Shipwrecked Among Cannibals
Cast & Crew
William F. Alder
William F. Alder
Carl Laemmle
Edward Laemmle
Film Details
Synopsis
After opening scenes showing volcanoes of Java, an underground river, waterfalls, cloud effects, a coral island, the Ghost Rocks of Buru, and a tiger hunt in Siam, documentary footage of the cannibal tribes of New Guinea is framed by a fictional narrative in which the scientific expedition is shipwrecked along the southern New Guinea coast in the land of the Kia Kia headhunters, thus affording the crew the opportunity to film the tribal customs of these cannibals. Headhunting dances as well as rituals of warfare and adornment are recorded by the camera. Finally, the fictional account overtakes the documentary aspects as the scripted cannibals chase the camera crew from their village and the Americans are saved by a Dutch rescue party.
Director
William F. Alder
Film Details
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
This expedition was filmed under the joint auspices of the Southern California Academy of Sciences and Universal Film Mfg. Co. Edward Laemmle was the nephew of Universal's president Carl Laemmle. William F. Alder was a member of the Southern California Academy of Sciences. Filming took place in parts of Indonesia, which was then the Dutch East Indies, including the islands of Java, Buru and New Guinea, where scenes were shot at the port of Meraukee and in the interior. In addition, a tiger hunt was shot in Thailand, then called Siam.
