Nothing distinguishes "White Shadows in the South Seas" as a pre-Code silent film more than its overt criticism of white exploitation and capitalism and its downer of an ending that sees the hero getting killed and the white jerks winning.
Part travelogue, part docudrama, "White Shadows in the South Seas" might seem antiquated because of its silent movie conventions, but don't let that fool you into thinking that it doesn't have sophisticated themes. It deals more frankly with the subject of white colonialism than any movie from, say, the mid-30s through the 1950s would be allowed to.
I don't really know how accurately the film sticks to the actual traditions of the South Seas people in it vs. How much is Hollywood baloney, but it was at least filmed on location, a big deal for a movie back then, and its impressive location photography (and really stunning underwater camera work -- I didn't even know it was possible to film underwater in 1928) won the film the Academy Award for Best Cinematography.
Grade: A-
Part travelogue, part docudrama, "White Shadows in the South Seas" might seem antiquated because of its silent movie conventions, but don't let that fool you into thinking that it doesn't have sophisticated themes. It deals more frankly with the subject of white colonialism than any movie from, say, the mid-30s through the 1950s would be allowed to.
I don't really know how accurately the film sticks to the actual traditions of the South Seas people in it vs. How much is Hollywood baloney, but it was at least filmed on location, a big deal for a movie back then, and its impressive location photography (and really stunning underwater camera work -- I didn't even know it was possible to film underwater in 1928) won the film the Academy Award for Best Cinematography.
Grade: A-