Line #9 Film/DonovansReef


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/donavons_reef.jpg]]
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3	''Donovan's Reef'' is a 1963 romantic comedy film directed by Creator/JohnFord and starring Creator/JohnWayne.
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5	Michael Patrick "Guns" Donovan (Wayne) is a UsefulNotes/WorldWarII navy veteran living on the fictional UsefulNotes/{{French Polynesia}}n island of Haleakalowa, where he runs a saloon and shipping business while supporting the local economy and acting as an uncle and [[ParentalSubstitute surrogate father]] to the children of his former commanding officer, Dr. William Dedham (Creator/JackWarden), whenever the physician has to travel to the outlying islands for weeks at a time. Alongside that he's engaging in fistfights with his other war buddy, Thomas Aloysius "Boats" Gilhooley (Creator/LeeMarvin), or hanging out with the French governor, Marquis Andre de Lage (Creator/CesarRomero).
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7	All is well and good until Donovan receives the news that Dr. Dedham is a DisappearedDad whose long-lost daughter, Amelia (Elizabeth Allen), is traveling to Haleakalowa to meet her father and gauge his moral standards (according to Boston) to determine whether or not he is fit to continue holding his shares in the Dedham family shipping company. Given that Dr. Dedham has three children with an islander mother, Amelia isn't likely to take that well, so Donovan pretends the kids are his own while Amelia is visiting in order to help protect his friend's reputation. Sparks, romantic and otherwise, begin to fly between the veteran brawler and the prim young lady soon after her arrival.
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9	Ford and Wayne's last screen collaboration, shot on location in Kauai, UsefulNotes/{{Hawaii}}.
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12	!! ''Donovan's Reef'' contains examples of the following:
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14	* AffectionateNickname: "Uncle Guns," from the Dedham kids to Donovan. Becomes "Papa Guns" when they pretend to be his kids.
15	* TheAlcoholic: Gilhoolie, also a case of RealLifeWritesThePlot as Lee Marvin was constantly hung over during shooting.
16	* ArtisticLicenseHistory: There was no fighting in French Polynesia during the Pacific Theater in World War II.
17	* ArtisticLicenseReligion: An InUniverse example as the three magi in the story of the Nativity become the king of Polynesia, the emperor of China, and the king of the United States of America.
18	* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: The reason why Dr. Dedham stayed on the island to help the people there rather than return to Boston after the war.
19	* BlackComedy: A mild example as Donovan tells Amelia that the gold stars next to the names of his dead war buddies on the monument weren't for good behavior.
20	* BookEnds: The plot is kicked off with a scene showing the Dedham kids moving out of their father's house and the film ends with a scene showing them moving back in.
21	* BrotherSisterIncest: Downplayed, but Luki is happy to refer to Amelia (his half-sister) as his date in one early scene.
22	* ButtMonkey: Both Gilhoolie and Marquis Andre throughout the film.
23	* CartwrightCurse: [[spoiler: Both of Doc's wives died soon after having their only and youngest respective children born.]]
24	* DefrostingIceQueen: Amelia behaves like a stereotypical rich snob from Boston upon arrival in French Polynesia, but quickly begins to defrost upon admitting her own fear of the situation and meeting some local children she quickly begins to bond with.
25	* DistractedByTheSexy: Played straight with the Australian sailors forgetting about no alcohol in the bar and chasing after some local women, only to be inverted later when they do learn there ''is'' alcohol in the bar, and it's being given away for free, so they ditch all the women.
26	* EmbarrassingNickname: Averted. Luke enjoys being called "Lukie."
27	* EstablishingCharacterMoment:
28	** The entire first act is dedicated to the relationships between Donovan, Gilhoolie, Andre, and Dr. Dedham.
29	** The scene that introduces Amelia begins with several shots of portraits of previous Dedhams with cold, icy stares, and the camera pans down to reveal Amelia having the exact same expression.
