It's a rainy day in Ct. I thought I would watch this inspirational movie again.
Having read several books about Kaulapapa and the settlement at Kalawo, I found the DVD, while dramatized, true to the nature of the man. Kris Kristofferson, Sam Neil and Peter O'Toole will be readily recognizable, and if you are familiar with the villians and heroes of the time (1872), many of them will be recognizable too. I have also read the story of Mother Marianne Cope, "Pilgrimage and Exile", who with other sisters of St. Francis from Syracuse, NY, took over the work of Father Damien DeVesteur near the end of his life. Sister Leopoldina was mentioned in the movie but I believe in the story of Mother Marianne's life, she was not "suited" to continue working with lepers. Parts of this movie were filmed on Kaulapapa and in Kalawao and parts looked like they were filmed over a backdrop of scenery. From the edge of the land overlooking the off shore islands of Mokapu and Akala, it is now a grassy area with a picnic shelter. Of course they could have built the structures for the film. The acting wasn't stellar but I believe that some of the patients that still live there participated in the making of this film, which was originally released in 1999, so they would not be actors per se. The film touches briefly on the "Lord of the Flies" existance that was life in the colony in its early years. This film has never been available at Blockbuster so I bought it on Amazon last year.
We made the trip to Kaulapapa on mule back down the pali about four years ago. There were so many pictures, books and artifacts, that the few hours allotted for the tour is not enough. One thing that the movie didn't depict, which makes me think that St. Philomena Church in the movie was a reconstruction, were the very bright colors inside of the church and the holes that were made in the floor to allow the stench of rotting flesh to escape.
Molokai: The Story of Father Damien (1999)
1999, Unapix Entertainment. Directed by Paul Cox. David Wenham, Kris Kristofferson, Peter OToole, Derek Jacobi.
Buy at Amazon.com
Molokai: The Story of Father Damien (1973) (DVD)
Molokai: The Story of Father Damien (1973) (VHS)
Hilde Eynikel, Molokai: The Story of Father Damien (book)
A National Catholic Register Video/DVD Picks capsule review.
Having read several books about Kaulapapa and the settlement at Kalawo, I found the DVD, while dramatized, true to the nature of the man. Kris Kristofferson, Sam Neil and Peter O'Toole will be readily recognizable, and if you are familiar with the villians and heroes of the time (1872), many of them will be recognizable too. I have also read the story of Mother Marianne Cope, "Pilgrimage and Exile", who with other sisters of St. Francis from Syracuse, NY, took over the work of Father Damien DeVesteur near the end of his life. Sister Leopoldina was mentioned in the movie but I believe in the story of Mother Marianne's life, she was not "suited" to continue working with lepers. Parts of this movie were filmed on Kaulapapa and in Kalawao and parts looked like they were filmed over a backdrop of scenery. From the edge of the land overlooking the off shore islands of Mokapu and Akala, it is now a grassy area with a picnic shelter. Of course they could have built the structures for the film. The acting wasn't stellar but I believe that some of the patients that still live there participated in the making of this film, which was originally released in 1999, so they would not be actors per se. The film touches briefly on the "Lord of the Flies" existance that was life in the colony in its early years. This film has never been available at Blockbuster so I bought it on Amazon last year.
We made the trip to Kaulapapa on mule back down the pali about four years ago. There were so many pictures, books and artifacts, that the few hours allotted for the tour is not enough. One thing that the movie didn't depict, which makes me think that St. Philomena Church in the movie was a reconstruction, were the very bright colors inside of the church and the holes that were made in the floor to allow the stench of rotting flesh to escape.
Molokai: The Story of Father Damien (1999)
1999, Unapix Entertainment. Directed by Paul Cox. David Wenham, Kris Kristofferson, Peter OToole, Derek Jacobi.
Buy at Amazon.com
Molokai: The Story of Father Damien (1973) (DVD)
Molokai: The Story of Father Damien (1973) (VHS)
Hilde Eynikel, Molokai: The Story of Father Damien (book)
A National Catholic Register Video/DVD Picks capsule review.
