Johnny Lingo (1969)
Johnny Lingo, one of the sharpest traders in the south pacific islands decides to bargain for a wife, and offers a record price of eight cows for Mahana, a plain girl who shuns contact. This causes quite a sensation on the island. A year later Johnny and his wife return for the first time since the marriage, and all find that something miraculous has occurred to Mahana. Johnny explains that by paying eight cows he proved that she was worth more to him than any other woman on the island. He gave her a great gift, that of self-worth.
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This is How Movies Should Be Made
Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.
Highly Overrated But Still Good
This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama
Did you ever wonder if the LDS church is deeply sexist? Good news, the answer is in short film format! Is selling people okay? Sure! Are women property? You bet! Is this a film and story that is so ingrained into this sexist religion that you will hear someone mention the 8 cow woman regularly if you live in Utah? Disturbingly, yes!But wait, there is more! Bizarre accent work? Yes! Impossible plot points? Yes! Insulting premise? Yes!And the best part? After all this, people watch this film and decide it is good advise for respect and self worth in a relationship! This film is all you need to know about Mormon culture: treat women badly enough that if they are told they might be a slave but at least they are expensive slave, and you might be LDS...
Are you guys kidding? This is one of the worst films ever! The acting is atrocious, and there is almost nothing morally redeemable about the film at all. Racist, sexist, imperialistic--c'mon, get a life! The little 'slave' boy, grinning lackey slacker? Who just won't work reliably for the white trader? The idea that women's worth is to be measured on the basis of her looks (though admitting we can sometimes be wrong about it)???? That men set the value of all things, including women? This is truly as bad as it gets. Too bad Mormon children --especially the girls-- have to grow up with this crap.
Johnny Lingo was shown a minimum of once a year at my grade school. It was light, memorable entertainment about a shrewd island trader who finds a wife for himself in a homely girl in whom he sees great beauty.We were unaware of the Mormon connection this movie had, because it had no references to religion, Joseph Smith or the Utah desert. It was insidious, though, for after three years, both student and teacher alike was heard rating other people by "cows". The highest compliment was to be an "8 Cow Woman" or an "8 Cow Man". I would not actively seek it out to shown my own child, as it does not rate as highly as the Ray Harryhausen fairy tale films, but it is well done, and conveys a wholesome message memorably.
Beyond the tremendous and true romantic love Johnny Lingo proves for his dear Mahana, he gives a tremendous object lesson in how to properly treat others, and bring out the very best in them. If all husbands would treat their wives the way Johnny treated Mahana, there could be no evil in the world.