White Shadows in the South Seas
| White Shadows in the South Seas | |
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1928 film poster
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| Directed by |
W.S. Van Dyke Robert Flaherty |
| Produced by |
Irving Thalberg Hunt Stromberg William Randolph Hearst |
| Written by |
Intertitles: John Colton |
| Screenplay by |
Jack Cunningham Ray Doyle |
| Based on |
White Shadows in the South Seas by Frederick O'Brien |
| Starring |
Monte Blue Raquel Torres |
| Music by |
William Axt David Mendoza |
| Cinematography |
Clyde De Vinna Bob Roberts George Gordon Nogle |
| Edited by | Ben Lewis |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
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Release date
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Running time
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89 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English intertitles |
White Shadows in the South Seas is a 1928 American 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. Loosely based on the travel book 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 also the first time Leo the Lion (MGM) roars in the introduction. Clyde De Vinna won an Academy Award for Best Cinematography.
Dr. Matthew Lloyd, an alcoholic doctor, is disgusted by white people's exploitation of the natives on a Polynesian island. The natives dive for pearls. However, numerous accidents occur and one diver dies. In anger, Dr. Lloyd punches Sebastian, the employer. He tricks Dr. Lloyd onto a ship with a diseased crew (thinking they are ill), and his men rough up Dr. Lloyd and send the ship off into a storm. Dr. Lloyd survives and is washed ashore on an island where none of the natives has ever seen a white man.
The film is inspired by the 1919 travel book of the same name by Frederick O'Brien, who spent a year in the South Pacific with Marquesas Islanders. The film began production in 1927 as a co-venture between documentary filmmaker Robert Flaherty, Cosmopolitan 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, Bob Roberts and George Nogle. 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. De Vinna had previously been to Tahiti with director Raoul Walsh when they made the 1923 island adventure Lost and Found on a South Sea Island for Goldwyn Pictures.
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