White Shadows in the South Seas

Beverly Hills, CA: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer [MGM], 1928. Archive of 94 vintage, double weight photographs from the 1928 film.

Inspired by the 1919 nonfiction travel book by Frederick O'Brien, and retaining much of that work's anti-imperialist themes, about an alcoholic doctor who is set adrift by white traders after objecting to their treatment of the Polynesian workers, only to wash ashore on an island where the natives have never seen a white man.

MGM’s first film with a fully prerecorded soundtrack, comprised of music and sound effects, including, most notably, the first time the company’s mascot Leo the Lion roared at the film’s start, although the film doesn’t quite classify as a talkie, as only the single whispered word “hello” appears in the soundtrack. Winner of an Academy Award for Best Cinematography.

Set on a Polynesian Island, shot on location in Tahiti, at the time an ambitious endeavor to shoot a Hollywood film on location among native islanders, using many of them as extras in the film.

10 x 8 inches. Generally Very Good, with expected light curling and fading, with occasional light creasing or bruising to the photographs. In a custom cloth clamshell box.

For buyers with a serious potential interest in purchase, a link to a complete set of watermarked images is available on request.

Godard, Histoire(s) du cinema.

[Book #151356]