Above: Ke Kamāliʻi Wahine Victoria Kaʻiulani | Below: Q'orianka Kilcher in Marc Forby's Princess Kaiulani

When British director’s Marc Forby’s period piece (loosely) based on the life of Ke Kamāliʻi Wahine Victoria Kawēkiu Lunalilo Kalaninuiahilapalapa Kaʻiulani made its debut at the Honolulu International Film Festival last fall, much of the public controversy swirled around the name then chosen for the film, Barbarian Princess.

When questioned publically about name, Forby said, as quoted by the Honolulu Advertiser, “The title was meant to bring in, and then challenge audiences from, say, middle America who might be expecting something like sexy dances at a luau … We wanted to draw attention to how Hawaiians were treated in the 1800s; this has never been about exploiting the Hawaiian people. I never knew it would get so heated. I thought the irony would be obvious.”

I thought Forby’s argument was a flimsy one. Moreover, it quickly summed up his actual stance. While not apparently not wanting to fall into a trap of tourist expectations, Forby indicated that his film was for a certain kind of market, one that needs everything needs spelled out for it and unable to handle a Hawaiian name in the title. At the same time, it seems that, for Forby, a Hawaiian name like Kaʻiulani–perhaps, any Hawaiian word at all–could only conjure exoticism, ignoring the number of films that retain their native language titles.

What if we were to apply his argument to prominent, valued historical figures from other country’s without their input? Whatever their personal opinion of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, I doubt most Americans would appreciate a film titled The Adultrous President. Possible criticism for content aside, Oliver Stone went with JFK and W. for his presidential flicks. I doubt Forby’s fellow Brits would have tolerated a sensationalized name for any film about any of their royals.  Consider instead the titles for films about important figures. Across the “pond”, Stephen Frear chose the simple The Queen for his 2006 film about Queen Elizabeth II.

Since the Hawaiʻi 2009 debut, Forby and his team have reconsidered their marketing strategy and dropped the barbarian idea. As of May 2010, viewers across the United States can now head out and watch Princess Kaiulani (note: no ʻokina) instead. While I was relieved of the name change, I still couldn’t help but cringe when I saw the melodramatic trailer.

Since the film’s debut last week, I have been entertained to see what American critics think of the film and how Forby’s film comes across to those unfamiliar with Hawaiʻi.

The Los Angeles Times’ Gary Goldstein said the film made for “starchy entertainment”. Goldstein goes on to describe actress Q’orianka Kilcher’s portrayal of Kaʻiulani as bloodless. Unsurprisingly, the film only earned two stars.

Mike Hale of the New York Times went further in criticizing the film. He describes it as “an odd hybrid” and “deeply silly and stagebound”. He says, “At times it’s the sort of ridiculously anachronistic period film in which historical characters act like 21st-century teenagers who happen to be wearing hoop skirts.”

Reading his reviews, it’s clear that Mr. Hale read up at least a little on Hawaiian history, enough to catch Forby’s errors. Hale states that Forby

“fudges in ways small (an early scene shows Ka’iulani playing a significant role in a palace function she did not attend) and large (the circumstances of her departure for England are much more dramatic and historically relevant in the film than they were in real life). By the time Ka’iulani, having returned home as a figurehead crown princess, French kisses Clive in full view of her retinue, all you can do is shake your head.”

And while his nomenclature is off (Hale calls an ʻokina an apostrophe), even the New York City journalist can catch the film’s spelling error:

A final note: the film’s title drops the apostrophe in Ka’iulani — so that strictly speaking, “Princess Kaiulani” seems to refer to the Waikiki hotel rather than to the princess herself. It didn’t matter at a screening this week, however, as the print shown to critics still carried the film’s original and less felicitous title: “Barbarian Princess.”

That said, Mr. Hale’s review is not without its own inaccuracies or flaws. I strongly disagree, for instance, with his one-liner that the overthrow of the Hawaiian kingdom is “a complex and sometimes squalid story with less-than-admirable behavior on all sides” is highly debatable. But I won’t make the mistake of thinking of him as a historian or a scholar. I quote him here a film critic four thousand miles away from Hawaiʻi, who, with a little research and working under a pressing deadline, could detect the film’s flaws.

Interestingly enough, I found that one local newspaper’s review didn’t find any of these weaknesses, offering a mostly sunny, encouraging words about Princess Kaiulani. This, of course, came as no surprise, as quite often, more local newspaper critics write more like PR reps than actual critics. At least, the review from the Honolulu Star-Bulletin read more like a review, though I disagree with the critic’s opinion that films can play with history because we watch movies just for entertainment… and not, say, to learn about the human experience or be inspired.

That said, I have not brought myself around to watching Princess Kaiulani yet. Kircher’s stilted pronunciation of Hawaiʻi was discouraging enough. After all, what kind of princess can’t even say the name of her own kingdom right?

All the strife around Princess Kaiulani film underscores the need to support kānaka maoli (Native Hawaiian) filmmakers so an authentic perspective of Hawaiian culture can find its rightful place on the silver screen. In the meantime, I would rather spend my money to watch one of the screening’s at the Honolulu Academy of Arts’ ʻŌiwi Film Festival and wait to see Forby’s film on Netflix.

JUDGE FOR YOURSELF

I think the trailer for Princess Kaiulani says enough about the film.

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