Ombres blanches

Original title: White Shadows in the South Seas

1928
Passed
1h 28m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

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.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Won 1 Oscar
- 1 win total

Top cast6

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Monte Blue

Dr. Matthew Lloyd

Raquel Torres

Fayaway

Robert Anderson

Sebastian - a Trader
(uncredited)

Renee Bush

Lucy
(uncredited)

Dorothy Janis

Native Girl
(uncredited)

Napua

Native Boy
(uncredited)

User reviews26

Featured review

6/10

Tropical hokum made notable by location filming

Monte Blue stars as Doc Lloyd, a drunk living like a bum among the French Polynesian natives who are being exploited by white traders for the nearby valuable pearl beds. The mistreatment of the locals reaches a breaking point for Doc, and after a violent outburst, he ends up on another island, this one untouched by white man's hands. Here Doc cleans up his act, helping the natives with his medical savvy, and falling in love with native girl Fayaway (Raquel Torres).

The Tahitian shores are nice to look at, and the underwater sequences are intriguing for the time. Director W. S. Van Dyke keeps things moving, but this works more as a travelogue than a compelling narrative. A scene where native fishermen wrestle with giant sea turtles is a highlight, even if you sympathize more with the turtles. This won an Oscar for Best Cinematography, but not until 1930.

AlsExGal
May 2, 2023
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Photos12

+ 5

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
After 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 Ombres blanches (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.

Goofs
The 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 versions
There 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.