With lush valleys, waterfalls and tropical paradise around every corner, Hawai‘i has become a darling of Hollywood and inspiration for writers. You can’t really blame Hollywood producers for falling in love with Hawai‘i, the islands offer more authentic paradise than any studio set. More than 100 films have been shot in the islands since the 1950s, and countless other television shows have been filmed there, as well. Some islands, such as Kauai, are more famous than others.
Hawai‘i has the ability to morph easily, making the audience believe it is anything from a South Pacific beach to a South African village to an exotic Peruvian rainforest. You might think filming on location in a tropical paradise is expensive, but the truth is that tax breaks and other incentives make the endeavor almost as affordable as shooting in a studio back on the mainland.
When Hawai‘i stars as Hawai‘i, movies like 50 First Dates and the book and film The Descendents capture it most authentically because they get beyond the tourist destination and into real life of living in Hawai‘i. For historical fiction, Molokai tells the story of Kalaupapa as a leper colony in a way you’ll never forget.
Books
Non-Fiction
The Betrayal of Lili‘uokalani by Helena G. Allen. All-important biography of Hawai‘i’s last queen.
Diamond Head, Hawai‘i’s Icon by Allan Seiden. A comprehensive look at Hawai‘i’s renowned landmark.
Discovery by Bishop Museum Press. A superb collection of essays and photographs addressing ancient, contemporary and future Hawai‘i.
Haleakala: A History of the Maui Mountain by Jill Engledow. A look at the science of how Haleakala was formed, as well as the people who live there today.
Hawai‘i 1959–89 by Gavan Daws. A thorough history of Hawai‘i’s first 30 years of statehood.
Hawai‘i’s Story by Hawai‘i’s Queen by Queen Lili‘uokalani. The memoirs of Hawai‘i’s first and only reigning queen.
Hawai‘ian Dictionary by Mary Kawena Pukui and Samuel H. Elbert. The definitive reference on Hawai‘ian vocabulary.
Hawai‘ian Legends by William Hyde Rice. Attractive reprint of a 1923 classic, with new photos by Boone Morrison.
Hawai‘ian Mythology by Martha Warren Beckwith. Definitive and comprehensive.
Mark Twain’s Letters from Hawai‘i by Mark Twain. Twain’s look at Hawai‘i in the 1860s.
Volcanoes in the Sea by Gordon A. MacDonald. A historical and scientific look at Hawai‘i’s spectacular volcanoes.s
Waikiki Beachboy by Grady Timmons. A colorful history of Waikiki’s famed beachboy era.
Fiction
The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings. The novel that inspired the motion picture of the same name; about death, family bonding and land ownership in Hawai‘i.
Fluke: Or I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings by Christopher Moore. This novel is based on humpback whale researchers who conduct work off the coast of Maui every winter.
From Here to Eternity by James Jones. The novel that spawned a movie (and a musical); tells the story of military life on Oahu leading up to D-Day in 1941.
Molokai by Alan Brennert. This historical fiction follows the life of a leper exiled to Moloka‘i at age five.
Jurassic Park
Alamy
Film
Waikiki Wedding, 1937. A musical starring the famous Bing Crosby that created two hit songs.
From Here to Eternity, 1953. Put the islands on the map and starred Burt Lancaster, Frank Sinatra, Montgomery Clift, and Deborah Kerr.
South Pacific, 1958. A musical set in war times, was largely filmed on the north shore of Kauai.
Blue Hawai‘i, 1961. Elvis Presley made Hawai‘i everyman’s dream vacation with this musical comedy filmed on Kauai.
Girls! Girls! Girls!, 1962. followed up on the success of Blue Hawai‘i and also starred Elvis Presley.
North Shore, 1987. A surf movie, showed the world that the North Shore of Oahu is the center of the surfing universe.
Jurassic Park, 1993. Part sci-fi, part drama, was largely filmed at Oahu’s Kualoa Ranch, and is the story of an island attraction that features real life dinosaurs.
Waterworld, 1995. A sci-fi movie about a world without land, was filmed off the coast of the islands.
Outbreak, 1995. A movie about a medical disaster starring Dustin Hoffman, portrays Kauai as a Africa in this film.
Six Days, Seven Nights, 1998. Features Hawai‘i as a desert island that Harrison Ford and Anne Heche must survive together on.
Pearl Harbor, 2001. A dramatic telling of the attack on Pearl Harbor, stars Ben Affleck and Kate Beckinsale and was filmed largely onsite at Pearl Harbor Naval Base.
Pirates of the Caribbean, 2003. This film launched the million-dollar series starring Johnny Depp with a movie filmed largely in the islands.
50 First Dates, 2004. Filmed at Sea Life Park on Oahu, is a Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler comedy.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall, 2008. A romantic comedy starring Jason Segel and Kristin Bell, was filmed almost exclusively at Turtle Bay Resort.
Rise of Planet of the Apes, 2011. Filmed partly in Hawai‘i, is a prequel to the famous Planet of the Apes.
The Descendants, 2011. The most real depiction of life in Hawai‘i, written by local author Kaui Hart Hemmings, features George Clooney and many familiar Oahu and Kauai sights.
George Clooney in The Descendants
Alamy
Aloha, 2015. A James Cameron film starring Bradley Cooper and Emma Stone, depicted Hawai‘i’s military/local interactions in the romantic comedy/drama.