Sunday 25 March 2012 8.30pm
Booking No. 24 $22/$17 Mechanics Institute
Doors Open: 7.45pm
Mike Cooper unearths another gem of early Pacific film; White
Shadows in the South Seas is a silent film adventure romance released
by MGM in 1928 and 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.
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.
Brunswick
Music Festival AUSTRALIA'S ONLY INNER CITY FESTIVAL
OF
FOLK ROOTS AND WORLD MUSIC...
PO Box 477, Brunswick VIC 3056, Australia
Phone +61 3 9387 3376 - Fax +61 3 9380 8234
- Email johnbmf@vicnet.net.au Booking Office and Tickets 9388 1460
