White Shadows in the South Seas
Encyclopedia
White Shadows in the South Seas (1928
) is a silent film
adventure romance produced by Cosmopolitan Productions
in association with MGM and distributed by MGM. The movie was directed by W.S. Van Dyke and starred Monte Blue
and Raquel Torres
. Based on the novel of the same name by Frederick O'Brien, the film is known for being the first MGM picture to be released with a pre-recorded soundtrack
and having won an Academy Award for Best Cinematography
for Clyde De Vinna
.
with native islanders. The film began production in 1927 as a co-venture between documentary filmmaker Robert Flaherty and MGM. The production was filmed in Tahiti
, 4000 miles from Hollywood, a rarity for the time.
The film is known for being the first MGM picture to be released with a pre-recorded soundtrack. The soundtrack consisted of a romantic score by William Axt
and David Mendoza, with a few sound effects such as wind howling, a storm, trees ruffling and one faint word "Hello". The Tahitian location was sumptuously captured by cameramen Clyde De Vinna and Bob Roberts. De Vinna picked up an Academy Award for Best Cinematography
for his efforts at the 1929 ceremonies, the second year the cinematography award was given out.
Frederick O'Brien had spent a year in Samoa
1919-1920 living amongst native Samoan islanders. Robert Flaherty had lived with his wife and children in Samoa from April 1923 to December 1924 filming the feature documentary Moana
released in January 1926 by Paramount Pictures
.
Several years later MGM production head Irving Thalberg
was in hospital recuperating and during his stay Thalberg read O'Brien's book. In 1927 Thalberg decided to put O'Brien's book to film. Flaherty, a friend of O'Brien's, was brought aboard as director while W. S. Van Dyke was added as support to Flaherty. The production would head to Papeete
, Tahiti
.
The new film would feature a supporting cast of almost all Tahitian islanders and/or actors with only the featured stars and a few heavies/villains coming from Hollywood. Flaherty, upon arriving in Tahiti, began shooting the film at a slow pace which was not practical for MGM. After clashing with Van Dyke, Flaherty left the production, leaving Van Dyke as sole director for the film. Van Dyke then finished the project on schedule. However, Flaherty's did shoot some scenes before departing the production, and some footage of his may be seen in the existing print, i.e. '...the lagoon in the jungle scene'.
1928 in film
-Events:Although some movies released in 1928 had sound, most were still silent.* July 28 - Lights of New York is released by Warner Brothers. It is the first "100% Talkie" feature film, in that dialog is spoken throughout the film...
) is a silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
adventure romance produced by Cosmopolitan Productions
Cosmopolitan Productions
Cosmopolitan Productions, also often referred to as Cosmopolitan Pictures, was an American film company based in New York City from 1918 to 1923 and Hollywood until 1938.- History :...
in association with MGM and distributed by MGM. The movie was directed by W.S. Van Dyke and starred Monte Blue
Monte Blue
Monte Blue was a movie actor who began his career as a romantic leading man in the silent film era, and later progressed to character roles....
and Raquel Torres
Raquel Torres
Raquel Torres was a Mexican-born American film actress. Her sister was actress Renee Torres....
. Based on the novel of the same name by Frederick O'Brien, the film is known for being the first MGM picture to be released with a pre-recorded soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
and having won an Academy Award for Best Cinematography
Academy Award for Best Cinematography
The Academy Award for Best Cinematography is an Academy Award awarded each year to a cinematographer for work in one particular motion picture.-History:...
for Clyde De Vinna
Clyde De Vinna
Clyde De Vinna was an American film and television cinematographer and director of photography...
.
Production history
The film is based on the 1919 novel of the same name by Frederick O'Brien, who spent a year in the South PacificPacific Islands
The Pacific Islands comprise 20,000 to 30,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean. The islands are also sometimes collectively called Oceania, although Oceania is sometimes defined as also including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago....
with native islanders. The film began production in 1927 as a co-venture between documentary filmmaker Robert Flaherty and MGM. The production was filmed in Tahiti
Tahiti
Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous...
, 4000 miles from Hollywood, a rarity for the time.
The film is known for being the first MGM picture to be released with a pre-recorded soundtrack. The soundtrack consisted of a romantic score by William Axt
William Axt
William Axt was an American composer of nearly two hundred film scores.Born in New York City, Axt graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School in The Bronx and studied at the National Conservatory of Music of America...
and David Mendoza, with a few sound effects such as wind howling, a storm, trees ruffling and one faint word "Hello". The Tahitian location was sumptuously captured by cameramen Clyde De Vinna and Bob Roberts. De Vinna picked up an Academy Award for Best Cinematography
Academy Award for Best Cinematography
The Academy Award for Best Cinematography is an Academy Award awarded each year to a cinematographer for work in one particular motion picture.-History:...
for his efforts at the 1929 ceremonies, the second year the cinematography award was given out.
