White Shadows in the South Seas

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Audience Member Some beautiful black and white film footage of the South Seas and its native inhabitants are seen in this film by Woody Van Dyke who managed to find time enough to put a coherent plot into the film. Monte Blue is a doctor with a social conscience sick of how the white traders are exploiting the south sea natives has gone native himself and is living not much better than them. He falls in love with Raquel Torres daughter of the high chief who is promised to their island Deity. The cinematography won an Oscar. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review Audience Member While a well photographed anti-imperialist silent film collaboration between Robert J. Flaherty & W.S. Van Dyke starring Monte Blue sounds like something I can dig into, I found it far to trite and melodramatic for my taste. Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 01/29/23 Full Review Audience Member Past the didactic beginning, the movie melds locations, documentary footage of the native islanders and their routines, and the shifting mood of the protagonist. It's a simple story, but it's well-told and follows through on its message all the way to the ending. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review Audience Member Monte Blue plays a doctor to live on a Polynesian island. He is appalled at how the native pearl divers are used and exploited by a ruthless entrepeneur. They clash. Of course there is romance involved as well. Fascinating silent film, beautifully photographed and has a pleasant score. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Audience Member Silent film from 1928 that won the second Oscar for Best Cinematography. It's not too bad, there is some nice photography throughout, and the story isn't too bad, it's about a group of white men that come to a tropical island and make the natives dive for pearls, which results in many of the natives getting injured and dying. One of the white men is against the use of the natives, so he's sent to die, but he manages to land on an island of new natives and they treat him as a god. Good moments and compared to some of the silent films from that time this one doesn't drag too much, or rather, it tends to keep your interest. But overall, it's just pretty good. Oh, and though my copy that I watched didn't have it, this is supposed to be the first movie that Leo, the MGM lion, roars.in. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Audience Member this is an interesting film only for the visuals. there is some great early underwater shots and some great uses of filters. on the other hand, this is stuff that griffith was doing years earlier. and flaherty/murnau did similar stuff in tabu, whcih wasnt that great either Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews

White Shadows in the South Seas

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