Barbarian Princess

A well-meaning attempt to examine the gradual overthrow of Hawaii's monarchy in the late 1800s, but hamstrung by stodgy storytelling and clunky dialogue.

A well-meaning attempt to examine the gradual overthrow of Hawaii’s monarchy in the late 1800s, “Barbarian Princess” is hamstrung by stodgy storytelling and clunky dialogue. Toplining Q’orianka Kilcher (“The New World”) as legendary royal activist Princess Ka’iulani, the debut of British producer-turned-helmer Marc Forby is of middling telepic quality and will struggle for theatrical success beyond the Hawaiian archipelago. Interest in the movie’s rarely dramatized subject matter should produce moderate fest activity and reasonable ancillary returns.

World preem at the Hawaii fest was surrounded by controversy over the movie’s title. Though the highly educated Ka’iulani was referred to as a “savage” and “barbarian” in newspapers of the day, several prominent Native Hawaiian leaders have claimed the title perpetuates negative stereotyping of indigenous people. A name change prior to release would not be surpsiing.

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Story opens brightly in 1888 with 12-year-old Ka’iulani (Kilcher) flicking the switch that brings electricity to downtown Honolulu. On the same night — four months later in history books — disgruntled foreign businessmen led by Lorrin Thurston (Barry Pepper) and Sanford B. Dole (Will Patton) force Ka’iulani’s uncle, King David Kalakaua (Ocean Kaowili), to sign the “Bayonet Constitution,” severely restricting royal powers. Expected to one day succeed the childless Kalakaua, Ka’iulani is whisked off to Blighty by her widowed Scottish father, Archibald Cleghorn (Jimmy Yuill).

Lost in the rapid flow of events are rudimentary things such as character and context. Almost nothing is known of Ka’iulani’s Scottish-Hawaiian background, and no introductions or explanations are made when Cleghorn leaves the girl with Theo Davies (Julian Glover) and his family somewhere in rural England.

Now known as Victoria Cleghorn and unrecognized as royalty, Ka’iulani is sent to posh Harriden Hall school, where the requisite bullying is meted out by nasty staff and students. Eventually falling in love with Glover’s handsome son, Clive (Shaun Evans), Ka’iulani puts nuptials on hold when news arrives of the 1893 U.S. military-backed house arrest of Queen Lydia Lili’uokalini (Leo Akana Anderson), the late Kalakaua’s fiercely uncompromising successor.

Forby’s stiff direction and starchy dialogue offer Kilcher little scope to shine, but the pic at least gathers some emotional traction as Ka’iulani blossoms into a political activist.

Looking good on a modest budget, the production scored a coup by gaining access to normally off-limits Iolani Palace, a magnificent structure commissioned by King David Kalakaua that had electricity and telephones before the White House. Blighty segs are attractively filmed at any number of stately old homes. A big minus in this otherwise technically polished presentation is the overbearing orchestral score. Screening caught was projected in DV.

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