Moana

Released Jan 7, 1926

1h 17m

Documentary

List

87%

Tomatometer

15 Reviews

65%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

Filmmaker Robert J. Flaherty spends a year living in a village in Samoa documenting the life of the villagers.

Wilella Waldorf

New York Post

[Moana] appears for all the world like a somewhat glorified travel film, longer and undoubtedly more beautiful than most, but not, surely, deserving quite all of the lavish praise which has, from time to time, been showered upon it.

Sep 22, 2020

Full Review

Tom Keogh

Seattle Times

A fascinating portrait of South Seas life, albeit embellished.

Rated: 4/4

Nov 19, 2015

Full Review

Glenn Kenny

New York Times

The imagery, in scenes that always unfold slowly, is truly startling, particularly given that the film is almost 90 years old.

Nov 12, 2015

Full Review

Robert E. Sherwood

LIFE

This is where Mr. Flaherty's artistry is apparent. He has the selective sense of a painter. He knows how to compose his scenes, or rather, how to record those scenes which have been most perfectly composed by nature.

Oct 6, 2021

Full Review

Mattie Lucas

From the Front Row

While the sounds don't always fit perfectly, it's remarkable how natural they often seem, providing a more accessible portrait of Savai'i, even if it is no longer 100% authentic.

Rated: 3/4

Jun 5, 2019

Full Review

Nathanael Hood

MUBI

But still, it's all a lie. A beautiful lie; a lie that provides a crucial glimpse into the past of a colonized culture. But a lie nonetheless.

Rated: 8/10

Dec 27, 2018

Full Review

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Audience Member

Love this movie ..seen it about 20 times

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

woosh maked me more hard than animation movie moana mmm

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Fascinating silent docudrama.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This is such a remarkable film. It is set in the South Seas and filmed on the island of Samoa with a completely unprofessional cast, and they do amazingly well. A unique and completely original film. Very touching and memorable.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

Full Review

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Robert J. Flaherty

Director

Robert J. Flaherty

Screenwriter

Julian Johnson

Screenwriter

James C. Bradford

Original Music

Robert J. Flaherty

Cinematographer

Robert J. Flaherty

Film Editing

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Synopsis

Filmmaker Robert J. Flaherty spends a year living in a village in Samoa documenting the life of the villagers.

Director: Robert J. Flaherty
Producer: Robert J. Flaherty, Frances H. Flaherty
Screenwriter: Robert J. Flaherty, Julian Johnson
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Genre: Documentary
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 7, 1926, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 5, 2016
Runtime: 1h 17m