Moana

Robert J. Flaherty’s follow-up to Nanook of the North shifts from the Arctic to the South Seas, portraying Samoan village life with a painterly eye. Blending ethnographic detail with a romanticized “Gauguin idyll,” the film celebrates daily rituals, communal traditions, and the passage into adulthood, suffused with what Flaherty called “pride of beauty, pride of strength.”

Cast

Ta'avale

Ta'avale

as Moana

Fa'amgase

Fa'amgase

as Moana's Fiancé

Tama

Tama

as Moana's Father

T'ugaita

T'ugaita

as Moana's Mother

Pe'a

Pe'a

as Moana's Younger Brother

Leupenga

Leupenga

as Moana's Older Brother

Reviews

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