| ~White Shadows In The South Seas~ 1928 |
| ~Monte Blue & Raquel Torres~ |
| ~Plot Synopsis~ |
Filmed on location in Tahiti, White Shadows in the South Seas was originally intended as a project for
famed documentary filmmaker Robert Flaherty, whose Nanook of the North had cleaned up at the
box-office. At first given complete artistic control, Flaherty began faltering in terms of keeping cast and
crew organized; even worse, he moved too slowly to suit his parent studio MGM. More and more
directorial authority was relegated to Flaherty's assistant, the phenominally fast W. S. "Woody" Van
Dyke. Frustrated, Flaherty resigned (some reports claim that he fell ill and was taken off the project), and
the film became solely the responsibility of Van Dyke. Despite the wails from the pro-Flaherty camp
about "compromise" and "bastardization", the finished White Shadows in the South Seas is a superlative
work. Loosely based on a 1919 book by Frederick O'Brien, the film charts the denigration of the South
Sea islands and its denizens thanks to the intervention of white civilization. Monte Blue plays an alcoholic
doctor who is disgusted by the negative effects of European colonization. He sails away to an island still
untouched by "white shadows", where he falls in love with native girl Raquel Torres. Enchanted by the
idyllic lifestyle of the islanders, Blue reacts with horror when he sees a group of white men sailing into
view, bringing their usual seductive trinkets of alcohol and cigarettes. Attempting to quell the invasion,
Blue is killed. As her island falls victim to civilization, Raquel mourns over her lover's grave. Gorgeously
photographed, White Shadows in the South Seas is a masterful blend of drama and documentary. Most
surviving prints do not include the clumsily constructed talkie sequences, wherein Monte Blue teaches
Raquel Torres how to whistle (this scene works far better when conveyed silently).
Plot Synopsis from allmovie.com
famed documentary filmmaker Robert Flaherty, whose Nanook of the North had cleaned up at the
box-office. At first given complete artistic control, Flaherty began faltering in terms of keeping cast and
crew organized; even worse, he moved too slowly to suit his parent studio MGM. More and more
directorial authority was relegated to Flaherty's assistant, the phenominally fast W. S. "Woody" Van
Dyke. Frustrated, Flaherty resigned (some reports claim that he fell ill and was taken off the project), and
the film became solely the responsibility of Van Dyke. Despite the wails from the pro-Flaherty camp
about "compromise" and "bastardization", the finished White Shadows in the South Seas is a superlative
work. Loosely based on a 1919 book by Frederick O'Brien, the film charts the denigration of the South
Sea islands and its denizens thanks to the intervention of white civilization. Monte Blue plays an alcoholic
doctor who is disgusted by the negative effects of European colonization. He sails away to an island still
untouched by "white shadows", where he falls in love with native girl Raquel Torres. Enchanted by the
idyllic lifestyle of the islanders, Blue reacts with horror when he sees a group of white men sailing into
view, bringing their usual seductive trinkets of alcohol and cigarettes. Attempting to quell the invasion,
Blue is killed. As her island falls victim to civilization, Raquel mourns over her lover's grave. Gorgeously
photographed, White Shadows in the South Seas is a masterful blend of drama and documentary. Most
surviving prints do not include the clumsily constructed talkie sequences, wherein Monte Blue teaches
Raquel Torres how to whistle (this scene works far better when conveyed silently).
Plot Synopsis from allmovie.com
| Directed by: W.S. Van Dyke Robert J. Flaherty Written by: Ray Doyle - adaptation Jack Cunningham - adaptation John Colton - titles Based on the novel White Shadows in the South Seas by Frederick O'Brien (New York, 1919). |
| ~Cast~ Monte Blue ... Dr. Matthew Lloyd Raquel Torres ... Fayaway Robert Anderson ... Sebastian, a Trader Renee Bush ... Lucy (uncredited) Napua ... Native Boy (uncredited) |
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| ~338-6: Monte Blue as the castaway hero of Cosmopolitan's White Shadows of the South Seas. As a castaway, Blue finds love and death on a virgin island in the Southern Pacific. Raquel Torres plays the the feminine lead in this drama of the white man's domination in the Polynesian Islands, where the film was directed by W. S. Van Dyke.~ |
| ~Remaining Credits~ Production Company: Cosmopolitan Productions for MGM Distribution Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Produced by: Hunt Stromberg & Irving Thalberg Original Music by: William Axt Cinematography by: Clyde De Vinna, George Gordon Nogle & Bob Roberts Film Editing by: Ben Lewis Sound Recordist: Douglas Shearer - uncredited Length: 9 Reels Runtime: 88 Minutes Released: November 10, 1928 |
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| ~338-166: Napua & Monte Blue~ |
