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6.3/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.3/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Pitcairn Island Today remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have ten minutes to kill and love weird historical footnotes, Pitcairn Island Today is worth a look. It’s basically a 1935 commercial masquerading as a documentary. 🗺️
But if you hate dry, scratchy black-and-white footage of awkward people staring at a camera, you should probably skip it. This was literally made just to hype up the big MGM movie coming out later that year.
The whole point of this short is to show the actual descendants of the crew from "The Bounty" living on this tiny island. It's a neat concept, but the execution is incredibly goofy.
You see these islanders who are clearly being told exactly where to stand and what to do by some director off-camera. One guy holds a giant fish and just... smiles forever. 🐟
The narrator has that booming, old-timey voice that makes everything sound like a matter of life and death. He talks about these people like they are some strange alien species instead of just folks living their lives.
If you're expecting some heavy narrative tension like you'd find in The Edge of the Abyss, you're in the wrong place. This is strictly a promotional puff piece.
Still, there is something oddly charming about seeing the real physical place where those mutineers ended up. The houses look so basic, and the rocky shores look incredibly unforgiving.
My favorite part is when they show the local schoolhouse. The kids look so incredibly confused by the giant camera setup in their faces. 😳
Is it a masterpiece? Absolutely not.
But as a time capsule of how Hollywood used to market its big releases, it's pretty fascinating. Just don't expect to learn anything actually deep about the island's history.