The New Kauai Movie Books: Films Made on the Garden Island

It's not just visitors who have come in droves to experience Kauai's scenic beauty, natural wonders, and sense of mystery. Hollywood knew Kauai's secrets long before the Garden Isle became a destination for travelers from around the globe. Its fascination with Kauai goes as far back as 1933 when the first major feature, White Heat (originally titled Cane Fire), was filmed. The New Kauai Movie Book includes films made since the book's original release in 1996 such as The Descendants, a film acclaimed as the most authentic movie about Hawaii ever made; Pirates of the CaribbeanOn Stranger Tides; Soul Surfer, the story of Kauai shark attack survivor Bethany Hamilton; and Ben Stiller's Tropic Thunder. It documents Hollywood's almost century-long love affair with Kauai integrating rare movie stills of casts, crews, and sets, along with the breathtaking color imagery of locations by renowned island landscape photographer David Boynton. Readers are able to trace the location of almost every major Hollywood feature filmed on the island including Jurassic Park, South Pacific, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Descendants. It is almost like visiting the locations where your favorite memorable scenes were made and reliving them. The New Kauai Movie Book is also filled with detailed information about film making on Kauai. There is a concise history of surfing movies, a look at documentary filmmaking in the island's native forests, and accounts of Japanese film companies. As well, there is a driving guide to movie locations, a two-page film location map, a comprehensive compendium of feature films ever made on the island.