Moana

19261926
Not RatedNot Rated
1h 25m

Moana (1926)

Filmmaker Robert J. Flaherty presents a docufictional account of a family living in a Samoan village in the early 1920s.Filmmaker Robert J. Flaherty presents a docufictional account of a family living in a Samoan village in the early 1920s.Filmmaker Robert J. Flaherty presents a docufictional account of a family living in a Samoan village in the early 1920s.

Directors
- Frances H. Flaherty
- Robert J. Flaherty
Writers
- Frances H. Flaherty(screenplay)
- Robert J. Flaherty(screenplay)
- Julian Johnson(titles)
Stars

See production, box office & company info

See production, box office & company info

See more at IMDbPro

Moana (1926)

Moana (1926)

Nanook of the North

7.6

Nanook of the North

Berlin: Symphony of a Great City

7.6

Berlin: Symphony of a Great City

Man of Aran

7.2

Moana

5.6

Wanda

7.1

The Wedding March

7.4

The Wedding March

Tol'able David

6.9

The Man Between

7.1

The Man Between

The House of Ghosts

6.9

The House of Ghosts

Moana

Women of the Night

7.2

Women of the Night

Go West

7.2

Filmmaker Robert J. Flaherty presents a docufictional account of a family living in a Samoan village in the early 1920s.

dance ritual south seas native character name as title 1920s 7 more

Taglines
- See MOANA and let the rest of the world go by (Print Ad- Sunday Herald, ((Provo Utah)) 7 March 1926)
Genre
- Documentary
Certificate
- Not Rated
Parents guide

Trivia
The word "documentary" was first applied to films of this nature in an anonymous review of this movie written by John Grierson, aka "The Moviegoer", in New York Sun, 8 February 1926.

Goofs
Despite Robert and Frances Flaherty's commitment to showing Samoan life as it had been rather than what it had become after the islands were discovered by Westerners, there's at least one Western industrial product in the film: the knife Moana uses to shave a wood stick to serve as a harpoon.

Connections
Referenced in Grierson (1973)

Top review

5/10

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.

helpful•17

6

psteier
Sep 11, 2000

Release date
- January 7, 1926 (United States)
Country of origin
- United States
Language
- None
Also known as
- Moana: A Romance of the Golden Age
Filming locations
- Samoa
Production company
- Robert Flaherty Productions Inc.
See more company credits at IMDbPro

Gross US & Canada
- $2,993
Opening weekend US & Canada
- $2,274
- Nov 15, 2015
Gross worldwide
- $2,993

See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

Runtime
1 hour 25 minutes
Color
- Black and White
Sound mix
- Silent
Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1

New to Streaming: ‘Carrie,’ ‘Wonder Woman,’ ‘It Comes at Night,’ ‘Bottle Rocket,’ and More

Sep 1The Film Stage

The Beautiful Lies of Robert J. Flaherty’s "Moana with Sound"

Moana (1926)

Top Gap

By what name was Moana (1926) officially released in Canada in English?

More to explore

View image

Hollywood Romances: Our Favorite Couples

See the entire gallery

View list

Best of 2021: Top 10 Stars of the Year

See the full list

Recently viewed

Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.