TWO UNUSUAL FILMS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 31 December 1938, Page 6

TWO UNUSUAL FILMS

Two nnusual films have been imported into New Zealand by British Empire Films. One is ‘ Savage Gold,” an American film, which tells of the adventures of a small party of men who find and attempt to rescue a German prospector among head-hunting Indians of the Upper Amazon Valley. The shots are made in the places they purport to show, without the natives’ knowledge, an 8 mm. or 16 mm. camera being used. The sound track is a spoken narration of the story—a horrifying story of a perilous enterprise among a loathsome race. Detailed views of the headhunters’ method of preserving their trophies and of one snake swallowing another snake its own size art. not for weak stomachs. It is reasonable to doubt whether the Indians are as savage as the narrator makes out and whether they were always innocent of the presence of the camera, but no one would deny that the film was made far from Hollywood. "Savage Gold” is extremely interesting, and perhaps the unpleasant scenes will be toned down i before its release. The other film is "The Housemaster," an English production, telling a tale of life among the masters and boys of an English public school, like the stories of Talbot Bains Reed with some adult romance added. It is a skilfully produced film with a healthy British spirit a departure from the usual English film, yet intrinsically English. One unusual feature of the plot is that the "menace.” the clever, sanctimonious, unsympathetic headmaster, is removed [by being made a bishop.