Overview
A romantic musical set against the backdrop of World War II, where love and conflict intertwine.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- romantic
- witty
- lush
- classic musical night
- romantic movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly recognize the film's superb songs, vivid musical spectacle, and committed performances while finding its long runtime and stylized presentation uneven.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film alternates large-scale musical performances and playful sailor comedy with serious romantic and wartime scenes.
Nellie and Emile's relationship, as well as Cable and Liat's romance, confront racial prejudice and colonial assumptions.
The Pacific island setting is presented through vivid color, expansive musical staging, and stylized visual filters.
Nellie, Emile, Cable, sailors, and nurses await and respond to escalating World War II action in the Pacific.
Films like South Pacific, and why
Oklahoma!
classic movie musical blending wartime romance, lush tropical spectacle, and sweeping Rodgers and Hammerstein-style songs
The King and I
romantic period musical with racial and social prejudice, memorable songs, and heightened theatrical production
Mister Roberts
wartime musical romance combining military personnel, comic ensemble energy, and emotional melodrama
The Sound of Music
grand studio musical using romance, spectacle, and an exotic setting to explore cultural boundaries
Movie Details
- Director
- Joshua Logan
- Release Date
- 1958-03-19
- Runtime
- 157 min
- Rating
- 6.1 / 10 (122)
Cast
- Rossano Brazzi
- Mitzi Gaynor
- John Kerr
- Ray Walston
- Juanita Hall
- France Nuyen
- Russ Brown
- Jack Mullaney
- Ken Clark
- Floyd Simmons
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, YouTube TV, TCM, BroadwayHD, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Broadway HD Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is South Pacific about?
- On a World War II Pacific island, a spirited Navy nurse and a French planter pursue love while prejudice and military danger close in around them.
- What is South Pacific like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of South Pacific as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is South Pacific violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in South Pacific as mild.
- What did critics think of South Pacific?
- Critics broadly recognize the film's superb songs, vivid musical spectacle, and committed performances while finding its long runtime and stylized presentation uneven.
- Which films are like South Pacific?
- Films with a similar feel include Oklahoma!, The King and I, Mister Roberts, and The Sound of Music.
- How long is South Pacific?
- South Pacific runs 157 minutes.
- Where can I watch South Pacific?
- In United States, South Pacific streams on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube TV, TCM, BroadwayHD, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Broadway HD Amazon Channel.
