HD Window: Hawai'i (2005) [UR] *

As a visual demonstration of your HD home theater, as a study of landscape pattern and texture, or as the television equivalent of a slow-motion computer screen saver, this 50-minute production is successful.

Unfortunately, there is very little in HD Window: Hawai'i that is recognizably Hawaiian, other than a picture of the Na Pali Coast of Kaua’i, a couple of distant shots of Honolulu and Waikiki, and a picture of Chinaman's Hat on the North Shore of O’ahu. Other than those few images, this production could have been filmed anywhere that taro, sugar cane and palm trees grow, and one can find tropical waterfalls and beaches. There are no people, other than a picture of some tourists at a lighthouse. And the orchestral and jazz background music does absolutely nothing to enhance the feeling of being in Hawai'i. The At a Glance notes say that you can turn off the music and enjoy the video with natural sounds, and I strongly suggest doing that.

Having lived on the island of Maui for several years, I can assure you that you will NOT see any of these memorable images of Hawai’i: lava flows on the Big Island, sunrise on Haleakala, windsurfing and kite surfing at Ho'okipa Beach Park on the windward side of Maui, board surfing at Waimea Bay on the North Shore of O’ahu, Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial, reefs and underwater wildlife at Hanauma Bay, Honolua Bay or Molokini, humpback whales breaching the ocean surface, Waimea Canyon, hikers on the Kalalau Trail, Hawaiians hunting wild boar, Hawaiians fishing with nets, Hawaiians farming taro, or Hawaiian hula dancers. For these evocative images of Hawai’i, you must look elsewhere. 

Label: adventure  
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