Frederick O'Brien had spent a year in Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
1919-1920 living amongst native Samoan islanders. Robert Flaherty had lived with his wife and children in Samoa from April 1923 to December 1924 filming the feature documentary Moana
Moana
Moana is a documentary film, the first docufiction in the history of cinema, directed by Robert J. Flaherty, the creator of Nanook of the North . Moana was filmed in Samoa in the villages of Safune on the island of Savai'i...
released in January 1926 by Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
.
Several years later MGM production head Irving Thalberg
Irving Thalberg
Irving Grant Thalberg was an American film producer during the early years of motion pictures. He was called "The Boy Wonder" for his youth and his extraordinary ability to select the right scripts, choose the right actors, gather the best production staff and make very profitable films.-Life and...
was in hospital recuperating and during his stay Thalberg read O'Brien's book. In 1927 Thalberg decided to put O'Brien's book to film. Flaherty, a friend of O'Brien's, was brought aboard as director while W. S. Van Dyke was added as support to Flaherty. The production would head to Papeete
Papeete
-Sights:* Interactive Google map of Papeete, to discover the 30 major tourist attractions in Papeete downtown.*The waterfront esplanade*Bougainville Park -Sights:* Interactive Google map of Papeete, to discover the 30 major tourist attractions in Papeete downtown.*The waterfront...
, Tahiti
Tahiti
Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous...
.
The new film would feature a supporting cast of almost all Tahitian islanders and/or actors with only the featured stars and a few heavies/villains coming from Hollywood. Flaherty, upon arriving in Tahiti, began shooting the film at a slow pace which was not practical for MGM. After clashing with Van Dyke, Flaherty left the production, leaving Van Dyke as sole director for the film. Van Dyke then finished the project on schedule. However, Flaherty's did shoot some scenes before departing the production, and some footage of his may be seen in the existing print, i.e. '...the lagoon in the jungle scene'.
Cast
- Monte BlueMonte BlueMonte Blue was a movie actor who began his career as a romantic leading man in the silent film era, and later progressed to character roles....
as Dr. Lloyd - Raquel TorresRaquel TorresRaquel Torres was a Mexican-born American film actress. Her sister was actress Renee Torres....
as Faya Way - Robert Anderson as Sebastian
- Renee Bush as Faya Way's friend (unbilled)
Selected Films with South Seas themes
- Hearts AdriftHearts AdriftHearts Adrift was a 1914 silent short romance film directed by Edwin S. Porter. Based upon the 1911 story As the Sparks Fly Upward by Cyrus Townsend Brady, the film is now considered lost.-Production:...
(1914) - Island of Regeneration (1915)
- Aloha Oe (1915)
- A Daughter of the GodsA Daughter of the GodsA Daughter of the Gods is a silent film that featured Australian swimming star Annette Kellerman.The film was controversial because of the sequences of what was regarded as superfluous nudity by the main character, Nydia, played by Kellerman...
(1916) - The Idol Dancer (1920)
- Idols of ClayIdols of Clay (1920 film)Idols of Clay is a 1920 silent drama directed by George Fitzmaurice and starring Mae Murray and David Powell. A copy of the film survives in the Gosfilmofond Archive in Moscow.-Cast:* Mae Murray - Faith Merrill* David Powell - Dion Holme...
(1920) - The Lotus EaterThe Lotus Eater (1921 film)The Lotus Eater is a silent 1921 drama film produced and directed by Marshall Neilan and released through Associated First National.-Story:...
(1921) - Ebb TideEbb Tide (1922 film)Ebb Tide is a 1922 silent film adventure produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was directed by George Melford. It is taken from the novel The Ebb-Tide by Robert Louis Stevenson and his step-son Lloyd Osbourne...
(1922) - Lost and Found on a South Sea IslandLost and Found on a South Sea IslandLost and Found on a South Sea Island is a 1923 drama film directed by Raoul Walsh and produced by Samuel Goldwyn. The movie was filmed on location in Tahiti. One reel from this film survives according to a new bio on director Raoul Walsh.-Plot:...
(1923) - Where the Pavement EndsWhere the Pavement Ends (1923 film)Where the Pavement Ends is a silent tropical romance drama directed by Rex Ingram on location in Cuba and starring his wife Alice Terry and Ramón Novarro. The film was produced and distributed by Metro Pictures. It is now considered a lost film....
