This spring History and the Arts visits the South Pacific, explores the history of the Polynesian islands near Tahiti and compares that history to Hollywood which of course has had a particular focus on that region.  The real ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ is a fascinating story which will be reviewed, but the story becomes even more interesting when one considers that three Hollywood movies have retold the story, not always very accurately. Those films are a great story in themselves and highlights will be presented.  The musical South Pacific had a real history based in World War II and that film will be discussed with film clips and used as an entry into the story of the Pacific War from Pearl Harbour to its eventual conclusion. Popular culture has had a take on all of these stories and this region in general, so don’t be surprised if you also see a clip from Looney Tunes called “Mutiny on the Bunny.” 

Participants’ opinions and questions on these stories and these films are not only welcomed, but we hope will become a discussion that is the focus for most of these presentations.   Participants may even win ‘big-time’ prizes like laminated film history bookmarks which we - or more accurately, Chat GPT - have created.