Act of War

A couple of semesters ago, I took a Hawaiian history course here at HPU; so before watching the film Act of War, I knew a little bit about the history of the overthrow and that Hawaii had been wrongfully taken away from its people. After watching the film Act of War, I found its message reinforced that the Hawaiian Kingdom was wrongfully overthrown but the native Hawaiian people still strive to protect their traditions and land; and the film used many assets to convey this message. What I found particularly interesting was that the filmmakers didn’t show any opinion to the historical events, they stated the facts in a clear, concise manner leaving the audience to form their own opinion of the overthrow. It’s also important to note that the film was released in 1993, a significant year because it marked the centennial of the overthrow. Unfortunately, from the beginning of the film it shows contemporary history today closely mirrors how it was with the unfair treatment of the Hawaiian people. Right at the start, we see what Hawaii looks like during the current time with shots of the developed city, tourists on the beach and partaking in leisurely activities, coupled with the narration “These are the people of Hawai’i” almost sarcastically. Meanwhile, we also see shots of the Hawaiian people protesting in front of Iolani Palace and the Sand Island evictions, being arrested, and their land and homes being taken away from them. At the start of the film, I feel sad and empathetic for the Hawaiian people, because it still shows they are treated unfairly. 

The history of Hawai’i is told by Hawaiian historians through interviews, voice-overs, and historical quotes. We can immediately tell the interviewees are very knowledgeable about Hawaiian history and its traditions and the filming reflected so because in the background for interviews they stood in places significant to Hawaiian history such as Iolani Palace, Ali’iolani Hale, Washington Place, or even simply the natural environment of the island. During their voice overs, the filmmakers provided historical photos and paintings from periods in Hawaiian history as they were being discussed. The paintings and photographs used in the film each served different purposes at some points they are used to establish the differences between the people who emigrated to Hawaii with the people who were already living there; some examples include when Captain Cook and his crew first landed on Hawaii, when the Calvinists from New England arrived, and when the labor forces from all over the Pacific came to work for the sugar plantations. It also showed how the land of Hawai’i changed throughout history from when everyone shared the same land and resources, and then the foreigners divided the land into lots and turned to plantations and Pearl Harbor, which gave way to the big developments that we have today. Each painting or photo evoked a unique emotional response to what was being told in the narration. 

Another asset the filmmakers used to tell the history of Hawai’i was through their use of editing and b-roll. They created the mood of each sequence, especially when the stakes were high or when the outcome was sad. To set the mood for particularly devastating points in Hawaiian history, such as Captain Cook’s crew leaving behind diseases or after the arrest of Queen Lili’uokalani, the filmmakers strategically used b-roll of the natural Hawaiian weather to evoke emotional responses such as a rainy day in the mountains or waves breaking to create a sad atmosphere and symbolize the collapse of their way of life. One particular recurring asset in the documentary that always evoked an empathetic response from me was the statistic of the Hawaiian population throughout the 1800s. At certain points of the film, the filmmakers displayed the population statistics stacked on top of one another, strategically used as a transition into the next point in their history. It forced the audience to take a moment and visually see the Hawaiian population dwindling fast in a short span of years and take a few moments to acknowledge that it’s very shocking. 

Though this film has been around for quite some time, I think this documentary is still relevant and they were able to achieve their goals in getting their message across in the film using the experience and the technology for their time. I think it would be interesting to see a remake or updated version of the documentary to show how times have changed since the films release in 1993, especially with the Mauna Kea protests currently taking place on the Big Island. But above all, this film shows that Hawaii's people are strong and resilient, and prove that life goes on but we shouldn’t lose our history or traditions. 

Photos courtesy of Na Maka o ka 'Aina

What do you guys think of the documentary? What assets did you notice that made you feel some (or a lot) of emotions? If you enjoyed this article please leave a like or  comment below!