Tamahine ** (1963, John Fraser, Nancy Kwan, Dennis Price, Derek Nimmo, Justine Lord, James Fox, Coral Browne, Michael Gough) – Classic Movie Review 8630

Director Philip Leacock’s 1962 Tamahine is a fusty, mild, old-style romantic comedy with plenty of routine, school-set and culture-clash laughs, based on the novel by Thelma Nicklaus. But it rolls along pleasantly and humorously, though fairly aimlessly, with the help of nice star performances, pretty location filming, nicely shot in Metrocolor by Geoffrey Unsworth, and Malcolm Arnold’s score.

Dennis Price plays the widowed Charles Poole, the stuffy headmaster of a British upper class all-boys’ school, who goes into a tizzy when his ward, the pretty Polynesian teenage Tamahine (Nancy Kwan), the daughter of Charles’s late cousin Julian, travels over to Britain from the South Pacific for a visit to learn about British customs in accordance with her father’s wishes.

Tamahine starts dating Charles’s 18-year old son, Richard Poole (John Fraser), who is a student at the school. Charles also has a 20-something unhappy and soon to be divorced daughter Diana (Justine Lord), who is dating the school’s indecisive art teacher, Tim Clove (Derek Nimmo).

[Spoiler alert] Tamahine eventually weds Charles’s son Richard and he takes over as headmaster.

John Fraser, Nancy Kwan, Dennis Price, Derek Nimmo, Justine Lord, James Fox, Coral Browne, Michael Gough, Allan Cuthbertson and Dick Bentley are a very good cast and are all fine, though some of the other acting is at times as slack seeming as the screenplay by Denis Cannan. It is frustrating that there is a better, more thoughtful film trying to get out here. However, Philip Leacock directs delicately and sensitively, trying to elevate the film from its easy laughs and cultural and character clichés. And both Kwan and Fraser are appealing.

It is shot in Bora Bora, Leeward Islands, French Polynesia; Wellington College, Crowthorne, Berkshire, England; and Paris. It was nominated for one BAFTA Film Award: Best British Cinematography Colour (Geoffrey Unsworth). Unsworth won two Oscars, for Cabaret (1972)  and Tess (1979) (shared).

They shamefully advertised it like it is a Carry On movie:  ‘She loved the whole student body…and they sure loved hers!!!’

Also in the cast are Howard Marion-Crawford, character actor Ian Fleming (1888–1969), Lally Bowers, Derek Fowlds, William Mervyn, Noel Hood, Viola Keats, Joan Benham, Max Kirby, Robin Stewart, Bee Duffell, Barbara Cavan, Ernest Blyth, Diane Clare and Harry Lockart.

Tamahine is directed by Philip Leacock, runs 95 minutes, is made by Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC), is released by Warner-Pathé Distributors (1963) (UK) and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1964) (US), is written by Denis Cannan, is shot in Metrocolor by Geoffrey Unsworth, is produced by John Bryan, is scored by Malcolm Arnold and is designed by Anthony Masters.

John Fraser published his excellent autobiography Close Up in 2004, in which he writes both well and candidly about his gay life and friendships.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8630

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