Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Hawaii's Last Queen (1997)

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hawaii’s Last Queen is a documentary film which premiered on US television (PBS) in 1997.

 

It is an episode of the long-running program American Experience.

 

Here is some basic information about it:

 

** Written and produced by Vivian Durat

** Edited by Susan Fanshel

** Academic advisors: Davianna McGregor, University of Hawaii and Tennant McWilliams, University of Alabama

** Narrated by Anne Deavere Smith

** Run time: 50 minutes

 

The title is Hawaii’s Last Queen.

 

The subtitle is The Embattled Reign of Queen Liliuokalani.

 

She was born in 1838. Her reign was short and difficult. It began in 1891 and ended only two years later.

 

In 1893, the Hawaiian monarchy was overthrown by a coup arranged by a group of white businessmen.

 

Five years later, in 1898, the former Kingdom of Hawaii was annexed by the US. This film explains how and why this happened.

 

The participants

Several persons are interviewed in the film.

 

Here are the names in the order of appearance:

 

** Thelma Bugbee (1911-2004) - a songwriter, a former teacher

** Aaron Mahi - conductor of the Royal Hawaiian Band 1981-2005

** Henry James “Jim” Bartels (1945-2003) - curator of Iolani Palace 1975-1998

 

** Patricia Ann Grimshaw (born 1938) – a historian, University of Melbourne 1977-2006

** Glen Grant (1947-2003) – a historical researcher

** Davianna McGregor – Professor of History, now retired, University of Hawaii

 

** Thurston Twigg-Smith - grandson of Lorrin Thurston (1858-1931)

** Malcolm Naea Chun – a cultural specialist, author of several books

** Tennant McWilliams (1943-2023) – Professor of History, University of Alabama

 

The participants are well-chosen. When you look at the list, you can see that some of them have passed away since these interviews were done and since this film was released.

 

It is a good thing that their statements and their memories are preserved in this film.

 

The story of her life

This film follows the life of Queen Liliuokalani from the beginning to the end. From she was born in 1838 until her death in 1917.

 

The story of her life is also the story of how the Hawaiians became a minority in their own country; how their monarchy was overthrown; and how the country was eventually annexed by the US.

 

It began with the missionaries who arrived in the 1820s and the 1830s. The missionaries taught the Hawaiians to read and write. They gave them Christianity.

 

They also brought some diseases against which the Hawaiians had little or no immunity. Large numbers of Hawaiians perished when they contracted one of these diseases.

 

The children of the missionaries became the sugar barons who took over a large part of the land and became rich in the process.

 

The sugar fields were cultivated by immigrant workers from Japan, China, and the Philippines. As the number of Hawaiians decreased, the number of immigrant workers increased.

 

The grandchildren of the missionaries became the businessmen who became politicians in order to overthrow the monarchy in 1893.

 

Five years later, in 1898, they managed to convince the US government to annex the country. 

 

The US government realised the strategic importance of Hawaii, which is located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, halfway between Asia and the American continent.

 

Queen Liliuokalani was arrested by the coup-makers in 1895. But she was released in the following year. After her release, she travelled to Washington, DC.

 

She wanted the US government to help her restore the Hawaiian monarchy. She believed the US government would get truth and justice for the Hawaiian people.

 

Instead, the US government sided with the coup-makers and annexed the former Kingdom of Hawaii.

 

1898 was a year of imperialism. The great powers all over the world were looking for new areas to take over and to colonize. Germany, Italy, and Japan were late-comers in the race for colonies.

 

They were jealous of England and France, because they had been able to start before them. Germany, Italy, and Japan wanted to catch up with England and France. They wanted to become not only great powers, but global powers with an international standing.

 

Hawaii was there for the taking. In the end, it was taken by the US. One reason for this decision was to secure Pearl Harbor, which was and is an excellent naval base, but another reason was to make sure that nobody else took it.

 

The US could easily survive without Hawaii, but the US government did not want to see another government profit from having this place.

 

In 1898, the US also took several colonies from Spain: Puerto Rico and Cuba in the Caribbean, the Philippines and Guam in the Pacific. 

 

While they were taking over these former Spanish colonies, they decided that had better take control of Hawaii as well.

 

Conclusion

The history of Queen Liliuokalani – which is also the history of how the Hawaiian monarchy was overthrown and how the country was eventually annexed by the US – is told in great detail in this film.

 

It is a true story. It is well-documented. It is also a sad story. But it is part of reality and deserves to be told.

 

In Hawaii, this story is still remembered, but in the rest of the US and in the rest of the world, it is not well-known, almost forgotten.

 

American Experience deserves credit for making this film, to make sure that these events are not forgotten.

 

If you are interested in the history of the modern world - in particular the history of colonialism - this film is definitely something for you.

 

It is highly recommended.

