An alcoholic doctor on a Polynesian island, disgusted by white exploitation of the natives, finds himself marooned on a pristinely beautiful island.An alcoholic doctor on a Polynesian island, disgusted by white exploitation of the natives, finds himself marooned on a pristinely beautiful island.An alcoholic doctor on a Polynesian island, disgusted by white exploitation of the natives, finds himself marooned on a pristinely beautiful island.
- Won 1 Oscar
- 1 win total
Robert Anderson
- Sebastian - a Trader
- (uncredited)
Renee Bush
- Lucy
- (uncredited)
Dorothy Janis
- Native Girl
- (uncredited)
Napua
- Native Boy
- (uncredited)
- Directors
- W.S. Van Dyke(under the direction of)
- Robert J. Flaherty(early shooting) (uncredited)
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAfter completing filming on the tropical island, they returned to the MGM lot at Culver City, where W.S. Van Dyke shot some additional material, including a typhoon at sea and a shipwreck. Then the studio decided to make White Shadows in the South Seas (1928) their first sound film, so they added a synchronized soundtrack consisted of a romantic score by William Axt and David Mendoza, with a few sound effects such as wind howling, a storm, trees ruffling and the words "Hello" and "wait."
This was MGM's first sound picture, and it premiered in Hollywood at Sid Grauman's Chinese Theater on Friday, 3 Aug 1928. It is known for being the first MGM film to be released with a pre-recorded soundtrack.
- GoofsThe drowned young man's left arm moves by itself.
- Quotes
Dr. Matthew Lloyd: For God's sake, go away, Sebastian... these people are like birds... like flowers... they are like man was before he lost the Garden of Eden...
- Alternate versionsThere is an Italian edition of this film on DVD, distributed by DNA srl, "L'UOMO DI ARAN (1934), NANUK L'ESCHIMESE (1922), OMBRE BIANCHE NEI MARI DEL SUD (1928)" (3 Films on a single DVD), re-edited with the contribution of film historian Riccardo Cusin. This version is also available for streaming on some platforms.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Settling the Score (2005)
- SoundtracksFlower of Love
(1928) (uncredited)
Music by William Axt and David Mendoza
Lyrics by Dave Dreyer and Herman Ruby
Featured review
A morality play that is still quite powerful today
This movie, which is part silent and part talkie, is a tale of one man's disintegration, his actions which help to destroy an entire culture and his growing horror at what he has helped to bring about. The movie is still quite effective even now, more than 70 years later, largely because its concerns have probably been part and parcel with humanity's existence since we stopped being nomads and started building cities-greed, the struggle for control, the individual penchant for being your own worst enemy at times. A most memorable and compelling film, the cinematography is beautiful (it justifiably won an Oscar) and the film is one you will remember for a long while.
helpful•181
- llltdesq
- Oct 9, 2000
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Details
Box office
- Budget
- $365,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 28 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.20 : 1
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Top Gap
By what name was White Shadows in the South Seas (1928) officially released in Canada in English?
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