(1923) - The White FlowerThe White FlowerThe White Flower is a 1923 silent film romantic drama produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was the last film directed by early female director Julia Crawford Ivers whose son James Van Trees was the film's cinematographer. Betty Compson and Edmund Lowe star in...
(1923) - Sinners in HeavenSinners In Heaven (1924 film)Sinners in Heaven is a 1924 silent film island romance drama directed by Alan Crosland and released through Paramount Pictures. It stars Richard Dix and Bebe Daniels in the principal roles. It is now considered a lost film.-Cast:...
(1924) - Soul-FireSoul-FireSoul-Fire is a 1925 silent drama starring Richard Barthelmess and Bessie Love. The film is directed by John S. Robertson and is based on a 1924 Broadway play called Great Music by Martin Brown. The film was funded by Barthelmess through his Inspiration Pictures and released by the First National...
(1925) - Never the Twain Shall MeetNever the Twain Shall MeetNever the Twain Shall Meet is a 1925 silent south seas drama film based on the book by Peter B. Kyne, produced by MGM and directed by Maurice Tourneur, starring Anita Stewart and featuring Boris Karloff in an uncredited bit-part. Remade with sound in 1931 at MGM by director W. S. Van Dyke...
(1925) - MoanaMoanaMoana is a documentary film, the first docufiction in the history of cinema, directed by Robert J. Flaherty, the creator of Nanook of the North . Moana was filmed in Samoa in the villages of Safune on the island of Savai'i...
(1926) - Across the PacificAcross the Pacific (1926 film)Across the Pacific is a 1926 silent film romantic adventure produced by Warner Brothers, directed by Roy del Ruth and starring Monte Blue. It was based on a turn of the century play by Charles Blaney and J. J. McCloskey...
(1926) - Aloma of the South SeasAloma of the South Seas (1926 film)Aloma of the South Seas is a 1926 silent film starring Gilda Gray as an erotic dancer. It was filmed in Puerto Rico and Bermuda. It was based on a 1925 play of the same title by John B. Hymer and LeRoy Clemens. Grossing US$3 million in the US alone, it was the most successful film of 1926 and the...
(1926) - HulaHula (film)Hula is a silent film by Victor Fleming, based on the novel Hula, a Romance of Hawaii by Armine von Tempski, directed by Victor Fleming, starring Clara Bow, and released by Paramount Pictures. It was one of the top 10 grossing movies of 1927....
(1927) - The PaganThe Pagan (1929 film)The Pagan is a 1929 silent/part talking film romance filmed in Tahiti and produced and distributed by Metro Goldwyn Mayer. The director of the picture was W. S. Van Dyke, and the cinematographer was Clyde De Vinna, both who had previously visited Tahiti in 1928 to film White Shadows in the South...
(1929) - TabuTabu (film)Tabu is a 1931 film directed by F.W. Murnau. The film is split into two chapters, the first called "Paradise" depicts the lives of two lovers on a South Seas island until they are forced to escape the island when the girl is chosen as a holy maid to the gods...
(1931) - Never the Twain Shall MeetNever the Twain Shall Meet (1931 film)Never the Twain Shall Meet is a 1931 talking film produced and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It is based on the book by Peter B. Kyne. The film was directed by W. S. Van Dyke and was filmed in Tahiti like Van Dyke's two previous south sea adventures The Pagan and White Shadows in the South Seas...
(1931) - Bird of ParadiseBird of Paradise (1932 film)Bird of Paradise is a 1932 American film directed by King Vidor, starring Dolores del Río, Joel McCrea, and Richard "Skeets" Gallagher and released by RKO Radio Pictures.-Plot:...
(1932) - The HurricaneThe Hurricane (1937 film)The Hurricane is a 1937 film set in the South Seas, directed by John Ford and produced by Samuel Goldwyn, about a Polynesian who is unjustly imprisoned. The climax features a special effects hurricane. It stars Dorothy Lamour and Jon Hall, with Mary Astor, C. Aubrey Smith, Thomas Mitchell, Raymond...
(1937)
Awards and nominations
- 1930, Won Academy Award for Best CinematographyAcademy Award for Best CinematographyThe Academy Award for Best Cinematography is an Academy Award awarded each year to a cinematographer for work in one particular motion picture.-History:...
for Clyde De VinnaClyde De VinnaClyde De Vinna was an American film and television cinematographer and director of photography...
External links
- White Shadows in the South Seas at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- White Shadows in the South Seas at SilentEra
- artwork cover of reprint of Frederick O'Brien's book after the release of the film
- AllMovie synopsis for White Shadows in the South Seas;
- lobby card of White Shadows in the South Seas