Esther's other tropical film, besides this one, was "On an island with you". They both also had Esther with a fake tan. I enjoyed both of them even though each had a couple of small problems.
I really enjoyed the tropical island scenery here, which with it being almost 70 years ago, really gave me a "tropical getaway paradise" feeling, even more so than when looking at those same places today. Those islands I reckon really did provide a magical paradise getaway back in 1950. That was before they got hit with modern influences, high levels of tourism, and the internet which people everywhere including those islands now have. You can never feel as sucluded away anywhere anymore when with the internet right in front of you, you can bring so much up right in front of your eyes now at quick and simple pushes of a button. That just makes it all seem less private now. Not to mention how someone standing 15- 20 feet away can take a picture where you accidentally get in, and then it could be posted all over the internet. Back then if you got caught in a picture, most likely only a few people would see the picture like their close family and friends, instead of it being put on the internet for the world. Also back then, people had better manners and wouldn't deliberately take your picture without your consent, unlike today where people would and do. Yes, all those reasons definitely don't make tropical getaways quite the same anymore.
I like the first scene with Howard Keel arriving on the ship (which is how everyone traveled abroad (USA to Pacific islands, USA to Europe, etc.) the first half of the 20th century before airline travel). Esther, who fools Keel into him thinking she's a native Tahitian who doesn't speak much English, has fun teasing him the first part of the film while then going back to her American family's house and talking about what a fool Keel is to her semi snobbish mother. That is more brought out during a semi elite garden party her mother throws that Keel comes to wearing a tropical slip (thinking it was a native Tahitian party like the earlier copra party where everyone was dressed as such) and making himself known, not quite the way he wanted. The earlier copra party was a scene where the natives half drank and partied/ half worked to make copra, I liked when seeing those natives climb those palm trees simultaneously side by side on about 5 side by side trees to pick the coconuts. I like when Esther says how she wishes to leave Tahiti and says "I'll be perfectly happy to never see another man in a hammock drinking coconut milk", then cutting to show Keel doing just that. At that point Esther still had Keel fooled into thinking she's native, and when he calls her a "broken down beachcomber" who she questions Keel what that means when she finally reveals to Keel about knowing English, but still hasn't revealed to him yet about actually being American (that part is revealed to him at the elite party earlier mentioned when Keel shows up not quite appropriately dressed). I enjoyed the songs during the first half of the film, first at Keel's hut (which he was initially disappointed about since he was expecting more of a modern (well 1950s modern) house with such amenities) when he sings "House of the singing bamboo" while using a clothespin to make melodic sounds out of the bamboo structured walls. I also enjoyed "Just singing in the sun" as Keel rides his bike through the old fashioned tropical scenery, nice old time scene. I also enjoyed the running joke of the bathtub breaking in half every time they try to deliver it, and also the scene with the elderly Tahitian woman bringing Keel a pig (that keeps trying to sqirm away, and eventually does) and her enjoying the simple pleasures of hearing Keel play on his typewriter. That's the word I keep meaning to use about people on the island (and in general everywhere) back in those days, more simple pleasures.
The film was best throughout the whole first half, and during Esther's water scenes near the end. The part where Keel had to take in three Tahitian kids, I doubt that even back then, you were obligated to suddenly adopt three kids with no prior notice whatsoever in Tahiti. It was never explained who those kids belonged to before showing up in front of Keel. The song Keel sang to the kids about table manners seemed like something more of a thing for kids to watch. I didn't care too much for the scene where Keel gets upset cause he thought they left the copra out in the rain, it even stirred up tension between him and Esther. That scene just didn't fit with the rest of the film
I really enjoyed the Esther water scenes near the end. First the magical fantasy sequence of seeing Esther swimming through the sky. I'd like to think I can almost see her swimming through the sky like that now, since she has now passed on and is up in heaven. I also loved the moment of Esther and some other girls dancing on an island, and then her swimming through all the coral reefs and underwater aquatic life, it was beautiful.