 

PS # 1. Some books

 

** Shoal of Time: A History of the Hawaiian Islands by Gavan Daws (1986)

** Stolen Kingdom by Rich Budnick (1992)

** To Steal a Kingdom by Michael Dougherty (1992)

** Nation Within: The History of the American Occupation of Hawaii by Tom Coffman (2009)

** The Real History of Hawaii: From Origins to the End of Monarchy by Brien Foerster (2013)

 

PS # 2. Some documentary films

 

** Act of War: The Overthrow of the Hawaiian Nation (1993)

** The United States of Hypocrisy (2001)

** Conquest of Hawaii (2003)

** Hawaii: A Voice for Sovereignty (2009)

 

PS # 3. American Experience is a television program produced by PBS. The first episode was aired in 1988, and the program is still running today. This film Hawaii’s Last Queen is S09 E06 from 1997.

 

PS # 4. A few years ago, American Experience did another episode about Hawaii: S17 E13 (2005). 

 

The title is The Massie Affair. This episode covers the history of a tragic chain of events which took place in Honolulu in 1931 and 1932.

 

*****


The Betrayal of Liliuokalani:

Last Queen of Hawaii

1838-1917

by Helena G. Allen

(1982)

 

*****

 

 

Monday, March 25, 2024

Goldene Zeiten - Bittere Zeiten (1981 & 1984)





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Goldene Zeiten – Bittere Zeiten: Die Geschichte einer Bürgerfamilie is a historical drama in 20 episodes about a German middle-class family during the years 1920-1945.

 

This drama was shown on German television (ARD) in the 1980s and released on DVD in 2016.

 

Here is some basic information about it:

 

** English title: Golden Times – Bitter Times: The History of a Middle-Class Family

** Director: Michael Braun (1930-2014)

** Writers: Michael Braun, Heinz Pauck (1904-1986) & Helmut Pigge (1919-2000)

** Language: German – no English subtitles!

** Run time: 20 x 50 minutes = 1,000 minutes

 

The cast includes the following:

 

The first group 

** Peter Schiff (1923-2014) as Fritz Vollmer (the father) – a barber

** Ilona Grübel (born 1950) as Viktoria “Vicki” Vollmer (the older daughter)

** Jocelyne Boisseau (born 1953) as Susanne Vollmer (the younger daughter)

** Alexander Radzun (born 1952) as Walter Bielstock (Viktoria’s first husband) – the son of a general

** Wolf Roth (born 1944) as Dr Robert Wolf (Viktoria’s second husband) – a journalist

** Gernot Endemann (1942-2020) as Werner Bomback (Susanne’s husband) – a chef

 

The second group

** Walter Buschhoff (1923-2010) as Mr Rodeweil – a bank director

** Heinz Schubert (1925-1999) as Oswald Klein – a cabaret artist

** Margot Leonard (1927-2014) as Annette Seidelmann – member of staff, Park Hotel

** Lukas Ammann (1912-2017) as Mr Winter – director, Park Hotel

 

The third group

** Evelyn Opela (born 1945) as Olga Vesela – co-owner of Moldau Film

** Hélène Arié as Marie Claire Vancourt (a French woman)

** Vernon Dobtcheff (born 1934) as Mr Bernard (a French man)

** Claudine Coster (born 1939) as Madame Bertaux (a French woman)

 

The fourth group

** Karin Eckhold (1938-2018) as Rita Moreno – an actress

** Miguel Herz-Kestranek (born 1948) as Manuel Hohler – a musician

** Gisela Trowe (1922-2010) as Frau Bielstock (Walter’s mother)

 

As stated above, there are 20 episodes.

Here is an overview:

 

Season one

Golden Times

** Shown on television in 1981

** The time frame is 1920-1933

** Episodes 1-11

 

Season two

Bitter Times

** Shown on television in 1984

** The time frame is 1933-1945

** Episodes 12-20

 

Golden Times – Bitter Times is a historical drama, a fictional story placed in a historical context. In this case, the historical context is the history of Germany and its neighbours during the years 1920-1945.

 

The main location is the German town Baden-Baden, formerly known as Baden. This is where the Vollmer family lives and works when the story begins in 1920. Some of them are still there when the story ends in 1945. Other locations are Berlin, Paris, Vienna, Prague, Marseilles, and Switzerland.

 

Occasionally, the story is written so that one of the fictional characters is closely connected with a significant historical event. Here are three examples:

 

** The assassination of the German politician Matthias Erzberger (born 1875) in August 1921 

(Walter)

** The Locarno Conference in October 1925 

(Susanne)

** Aktion T4, the secret German program for euthanasia (1939-1941) 

(Walter and his mother)

 

I do not wish to spoil the viewing for anyone. I am not going to say much about what happens in this drama. 

