Princess Kaiulani (film)
| Princess Kaiulani | |
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Poster for US theatrical release
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| Directed by | Marc Forby |
| Written by |
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| Starring | |
| Music by | Stephen Warbeck |
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Production
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| Distributed by | Roadside Attractions |
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Release date
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Running time
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97 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $9 million |
| Box office | $883,887 |
Princess Kaiulani (sometimes titled Barbarian Princess) is a 2009 film based on the life of Princess Kaʻiulani (1875–1899) of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi.
At Iolani Palace, Princess Kaiulani and the rest of the royal family prepare for a ceremony that night to light Honolulu with only electricity. That night however the ceremony is interrupted when a large group of armed white men enter the palace grounds. Led by Lorrin Thurston, the men demand that Ka'iulani's uncle, King Kalakaua, sign a new constitution to restrict the power of the monarchy as well as to grant huge governmental powers to citizens of European ancestry. The situation soon devolves into a tense standoff between Thurston's men and the Royal Guards. Amidst the chaos of the moment Ka'iulani is taken away for her own safety by her Scottish father, Archie Cleghorn, and sent to England for both protection and education.
Now in England, Ka'iulani struggles to fit in as her Polynesian heritage makes her a target of racism and offensive stereotypes from the Europeans whom she meets. She does make some friends, including the handsome young Clive Davies. They develop a relationship and the two become engaged. But one day her father returns from Hawaii after several years and, to her shock, informs her that her uncle, King Kalakaua, had died shortly after being forced to sign the new constitution by Thurston and Sanford B. Dole. He then informs her that a failed native rebellion against the new constitution gave Thurston enough support to arrest and depose Queen Liliuokalani, overthrowing the monarchy and declaring Hawai'i a republic. After discovering that the Davies family knew of her family's overthrow but hid the news from her Ka'iulani decides to call off her engagement and leave England. She travels to the United States where she gathers media attention and denounces the overthrow as well as the U.S.'s involvement. Her cultured, regal appearance overcomes the racist views against her, and many note that she is not the "Barbarian Princess" she was depicted as at all. Her campaign against the overthrow climaxes with her meeting U.S. President Grover Cleveland. At a lunch with the President, Ka'iulani charms him and convinces him to actively oppose the overthrow, which he does so by refusing to annex Hawaii as an American territory. Unfortunately for Ka'ilulani, this act is done during the waning days of the Cleveland administration, and a few weeks later President William McKinley is inaugurated.
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