Return to Paradise: A Guide to South Sea Island Films

by Larry Langman

Return to Paradise explores those films whose plots revolve chiefly around the South Seas and shows how American culture has influenced both the thematic portrayal and content of each film. Similarly, the author presents the ways in which these films have reflected American society, laws and attitudes.

Over 600 American films, released between 1908 and the present, are arranged in chronological order in this work. Remakes and films with alternate titles are listed, as well as those films adapted from a published work. A must for the film buff, each entry lists the title, year of release, the releasing company or distributor, the director, screenwriter and major cast credits.

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Larry Langman is a film historian and writer, who has published extensively.

Reviews

[Ric Cezar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting overview on how the American film industry created (in the turn of 20th century) an ideology and stereotyping of the Pacific Islands and their people that would endure forever. "Always available single exotic beauties, who would allure handsome white American men to go 'savage'". At the same time, an economic symbiosis is created in the reality, as the tourism in the Pacific boomed after the creation of such movies, mostly during and after the WWII and the Pearl Harbor ongoing ins-and-outs. A great example of a successful symbiosis in the "fiction x tourism x economy x revival of ancient traditions" is Hawaii, which is not well explored in this book.