I really enjoyed the tropical island scenery here, which with it being almost 70 years ago, really gave me a "tropical getaway paradise" feeling, even more so than when looking at those same places today. Those islands I reckon really did provide a magical paradise getaway back in 1950. That was before they got hit with modern influences, high levels of tourism, and the internet which people everywhere including those islands now have. You can never feel as sucluded away anywhere anymore when with the internet right in front of you, you can bring so much up right in front of your eyes now at quick and simple pushes of a button. That just makes it all seem less private now. Not to mention how someone standing 15- 20 feet away can take a picture where you accidentally get in, and then it could be posted all over the internet. Back then if you got caught in a picture, most likely only a few people would see the picture like their close family and friends, instead of it being put on the internet for the world. Also back then, people had better manners and wouldn't deliberately take your picture without your consent, unlike today where people would and do. Yes, all those reasons definitely don't make tropical getaways quite the same anymore.
I like the first scene with Howard Keel arriving on the ship (which is how everyone traveled abroad (USA to Pacific islands, USA to Europe, etc.) the first half of the 20th century before airline travel). Esther, who fools Keel into him thinking she's a native Tahitian who doesn't speak much English, has fun teasing him the first part of the film while then going back to her American family's house and talking about what a fool Keel is to her semi snobbish mother. That is more brought out during a semi elite garden party her mother throws that Keel comes to wearing a tropical slip (thinking it was a native Tahitian party like the earlier copra party where everyone was dressed as such) and making himself known, not quite the way he wanted. The earlier copra party was a scene where the natives half drank and partied/ half worked to make copra, I liked when seeing those natives climb those palm trees simultaneously side by side on about 5 side by side trees to pick the coconuts. I like when Esther says how she wishes to leave Tahiti and says "I'll be perfectly happy to never see another man in a hammock drinking coconut milk", then cutting to show Keel doing just that. At that point Esther still had Keel fooled into thinking she's native, and when he calls her a "broken down beachcomber" who she questions Keel what that means when she finally reveals to Keel about knowing English, but still hasn't revealed to him yet about actually being American (that part is revealed to him at the elite party earlier mentioned when Keel shows up not quite appropriately dressed). I enjoyed the songs during the first half of the film, first at Keel's hut (which he was initially disappointed about since he was expecting more of a modern (well 1950s modern) house with such amenities) when he sings "House of the singing bamboo" while using a clothespin to make melodic sounds out of the bamboo structured walls. I also enjoyed "Just singing in the sun" as Keel rides his bike through the old fashioned tropical scenery, nice old time scene. I also enjoyed the running joke of the bathtub breaking in half every time they try to deliver it, and also the scene with the elderly Tahitian woman bringing Keel a pig (that keeps trying to sqirm away, and eventually does) and her enjoying the simple pleasures of hearing Keel play on his typewriter. That's the word I keep meaning to use about people on the island (and in general everywhere) back in those days, more simple pleasures.
The film was best throughout the whole first half, and during Esther's water scenes near the end. The part where Keel had to take in three Tahitian kids, I doubt that even back then, you were obligated to suddenly adopt three kids with no prior notice whatsoever in Tahiti. It was never explained who those kids belonged to before showing up in front of Keel. The song Keel sang to the kids about table manners seemed like something more of a thing for kids to watch. I didn't care too much for the scene where Keel gets upset cause he thought they left the copra out in the rain, it even stirred up tension between him and Esther. That scene just didn't fit with the rest of the film
I really enjoyed the Esther water scenes near the end. First the magical fantasy sequence of seeing Esther swimming through the sky. I'd like to think I can almost see her swimming through the sky like that now, since she has now passed on and is up in heaven. I also loved the moment of Esther and some other girls dancing on an island, and then her swimming through all the coral reefs and underwater aquatic life, it was beautiful.