UH Press Authors Advise The Descendants

The DescendantsAccording to the Wall Street Journal blog Speakeasy, UH Press authors Gavan Daws (Shoal of Time: A History of the Hawaiian Islands) and Randall Roth (Broken Trust: Greed, Mismanagement, and Political Manipulation at America’s Largest Charitable Trust) served as “tour guides through Honolulu society” for filmmakers Alexander Payne and Jim Burke during preproduction of The Descendants.

In addition, Daws read the script and shared his thoughts on the soundtrack, which features Hawai‘i artists exclusively. Roth provided guidance on trust law, in particular the rule against perpetuities—a key point in the plot surrounding George Clooney’s character, who must decide whether or not to sell a piece of prime Kaua‘i real estate that has been in his family for generations.

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