Summary
Edward A. Salisbury’s 1923 cinematic expedition, 'Black Shadows', serves as a hauntingly beautiful, if ethically complex, cartography of the South Sea Islands. The film navigates the azure expanses of the Pacific, charting a course from the ethereal, mist-shrouded peaks of the Marquesas to the vibrant, rhythmic heart of Samoa. Salisbury’s lens captures a world poised on the precipice of irrevocable change, documenting the visceral intensity of Solomon Island headhunters and the ritualistic complexities of Fijian society. Beyond the mere documentation of 'the exotic', the travelogue pivots into a somber meditation on mortality and legacy during a pilgrimage to Robert Louis Stevenson’s mountaintop sepulcher. It is a visual tapestry woven with volcanic eruptions, intricate war dances, and the quotidian nuances of indigenous life, offering a rare, unvarnished glimpse into cultures that the Western world viewed through a prism of both fascination and profound misunderstanding.
Synopsis
Edward G. Salisbury leads an expedition to the South Sea Islands, including the Marquesas and Samoa. They observe cannibals and headhunters in the Fiji and Solomon Islands. The travelogue presents picturesque scenery, a visit to Robert Louis Stevenson's grave, volcanoes, war dances, and other customs of native life.
Director
Edward A. Salisbury
