"Barbarian Princess" is true role model
Remington Taum
Issue date: 10/26/09 Section: Opinion
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Despite the controversy that began over the movie's title, Princess Ka'iulani is portrayed as anything but a barbarian.
If you don't know the history of Princess Ka'iulani or the overthrow of the monarchy, then this movie will open up your eyes to a part of the rich history of Hawai'i and its people.
It was definitely nice to see a movie about an important woman in history and her impact on a unique group of people. Ka'iulani is seen in a positive light and as a proper role model for the Hawaiian people.
Even though there isn't much documented history of Ka'iulani having a love affair in England, that part of her life was included in the movie seemingly to add some romance, as in most Hollywood movies.
The history, of course, had to be compressed and put into a 130-minute movie, and there were things that were left out. But overall, the facts were accurate, experts said.
"Short of a documentary, this film was accurate enough to give the general public a overview of the tragic events that occurred at the end of the 19th century in Hawai'i," said Kealalokahi Losch, assistant professor of Hawaiian and Pacific Island studies at KCC.
I had to make sure I didn't walk in there with a biased opinion from listening to the news an all the hype about the title - and even some claims that not all the history was accurate.
Of course, the title was meant to have irony in it because the princess and her people were simply not barbarians.
Losch also mentioned that the critical point relating to the irony of the title in the movie was when Ka'iulani addressed the American press, which labeled her and her people as barbarians.
It's the part in the movie where the Americans see that Ka'iulani appears with a high-brow English accent. She's beautiful, cultured and shows her knowledge of politics, world events and world views.
It's interesting that since the American press labeled her as barbarian, they now have to retract previous things they had printed because she was obviously not one.
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