 

I will only offer a brief introduction and tell you how the story begins:

 

Viktoria, who was born ca. 1895, is the older daughter of Fritz. During World War One, she worked as a nurse close to the front. In 1920, when she is ca. 25, she returns to her home town Baden-Baden where she joins her sister and her father. 

 

Susanne, who was born ca. 1905, is the younger daughter. In 1920, she is ca. 15. She is still in high school.

 

Fritz (the father) is a barber, who has his own shop. He was born ca. 1870. In 1920, he is ca. 50.

 

His wife, the mother of the two daughters, is never seen: she left the family to be with another man several years before the war began, perhaps in 1910.

 

In this drama, we follow the Vollmer family during a period of 25 years, from 1920 to 1945.

 

At first, Germany is known as the Weimar Republic; later, it is known as the Third Reich.

 

As you can see from the chart above, the list of characters is quite long. The key characters, members of the Vollmer family, come into contact with all of them in some way and at some moment in time.

 

Some contacts are friendly, while others are not so friendly. Some relationships can last, while others cannot; for different reasons.

 

The Vollmer family is a symbol of Germany. What happens to this family is a mirror image of what happens to Germany:

 

** At first, there is peace

** Then, there is conflict

** Finally, there is war

 

The family is torn apart by micro-politics in the same way as the whole country is torn apart by macro-politics.

 

This is how the story begins, and this is where my presentation ends.

 

If you want to know what happens to Fritz, his daughters, and the people around them, you will have to watch the historical drama all the way to the end.

 

What do reviewers say about this drama?

 

On IMDb it has a rating of 75 percent.

 

On Amazon Germany there are at the moment 27 ratings of this product; including 20 with reviews.

 

The average rating is 4.1 stars, which corresponds to a rating of 82 percent.

 

In my opinion, both ratings are too low.

 

Why?

 

This drama is more than thirty years old, and sometimes it shows, especially in the beginning. When you watch the first episode, it feels a bit dated.

 

But after a while you will get used to it, and soon you will no longer think about it. Why not? Because the story will capture your attention.

 

When you get to the end of one episode, you will want to watch the next episode in order to find out what happens.

 

The key characters are credible. None of them is all good or all bad. There are some good and some bad elements in all of them. In other words: they are realistic. They are human.

 

This story is not painted in black-and-white. Nor is it predictable. We do not know who will survive until the end of the war in 1945.

 

Having made these positive remarks, I must add that the drama is not perfect. 

 

There is a minor flaw concerning the age of the actresses who play Susanne and Viktoria:

 

(1) Jocelyne Boisseau was born in 1953. In 1980, when season one was filmed, she was 27. But in episode 1, she is supposed to be 15!

 

She tries hard to seem young, but does not succeed. Who can blame her? It is not her fault. An actress who is 27 should not be asked to portray a character who is 15.

 

The movie-makers should have used another actress for the first few episodes when Susanne is still a teenager.

 

When we get to episode 7, we are in 1925. Now Susanne is 20. She is still seven years too old for the role, but at least the age gap is not so obvious anymore.

 

When we get to episode 11, we are in 1932 and Susanne is 27. Finally, the actress has the right age for her role.

 

(2) There is a similar problem with the actress who plays Viktoria. Ilona Grübel was born in 1950. In 1980, when season one was filmed, she was 30. But in episode 1, she is supposed to be 25!

 

When we get to episode 7, we are in 1925 and Viktoria is 30. Finally, the actress has the right age for her role.

 

As you can see, there are some flaws, but I will regard them as minor. I have decided that they will not have any influence on my rating of this product.

 

I understand the positive reviews and I agree with them. I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars (100 percent).

 

PS # 1. The main language is German. But French is spoken in a few scenes. When this happens, there are subtitles in German.

 

PS # 2. Regarding subtitles: as stated above, there are no (optional) subtitles on the DVDs. 

 

This is another minor flaw. There should have been subtitles in German for those who are hard of hearing and for those who wish to improve their German language skills. 

 

In addition, there should have been subtitles in English for the foreign market.

 

What a shame!

 

PS # 3. Here is an interesting detail: in the drama, Susanne Vollmer and Werner Bomback are married to each other.

 

In the real world, Jocelyne Boisseau and Gernot Endemann, who play these characters, were actually married to each other for a while.

 

PS # 4. Magere Zeiten is a historical drama in 16 episodes set in post-war Germany; the time frame is 1945-1948.

 

This historical drama was shown on German television (ARD) in 1978 (and released on DVD in 2012). It starts in 1945 where Goldene Zeiten – Bittere Zeiten ends.

 

The people behind the drama from 1978 are the same: the trio Michael Braun, Heinz Pauck and Helmut Pigge. But the characters are different.

 

*****


Magere Zeiten

A historical drama which premiered on

German television (ARD) in 1978

It was released on DVD in 2012

 

*****