Moana (1926)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Robert J. Flaherty

Writers:

Robert J. Flaherty (screenplay)
Robert J. Flaherty (titles)

Release Date:

7 January 1926 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary

Tagline:

The love life of a South Seas siren!

Plot Keywords:

South Seas | Native

Cast

Fa'amgase
Pe'a
Ta'avale
T'ugaita

Also Known As:

Moana: A Romance of the Golden Age (USA)
Moana: A Story of the South Seas (USA)

Runtime:

UK:77 min | USA:85 min

Country:

USA

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

UK:U

Filming Locations:

Samoa

Company:

Famous Players-Lasky Corporation

Trivia:

This film photographed with panchromatic film stock, instead of standard orthochromatic stock, apparently for first time ever in full-length motion picture.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Grierson (1973)

A typical Flaherty reconstruction of the past

Customs of Polynesian natives on a Samoan island, centered on the daily life and on the coming of age ceremony of the young man Moana. It reconstructs Polynesian culture before the coming of Western culture, though iron blades are used. Daily tasks like cooking, fishing, hunting and gathering are most of the picture.

Mainly interesting for the material settings. Flaherty treats the Samoan life as almost that of a paradise - the only discomforts being wild boar and the pain of tattooing.