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South Pacific

Play trailer 0:30 Poster for South Pacific Released Mar 19, 1958 2h 31m Musical Play Trailer Watchlist
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75% Tomatometer 12 Reviews 69% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Nurse Nellie Forbush (Mitzi Gaynor) of the U.S. Navy falls for middle-aged French plantation owner Emile De Becque (Rossano Brazzi), but recoils upon discovering that he's fathered two mixed-race children. When Nellie leaves him, the heartbroken Emile agrees to take on a dangerous espionage mission. In his absence, Nellie struggles to reconcile her prejudices with her love for him -- and after she spends time with his children and comes to care for them, fears that Emile may not return alive.
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South Pacific

Critics Reviews

View All (12) Critics Reviews
David Vaughan Sight & Sound South Pacific follows what has by now become the pattern for the screen versions of Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals: the original is treated as though it were in some way sacred. Mar 30, 2020 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy The stage version of South Pacific won the Pulitzer Prize, but no comparable honors were forthcoming for this so-so screen adaptation of one of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s most enduring works. Rated: 2.5/4 Mar 2, 2024 Full Review Moira Walsh The Catholic World South Pacific is too sophisticated to have the broad general suitability of The King and I. For its more limited audience, however, it is a practically perfect screen version of a contemporary musical comedy classic. Nov 28, 2023 Full Review Bob Halliday Salt Lake Tribune With the large, curved screen and speakers all around the house, the audience is wrapped up and transported to a Pacific isle with a woman-hungry pack of Seabees for a ringside seat at two of the most intriguing love tales in contemporary literature. Sep 2, 2020 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Joshua Logan's stiff screen version leaves much to be desired, and Mitzi Gaynor is miscast and charmless, but the score is undenibaly glorious Rated: C+ Jul 23, 2012 Full Review Brian Webster Apollo Guide Might not be musical enough for some, and it's certainly not going to be substantial enough for some. But it's entertaining and more emotionally true than you might expect. Rated: 77/100 May 13, 2009 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Mark B Those who thought Mitzi Gaynor was mis-cast and a tad charmless are probably Doris Day fans. I thought Gaynor held the whole movie together brilliantly. Fizzy and sexy but with subtlety.... even though she does look a bit like a young woman who has stepped away for a couple of minutes from the beauty counter in a large department store. I don't like musicals, as a rule, but the wonderful location and big screen effect counterbalanced that. Great supporting cast including John Kerr (Lt Joseph Cable) and Ray Walston (Luther Bliss) but here's a question- why on earth was Rossano Brazzi cast as a Frenchman?? Born in Rome, every letter, word and syllable he uttered was as Italian as ......Italian could be. I guess he couldn't have played an Italian as they were against us in WW2 but at least try and sound like a French man talking in English! I guess Brazzi was hired because he was a handy tenor? But didn't anyone think to ask the emerging Sacha Distel at the time??? Maybe Brazzi's had told the director, Josh Logan, "I-m-a-gonna-make-a-you an offer you cannot-a refuse! Capiche!! Sorry...groan. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/09/25 Full Review Matthew T A beautifully shot film with stunning scenery, though its visual appeal is often dulled by an overuse of primary Crayola-colored tints in key scenes. The soundtrack has its moments, but the actors do little more than belt out their songs, making it visually dull. As for the plot—yet another tedious love story wrapped in a lesson about prejudice. At its center is a romance between a wealthy Frenchman with a penchant for secrets and a naïve, bubble-headed army nurse. Meanwhile, a bizarre subplot follows a lieutenant, a mysterious island, and the island girl who lives there. The tragic conclusion feels more like a forced morality tale, meant to enlighten the nurse about her narrow-minded views—because, apparently, only white Americans ever struggled with prejudice. Yawn. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/01/25 Full Review Toni A The 1958 cinematic production of ‘South Pacific’ remarkably aligns with the year of my birth. The narrative’s ethos, addressing the intricate issue of racial discrimination, remains strikingly relevant in contemporary society. Despite its extended duration, the film is meritorious of viewing for its enduring thematic significance. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/23/24 Full Review Jim P I have seen this movie five times now, and it gets better with each viewing! An amazing musical with clever catchy songs, two parallel love stories and breathtaking scenery. Try it, you may love it too! Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 04/21/24 Full Review harwee h One of the better musicals of that time. Handsomely shot, and the songs are snappy. Happy Talk being one of the most amusing that will keep you smiling. It still felt like 2 movies in one that are clashing (a musical and a war film), but somehow in the end it did work. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 12/25/23 Full Review Joshua H Although not a lot for the songs worked as well for me as maybe they should have done it makes up with an really well told story tackling some big themes making it a fantastic watch. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/03/23 Full Review Read all reviews
South Pacific

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Movie Info

Synopsis Nurse Nellie Forbush (Mitzi Gaynor) of the U.S. Navy falls for middle-aged French plantation owner Emile De Becque (Rossano Brazzi), but recoils upon discovering that he's fathered two mixed-race children. When Nellie leaves him, the heartbroken Emile agrees to take on a dangerous espionage mission. In his absence, Nellie struggles to reconcile her prejudices with her love for him -- and after she spends time with his children and comes to care for them, fears that Emile may not return alive.
Director
Joshua Logan
Producer
Buddy Adler
Screenwriter
Oscar Hammerstein II, Joshua Logan, James Michener, Paul Osborn
Distributor
20th Century Fox, Samuel Goldwyn Company, CBS/Fox, Magna Corporation, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Production Co
South Pacific Enterprises, 20th Century Fox, Rodgers & Hammerstein Productions, Magna Corporation
Genre
Musical
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 19, 1958, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 17, 2015
Runtime
2h 31m
Sound Mix
Magnetic Stereo 6 Track
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