Scene It - Barbarian Princess?

Posted on: March 19, 2008 at 12:21:57 pm
Barbarian Princess?

Production has begun in Honolulu on a studio film about Princess Ka'iulani, who traveled to England in 1888 at the age of 12 to escape the impending turmoil in the Kingdom of Hawai'i as a result of rebel American forces trying to take over. The princess returned to Hawai'i after the overthrow in 1893 to try to restore the monarchy. She traveled to the mainland to meet with President Grover Cleveland to seek his support.

The tentative title of the film is "Barbarian Princess," which is a reference to the paparazzi of the time who dubbed Ka'iluani "the barbarian princess." The media portrayed her as such until she traveled to the mainland and conducted her business there with poise, strength, intelligence and honor.

There's been a bit of an outcry here about the film's working title, many Hawaiians finding it offensive and needlessly inflammatory.

What are your thoughts on the title? Should it be changed even though, as Ricardo Galindez of the Island Film Group said in a press release, the title is meant to be an"ironic juxtaposition" because Ka'iulani was anything but barbaric?

Q'Orianka Kilcher has been cast to play Princess Ka'iulani. Here she is as Pocahontas in 2005's The New World.

[Photo: Courtesy of movieweb.com]

UPDATE: The title of the movie has officially been changed to "The Last Princess." Read Honolulu Advertiser reporter Mike Gordon's story on the film here.

8 comments • Permalink • Report offensive comment

Comments:

Comment from: Chicago [Visitor]

Yeah, I think it should be changed. How many people want to see a film called "Barbarian Princess," and if they do want to see it, how many will be disillusioned as a result? (Barbarian Princess calls to mind Xena the Warrior Princess, etc, not to mention worse things.) Why don't they call the film something that reflects how beautiful Ka'iulani was instead?

03/19/08 @ 13:12

Comment from: Papa Bear [Visitor]

"Warrior Princess"?!?! Surely, they jest!! Kaiulani (my favorite princess, BTW) was as far from being a barbarian as...well... I am from being Mel Gibson... *GRIN*

03/19/08 @ 14:59

Comment from: christy [Visitor]

i think they should call it "the princess formerly known as barbarian." ;)

03/19/08 @ 15:46

Comment from: christa [Visitor] · http://www.supercw.com

there has GOT to be a better way.

my ideas:

The Hawaiian Kingdom
The Princess with Poise
Ka'iulani
Media Nicknames Always Suck

er. well, i mean, i don't get paid to name films.

hoping Galindez doesn't use that juxtaposition idea.

03/19/08 @ 17:09

Comment from: hemajang [Visitor]

Bad title for a movie about the beloved princess. Ironic juxtapositon? Maybe, but it sounds like this will not be a good representation of Princess Ka'iulani and Hawaiian history. "The New World" was a good/okay movie and the actress Kilcher (Pocahontas) was very good and may be just as good as Ka'iulani. Her look could be interpreted as Hawaiian.

03/20/08 @ 06:27

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03/20/08 @ 19:53

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03/20/08 @ 21:30

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03/23/08 @ 20:08

Comments are closed for this post.

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