This travelogue / educational film by Coronet “Modern Hawaii” shows the Territory of Hawaii (:08). Coronet was a leading producer in educational films from the 1940’s through to the 1990’s. Hawaii finally achieved statehood roughly 10 years after this 1948 film was made — in 1959. At the time of this film’s creation, Hawaii was still considered a US territory as it had been since 1900.
The film opens with images of the Hawaii’s mountainous coast (:33). A map notes the location of Hawaii; the great center of shipping lanes (:48). As air travel became more and more prevalent, Hawaii became increasingly more so important due to it’s location (1:01). An aerial shot is presented of the chain of the archipelago of islands (1:31). These are known as Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Maui and Hawaii; all of which were formed by volcanoes. Mount Aloha erupts every nine years (1:51). Waters wash up and over volcanic rock (2:08). These are gradually pulverized into sand (2:16). The lava decomposes into rich soil (2:26). Fertile soil and tropical climate make the island highly productive (2:32). Small farms are scattered over the land (2:39). Tropical and semi tropical crops are grown including taro rice and corn (2:42). Banana trees hang about (2:47). Sugar cane is a valuable crop (2:52). The sugar cane industry began here in the early 19th century through European settlers (3:00). Cane farmers mostly work on the tropical lowlands bordering the coastline (3:09). The farmers are shown to use mainly hand tools (3:22). Many of the workers were brought to Hawaii from other countries such as Asia (3:32) and the Philippines (3:36). Mature crops are burned (3:50). Stalks are harvested using sharp knives (3:56). Modern machinery such as the grab harvester machine are also employed (4:01). Each plantation has one sugar mill (4:19). Cane is moved by railway (4:24) or by truck (4:30). Once at the mill; sugar cane moves up a conveyor belt to be crushed for juice (4:36). Pineapple fields grow above the cane fields (4:59). Cattle graze over green pastures above the pineapple fields (5:24). Locals float on paddle boats (5:42) as a Polynesian man catches fish with a net (5:59). A traditional grass house (6:09) is compared to a modern Hawaiian home and apartment building (6:19). Pedestrians mill through crowded streets lined with small shops (6:29). Many automobiles are imported here from the US. A bird’s eye view of the capital city of Honolulu follows (6:38). The city is bordered by Honolulu Bay (6:46). Large crates of pineapple and sugar are loaded to be exported (7:04). A cruiser liner arrives in Hawaiian waters loaded with tourists (7:16). A woman receives a garland of flowers (7:26) as part of one of the oldest Hawaiian traditions (7:26). The King Kamehameha statue stands across the street from Iolani Palace (7:37). Many American citizens have also moved to the islands adding to the melting pot that is Hawaii (7:58). Youth of mixed heritages play a game (8:25). The University in Honolulu (8:40) and Academy of the Arts follows. The naval base at Pearl Harbor played a major role in WW2 (8:54). Ground support works to refuel a plane at the Hickam Air Force Base (9:00). John Rogers Airport follows (9:06). Palms sway along the coastline (9:16). A surfer moves for the shore (9:25). Iolani Palace (9:37) and the Aloha Tower; opened in 1926, close the film (9:41).
We encourage viewers to add comments and, especially, to provide additional information about our videos by adding a comment! See something interesting? Tell people what it is and what they can see by writing something for example: “01:00:12:00 — President Roosevelt is seen meeting with Winston Churchill at the Quebec Conference.”
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
