Gow, the Head Hunter
Cast & Crew
Merian C. Cooper
William Peck
Capt. E. A. Salisbury
Ernest B. Schoedsack
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
This film is a chronicle of an expedition to the South Seas made over a period of years by explorer Captain Edward A. Salisbury. Featured islands of the region include New Hebrides, Samoa, Fiji and New Guinea. Various activities of a tribe of cannibals are shown, including an exchange of women for pigs, and a dance ritual that proceeds a cannibalistic feast. In the final sequence of the film, a tribe of headhunters in the Western Solomon Islands is highlighted. A re-enactment of a raid made by Gow, an elderly chieftan of the headhunters, against a neighboring tribe that had stolen his daughter, follows. In the re-enactment, Gow organizes an army of his tribesmen and travels 150 miles by canoe to do battle with the offending island tribe. Gow then displays for the filmmakers his cache of human skulls.
Crew
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
As verified in a brief New York Times review, Gow, the Head Hunter was first shown in New York in December 1928. The film was subsequently re-released under the title Gow and opened in New York the week of November 30, 1933. Although neither title appeared in release charts, a February 7, 1934 Film Daily news item reported that the documentary was released by The Film Exchange, a state rights distributor, and was to open on February 12, 1934 on the Loew's Circuit.
Reviewers of Gow noted that the film was shot "silent" with the narration added in post-production. Film Daily said in its review of the film: "The reputation of Capt. Salisbury as a world-famous explorer and lecturer vouches for the authenticity of his material." During the early silent film era, Salisbury, known then as "Dr. Salisbury," produced a number of "expedition" documentaries, including the 1915 films On the Spanish Main, which depicted Central America, and Wild Life of America in Films (see AFI Catalog of Feature Films, 1911-20; F1.3239 and F1.4989).
