A young Polynesian couple is separated by a mining company which enslaves islanders.A young Polynesian couple is separated by a mining company which enslaves islanders.A young Polynesian couple is separated by a mining company which enslaves islanders.
Lotus Long
- Lilleo
- (as Lotus)
Rudolph Anders
- Superintendant's Assistant
- (uncredited)
Chester Gan
- Chinese Cook
- (uncredited)
Rangapo A. Taipoo
- Taro's Mother
- (uncredited)
Teio A. Tematua
- The Chief
- (uncredited)
Charles Trowbridge
- Mine Superintendant
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- John Farrow
- Herman Melville(uncredited)
- Raymond L. Schrock(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- Trivia50,000 feet of underwater footage was shot for this film, with a final total of 60 reels shot during the 22 weeks of production. It was eventually released as an 8-reel feature.
- Quotes
Opening Title Card: Below the Equator, amongst those distant isles where the shadow of the white man's civilization is but a rumour, force and war still play their parts in the wooing of a maiden. Men of one island, like their fathers before them, still raid their neighbors when in search of wives.
- Crazy creditsMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer acknowledges, with gratitude, the sympathetic cooperation of government authorities toward the expedition that filmed this story in French Polynesia - - It also thanks the native inhabitants who play themselves.
- Alternate versionsThe French censors replaced the acknowledgment statement (see Crazy Credits) with "... advising that the film is based on past customs which will never return because of more humane laws now in existence." Also deleted were scenes of the natives unknowingly being contracted for five years of hard labor in the phosphate mines.
- ConnectionsReferenced in Svengoolie: Man Made Monster (2015)
Featured review
Turn the sound down and enjoy
Last of the Pagans features some quite stunning black and white photography by Clyde De Vinna and a paper thin story designed to please those who like travelogues with a touch of romance. Shot on location in Tahiti, the film is a lightweight take on the Robert Flaherty oeuvre, with numerous tips of the hat to the great documentarist's features, especially his 1926 South Seas epic Moana. Mala--an Alaskan native discovered by director W.S. Van Dyke during production of the similar Eskimo (1933)--plays Taro, the male chauvinist pig who steals beautiful Lotus Long from her native village and claims her as his own. Last of the Pagans is a relentless parade of cultural imperialism and cliches about primitive peoples and noble savages, but it looks absolutely gorgeous. You're best advised to turn the sound down, ignore the subtitles, and soak up De Vinna's superb camera work.
helpful•85
- JohnSeal
- Jun 11, 2004
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $600,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 10 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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