The Legend of Johnny Lingo
When a storm washes a canoe bearing an infant boy ashore upon a small South Pacific island, he is at first well-received as a gift from the heavens, even to the point of the tribal chief adopting him as a successor. However, with time as hardships are blamed upon Tama (as he is named), he is finally outcast to live with the poorest people on the island, Mahana and her drunken father. Mahana is considered homely and undesirable, but Tama feels differently, so when he is old enough to build a craft to sail away, he vows to return for her one day. A lucky stroke brings him to land upon the island of the legendary Johnny Lingo, the wealthiest trader in the islands, and after years of service to him, Tama has learned much about life and himself as he dreams of honoring his pledge to Mahana.
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- Cast：
- George Henare , Rawiri Paratene , Joe Folau , Peter Sa'ena Brown , Hori Ahipene , Sima Urale , Christina Asher
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Reviews
Highly Overrated But Still Good
Absolutely the worst movie.
Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.
The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.
It is so easy to criticize it. it is so naive, the performances are not the best, the music is awfull and the moral lesson almost childish. but it has one virtue - it represents the right choice for the gray periods. after a busy day, after difficult events, after a not happy period. if you are tired. or far to be yourself. like a tea cup. sure, it is a sort of propaganda. sure, its story is not exactly credible but too predictable. but it is the expected fairy tale. soft, sweet and...lovely. so, a nice film. for every family member.
This movie is taken from the Church of Jeasus Christ of Later Day Saints a.k.a. Mormons.That said it is in no way a religious movie nor does it advocate any particular faith. I only mention it as that is where I learned of "The Legend of Johnny Lingo." I was surprised to see it was a full length movie (91 minutes).This film teaches the idea of love, honesty, faith (not religious type)and hard work and reward for such work.I liked seeing the longer version of this film that what I had before. It is filled with great views of the aquamarine colored sea and tropical sights they are breath taking.While the message of the film is there it is not annoyingly so.
This movie was surprisingly good. The story is engaging and well told. The plot does have some holes, but they are not really relevant to enjoying the film. The scenery is absolutely incredible - the locations were this was filmed was great. I spent a good bit of the first part of the movie trying to place the date and location, which is doable. I like the fact that they used actors and actresses that actually were from the islands and looked the real part.This is also a great film to watch with your family - there are not a lot of good films you can watch with your young kids and all enjoy. The entire story was suitable for all audiences. I never saw the original - so not sure about the comparisons with the older version.
The Legend of Johnny Lingo is an extended story of the 70's original. It goes into Johnny Lingo's childhood and explains how he first met his wife and how he first became a goods trader. It is a fun movie for all, including those who loved the first version.
