Stanhope Andrews
Director
Similar Movies
Documentary
Western Samoa, Lotus Land of the Pacific, is administered by New Zealand under United Nations trusteeship. The Administration brings to the Samoans those European services which will benefit them, and aids them in preserving all the best of their own ways of living. With modern amenities at hand, Samoan life goes on much as it has always done in the thatched villages amid the groves. The slim canoes still glide in from the fishing grounds, the food is cooked in ovens of heated stone, and the flower-decked girls sing and dance beneath the palms.
Top Billed Cast
| Release Date | 1949-01-01 |
|---|---|
| Runtime | 17m |
| Director | Stanhope Andrews |
| Producer | Stanhope Andrews |
| Writer |
This is quite an interesting documentary that looks at the more serious side of life on this idyllic Polynesian island. Whilst we see the usual shinning up coconut trees and basket weaving, most of this concentrates on the enterprising nature of the islanders. Extracting copra from the nuts, or picking cocoa beans, bananas, paw-paw, taro and breadfruit all to finance their increasingly competitive demand for... churches! The capital city of Apia is a busy seaport overlooked by the tomb of renowned author Robert Louis Stevenson whose home is now the residence of the European administrators. The government tries to tackle hookworm and TB with local nurses receiving training on treating these unseen menaces, as well as supplying dentists and vaccinations. Schools staffed by local people are on the increase as is rugby and cricket - with no limit on the size of the team! Technology is gradually encroaching here, but the gist of this - augmented throughout by a local choir providing a continual musical soundtrack - is that the community take the ain't broke don't fix it attitude. Their traditions have served them well for centuries - why change them now?
— CinemaSerf