Posted on: Friday, November 1, 2002

MUSIC SCENE
The plight of Hawaiians, on film, with a live orchestra

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

This historic photograph is included in the film "Then There Were None." The film will be screened today and Sunday, accompanied by the Honolulu Symphony, at the Blaisdell Concert Hall. Hawaii State Archives . . . 'Then There Were None' • A documentary film narrated by its director, Elizabeth Lindsey Buyers, with Honolulu Symphony Orchestra accompaniment • 8 p.m. today, 4 p.m. Sunday • Blaisdell Concert Hall • $15-$57, at the symphony box office • 792-2000 • Also: Pianist Jeffrey Biegel performs George Strouse's Concerto America; Samuel Wong conducts the orchestra.

"Then There Were None," a documentary that traces the journey of Native Hawaiians from "then" till "now," is a little film that's come a long way for Elizabeth Lindsey Buyers, its director.

The synergy of the 25-minute film — already an award winner — continues to astound her.

"There are a number of 'firsts' involved," said Lindsey Buyers, who will narrate her work for the first time when the movie is screened with live accompaniment by the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra tonight and Sunday.

Sunday's performance is linked to the Hawai'i International Film Festival, which gets under way today in Honolulu with international filmmakers in attendance.

But locally, the film — first shown at HIFF in 1995 — is reaching deeper into the community.

"A group of 22 students are coming from Ni'ihau and other islands, thanks to the efforts of (paddler) Donna Kahakui and her Kaimakui group," said Lindsey Buyers. "For these students, it will be the first time that they're attending a symphony concert."

For the orchestra, it's also a maiden voyage. It's the first time in its 100-years-plus history that the orchestra is playing live for a local film.

For the viewing audience, there will be some minor frills. As part of the screening, John Ka'imikaua will chant, and Nola A. Nahulu and the Hawai'i Youth Opera Chorus will perform. Hamilton McCubbin, CEO of Kamehameha Schools, will introduce the film.

All of which thrills Lindsey Buyers.

"Also for the first time, works of four Native Hawaiian artists will be exhibited in the foyer during the concerts," she noted.

The film, evolved in a dream, has been a labor of love for the actress-director. Composed of stunning vintage footage and photographs, many from archival sources, the movie was spurred by a disturbing fact: In 1778, when British explorer James Cook first sailed to Hawai'i, there were more than 500,000 Hawaiians, Lindsey Buyers said, but by 2044, demographers have predicted there will be not a single person of exclusively Hawaiian ancestry left.

It was no easy task for Lindsey Buyers to "marry" her film with the orchestra. She first had to "divorce" the soundtrack from the original film.

"Because of live narration, I had to extract all of the sound off the film, take out some of the supers (titles) from the film, and pretty much restore the film to its original raw state," she said.

Of course, she reworked and tweaked the original narrative, to suit the live-with-orchestra performance, so the images and the spoken words will still be hers.

The presentation, considered a world premiere, had the support of Samuel Wong, the orchestra's music director, with whom Lindsey Buyers huddled early on. The music was composed by Lalo Schifrin, a frequent orchestra guest artist and author of a number of popular themes, including the one for the TV show "Mission: Impossible."

Lindsey Buyers, a former Miss Hawai'i, has been an actor on TV ("China Beach," "The Byrds of Paradise") and in films (with Warren Beatty, Andy Garcia and Chow Yun Fat).

She finished "Then There Were None" in 1996; that same year, the film aired on PBS and since has earned national and international acclaim, winning Best Documentary Film laurels at the Toronto International Short Film Festival, the prestigious Chris Award and a CINE Eagle Award.

In 1999, she completed her doctoral degree in cultural anthropology, specializing in ethno-navigation, which has advanced Native Hawaiian studies.

"I'm humbled and astonished at the ongoing interest in the film," she said. "The Ritz-Carlton in Kapalua shows the film weekly for its hotel guests, it continues to be aired on the Mainland, and the Ritz-Carlton Hualalai has purchased a copy for its guests. The movie has a life of its own that I never expected."

She's also touched by the Honolulu Symphony alliance. "The symphony has been so generous in this collaboration," Lindsey Buyers said. "They're sending a bus out to La'ie (where she grew up) so a lot of people from my home town can come and enjoy the concert Friday night. Many of those who raised me are older now and don't drive."

Lindsey Buyers said that one person called her after receiving the invitation to attend the hoopla. "On the phone, I was told, 'Elizabeth, you never forgot us. We love you very much because you always remember us.' I was close to tears when I hung up," she said.