Hawaii – 1966
Here is another one of those movies whose special effects nomination confuses me. There really wasn’t much going on. It was a drama. There was very little action that required innovative effects. I went into this film with the complete misconception that it was a disaster film involving an erupting Hawaiian volcano. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I’m not saying it was a bad movie. But there just weren’t many special effects to speak of.
So what effects did the movie have? It was a period drama that took place in the early 1800s. First, there were rough waters at sea as a sailing ship passes around Cape Horn. Then there was a fire, as angry English sailors set Reverend Hale’s grass-hut church ablaze. During that scene, Julie Andrews’ dress caught fire. And then there was a sudden windstorm that toppled that same church when the Hawaiian Queen died. Aside from that, there was just nothing.
Now, I know there was a fair amount of green-screening in the movie, and I’ll be the first to admit that it was done exceptionally well, especially in the ocean voyage sequences. But was that enough to set its special effects above all the other movies that were released that year? I don’t know. What else came out that year? Well, I did a little research and counted numerous films that, while I have seen none of them, I can only imagine had more interesting visual effects, films like Around the World Under the Sea, The Bible: In the Beginning…, Destination Inner Space, Dracula: Prince of Darkness, Fahrenheit 451. Even the war epic, The Sand Pebbles, which I have seen, had effects comparable to Hawaii.
So what was it about this film that earned it its Oscar nomination? I did a bit of research, but unfortunately came up empty-handed. The reviews I could find on the internet simply called the film’s special effects good, but never really explained why. So all I have to go on is what I could see. I’ll give the film kudos for good green-screening, but all the other effects seemed pretty average. The shot where Julie Andrews’ dress catches on fire can be easily explained using a stunt double. The sudden typhoon winds simply needed some powerful wind machines. And the toppling church was only shown from a distance, where the bare frame of the large hut could be easily flipped without letting us see any wires. I’ll be honest, I was not impressed, and for a Best Special Effects nominee, I wanted to be.
I’ve come to the conclusion that I must be missing something. Why would a movie with so few notable effects be nominated for Best Special Effects? One possible explanation is that the Academy didn’t begin formally recognizing makeup and hairstyling until 1981. It might be possible that the aging makeup applied to the characters might have been considered for special effects. And as far as that went, I thought makeup was done pretty well. Add that to the superior green-screening effects and the few minor effects I’ve already mentioned, and you may have yourself a movie worthy of an Oscar nod.