30	* EveryoneHasStandards: During their first fight, Gilhoolie picks up a glass bottle to throw at Donovan. Donovan quickly yells not to use the brandy bottle, to which Gilhoolie apologizes, puts down that bottle and throws a beer bottle that was already open instead.
31	* ForcedKiss: Donovan to Amelia. She resists... at first.
32	* FreudianSlip: Andre pointing out several island girls to Amelia, naming them by name, and stating he's like a partner--er, father, to all of them.
33	* GoldDigger: Marquis Andre is a male version. He attempts to woo Amelia because her family is rich.
34	* GoneHorriblyRight: The Australian sailor who gets his brother to join Gillhoolie and Donovan in the bar fight to even the odds probably didn't expect his brother to accept this so quick, or to deck him quite so hard or so fast.
35	* GoodShepherd: Father Cluzeot, the noble, if cantankerous, priest, who is forever taking donations meant to repair the leaky roof of the local church and distributing them to the poor. Even Gilhoolie tries to put on a good front for the man.
36	* HereWeGoAgain: Near the end, when Amelia falls out of the car right in front of Donovan, he exclaims, "Not again!"
37	* InsistentTerminology: "The Dedhams do not deal in rum, Amelia. We refer to it as West Indies Goods."
38	* TheJeeves: Mr. Eu, Andre's manservant and stooge.
39	* [[LukeYouAreMyFather Leilani, You Are My Sister]]: [[spoiler:Amelia eventually learns the truth about her half-siblings.]]
40	* MissingMom: Dr. Dedham's [[spoiler:second]] wife died in childbirth. The movie also reveals that Amelia's died when she was very young.
41	* MurderTheHypotenuse: Downplayed. Andre doesn't want to kill Donovan, but he does want Amelia to leave him by tarnishing his personal reputation with her.
42	* NoodleIncident: A series of them between Donovan and Gilhoolie as to why they reunite on their shared birthday of December 7th to punch the crap out of each other. Even they've forgotten exactly which one started it all.
43	* ObnoxiousInLaws: Amelia's mother's family apparently didn't think well of Doc, not even informing him of his wife's death until months afterwards.
44	* OldTimeyBathingSuit: What Amelia purchases and wears to go water skiing.
45	* PoliceAreUseless: Sergeant Monk Menkowicz of the French Foreign Legion never does anything to break up bar fights in Donovan's Reef because he's "always off duty."
46	* ReallyGetsAround: Gilhoolie.
47	* RipTailoring: Amelia tears off her OldTimeyBathingSuit to reveal a more modern one-piece.
48	* SceneryPorn: It was filmed in Hawaii after all.
49	* ShoutOut: Amelia's first words to her father are, "Dr. Dedham, I presume?"
50	* SlapSlapKiss: Amelia and Donovan have this relationship at first.
51	* TitleDrop: "Donovan's Reef" is the name of the saloon and the sign is visible throughout the movie.
52	* ValuesDissonance: InUniverse, this is the driving force behind the plot. Never mind that Dr. Dedham did not re-marry and have more kids until after learning his first wife had died, but Amelia's trip to ascertain his "good, moral character according to ''Boston'' standards," as quoted by the lawyer, was basically to see if he had done anything with any of "those island girls."
53	** Specifically, he said "those ''native'' girls," and at that time "native" still had the connotation of NationalGeographicNudity and presumed EternalSexualFreedom, etc.[[note]]In ''Princess Caraboo'', when Caraboo ties a length of fabric around her waist and Mrs. Worral says "Of course, she wants her native attire," her husband responds "Not ''too'' native, if you take my meaning," with a dirty chuckle, followed by illustrations of topless South Sea Island women.[[/note]]
54	* VitriolicBestBuds: Donovan and Gilhooley.
55	* YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe: Dr. Dedham's inflection when saying, "''His'' kids?!" when he gets the message about the ruse.
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Context Film / DonovansReef