarere	...	Moana
Alex W. du Prel	...	Cpl. Morrah (as Willie Myers)
Nick Rutgers	...	Cmdr. Blair
Nancy Hall Rutgers	...	Mrs. Blair
Manu Tupou	...	Samolo
Simplet Tefane	...	Velaga
Piero Bushin	...	Running Man
Noel Teparii	...	Tano

Storyline

The desperate love affair between a young Samoan chief and an American painter, against the will of her father. Amid this man-made tension comes a hurricane so devastating, the lives of the lovers and the entire island are imperiled.

---

Plot Keywords:

hurricane | island | chief | bare chested male | rain | 

---

Taglines:

There is only one safe place... in each other's arms.

---

Genres:

Adventure | Drama

---

Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA Netherlands

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 April 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

Forbidden Paradise

Filming Locations:

Bora Bora, Leeward Islands, French Polynesia

Box Office

Budget:

$22,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dino De Laurentiis Company, Famous Films (II)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Trevor Howard complained to Roger Ebert when he visited the location that he " had been on the set for 30 days and only been used once".

---

Alternate Versions

The original 1979 UK theatrical release was passed with a 'AA' certificate (prohibiting anyone under 14) with cuts to the 'deflowering' of the native girl, and re-released the following year as an 'A' certificate in a shorter and heavily edited print with further cuts to the same scene including all later references to it. The 1987 Guild video was 15 rated and featured the full uncut print.

---

Connections

Edited into Superman III (1983)

User Reviews

Better than its reputation, but still pretty weak

The much maligned remake of John Ford's 1937 film (or at least the second adaptation of the novel, which came out in 1936) is not as bad as its reputation, but it doesn't really work. They change things up a bit to make it about an interracial romance. Mary Astor's character (now played by Mia Farrow) is now the daughter of the governor character (played here by Jason Robards), and the lead native character (played by newcomer Dayton Ka'ne) falls in love with her. This being the 1920s, their romance is looked down upon (by both races). The initial premise change isn't too bad, but it weakens the rest of the plot, which plays out pretty similarly to the original film. Ka'ne's crime is far less sympathetic than it was; there he was arrested for assaulting a racist who insulted him. Here, he, as chief of his people, allows a custom of checking for a bride's virginity before she's married - the girl is so upset about it she drowns herself. Farrow helps Ka'ne escape, but their plans, and everyone's lives, are disrupted by the hurricane. Jon Hall was kind of the weak link in Ford's film, but Ka'ne is far worse. Even besides his more detestable crime, he's just not that likable an actor. Farrow's infatuation with him never comes off as real love, so there's no romance to latch onto. Farrow herself isn't too bad, but she's ten years older than the character should be at least. Robards is the best thing about it. Trevor Howard plays the priest and Max von Sydow the doctor. Both are fine, but the roles probably should have been reversed. It doesn't really matter, though, since both characters get short shafted by the script. Timothy Bottoms is pretty good as Farrow's initial love interest (he doesn't really have an analogue in the original). The actual hurricane is still pretty good, but the ending is lame. The film looks great, thanks to Sven Nykvist and, you know, Bora Bora just being beautiful in general.