White Shadows in the South Seas
- Monte Blue: Lloyd
- Raquel Torres: Fayaway
- Robert Anderson: Sebastian
- Renee Bush: Lucy
White Shadow (Original Title: White Shadows in the South Seas ) is an American film drama by WS Van Dyke 1928 Van Dyke replaced the original director Robert J. Flaherty, who disagreed with the production specifications of MGM. . The screenplay is based on the eponymous 1919 novel by Frederick O'Brien. Premiered the film on July 31, 1928 in New York, the general theatrical release in the U.S. took place only on 10 November 1928. In Germany the film on German television showed. The first broadcast took place on November 2, 1988, 60 years after the premiere, the third program of the WDR instead.
Action
Lloyd is an alcoholic doctor who enters the Marquesas for the rights of indigenous people. The unscrupulous businessman Sebastian lets natives dive for pearls. This leads to accidents, which wants to deal with Lloyd. Sebastian wants to prevent the treatment, but Lloyd ko beaten. As Lloyd on a ship detects signs of bubonic plague, he wants to burn down the ship. He is defeated and brought on the ship, the rudderless now drives on the open sea.
A typhoon rinsed Lloyd overboard. He wakes up on the beach of an uncharted island. He is found by natives who have never seen a white man. They worship him as God, Lloyd falls in love with the chief's daughter Fayaway. In the hope of salvation he lights a fire. Fayaway is sad that he wants to leave the island, prompting Lloyd decides to stay with the natives.
The next day comes to a ship. Lloyd warns the natives against the whites, but his warnings are not observed. It is a trading vessel of Sebastian, who wants to open a trading post for beads here. Lloyd attempts to drive Sebastian by force from the island, but is shot by one of the sailors. The final scene shows Sebastian in his trading post, while the natives work for him. Fayaway mourns Lloyd.
Background
The film was first conceived as a silent film. The production company MGM set to music it later, so he became the first sound film of the studio. In this movie also the first time came the roar of the MGM lion. As Douglas Shearer in Hollywood vorfand no suitable device for dubbing, he had to travel with the whole wacky scenes to New Jersey to there incorporate sound effects and music.
Location of the film was the South Pacific island of Tahiti.
Robert J. Flaherty wanted the film shoot, because he was a friend of the writer Frederick O'Brien and had spent itself over one and a half years in the South Seas. His disagreements with the studio was founded in Flaherty's meticulous way of working, with whom he had already turned his documentaries. Director Van Dyke, however, was known for its cost-effective and fast way of working.
Reviews
For the lexicon of international film White Shadows was a " silent film, which describes the South Sea Islands with romanticized glorification and conjures up the Hollywood idyll of a dream vacation ." The film was " [t ] espite dedicated image design at best still further of historical interest that Robert J. Flaherty fired the director before filming began because he did not agree with the ideas of the producers ."
Georg Herzberg wrote on 21 December 1929 at the Film-Kurier # 303: " Supported by the cameramen Clyde de Vinna, George Nagle and Bob Roberts arises in the peaceful parts of one of the most beautiful and instructive cultural films. This must be added a compelling, disturbing storyline, with two likeable stars such as Monte Blue and Raquel Torres. " Dave Kehr of the Chicago Reader, however, criticized the " silly story "and the" still alberneren director ".
Awards
In the second Oscar in 1930, the film won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography.