Made in 1942 just after the outbreak of WWII, “The Real Hawaii” takes viewers on a tour through the islands, starting with images of the U.S. Pacific fleet and emphasizing the islands’ strategic importance (:21). The film is notable for including images of the islands’ diverse ethnic make-up and shows the Chinese, Japanese, and Hawaiian peoples who live in the territory. It is also notable for its narration which contains wartime caution regarding spies and collaborators.
The islands have been formed by volcanic eruptions and ash (:28). The main occupation here is involved in the Navy, Army or other fields of military defense (:46). Considered the most powerful military base, Pearl Harbor, is located twelve miles from Honolulu (:55). A map is shown, directing attention to Hawaii’s location; it is equal distance from four of the five continents (1:03). Headlines from the attack on Pearl Harbor flash upon the screen (1:11). US soldiers and sailors patrol the streets of Honolulu (1:21), and you’ll see rare wartime images in color of Honolulu. Native Hawaiians only make up about 6% of the population (1:42). Retail services and commercial fishing was largely in the hands of the Japanese culture (3:00). Some fishing is conducted at sea in small power boats (3:06), others along the black rocks at the shore (3:30).A native fisherman is shown preparing a hand made net, not unlike those used by his forefathers (3:57). Utilizing a spear, another is waving his catch of fish above water (4:48). Natives also forage forests for food (4:56). The national dish called Poi is made from the mashed roots of the Taro plant (4:56). The island raises only about 15% of foods needed and the rest must be imported (5:21). Cowboys and ranchers herd thousands of cattle (5:35). The chief cash crop here is sugar which yields about a hundred million dollars annually and supplies over ten thousand employment (5:48). Carefully contained fires are used to harvest the cane as it is full enough of juices to keep from burning (6:01). Other than portable rail roads (6:29), cane is also floated downhill from high steep slopes (6:37). Due to the high need for workers, laborers are recruited from many other countries (6:56). After being pressed in modern mills, most of the sugar will travel to the US (7:01). The growing and sale of pineapples has become a large industry especially as canning has been introduced (7:45). The next largest industry is the tourist industry (7:57). Lei’s, much enjoyed by tourists are crafted and strung from hibiscus and ginger blossoms (8:14). The island is considered a flower lover’s paradise (8:24). At Hawaii’s National Park, the volcano Kilauea is very active and one of it’s many cracks is shown which releases volcanic vapor (8:51). A major tourist attraction is the Hula and this is the rhythmic interpretation of the islands relationship with nature (9:02). Traditionally young women were consecrated as temple dancers for the Hula ritual (9:20). Waikiki Beach is a well known beach of the islands (9:54). For many centuries canoes were the only means of transportation and early settlers traveled many miles of ocean to arrive here. Surfing is a popular pastime (10:16) and tourist attraction. The film draws to conclusion with the customary tradition of casting lei’s overboard as ships pull from the harbor (10:45). If it floats back to shore, this is taken as a sign the visitor will return again someday. The American flag had first entered the harbor in 1789, and now it is here to remain (11:02).
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
