In the Land of the Headhunters
Product ID: 36754831
Details
- ContributorEdward S.
- FormatBlack & White
- GenreFilms Drama
- LanguageEnglish
- Runtime1 hour and 6
Legendary photographer Edward S. Curtis devoted his life to documenting the world of Native Americans in firm belief that the information he gathered must be collected at once or the opportunity will be lost. In 1914, he created one of the first feature length dramas ever made - a masterpiece filmed with and starring members of the Kwakwaka'wakw (Kwakiutl) tribe of British Columbia. Curtis' haunting melodrama, set before Europeans arrived on the North Pacific Coast, tells the story of a warrior's spiritual journey, of love won and lost, and of a battle between tribes to save the warrior's bride. The film's attention to historic detail and Curtis' legendary eye for composition make IN THE LAND OF THE HEAD HUNTERS one of the most beautiful films of the silent era and a stunning evocation of a culture famed for it's incredible artistic heritage. Aspects of the film were based on he Kwakwaka'wakw's oral traditions and it accurately portrays rituals, including the potlatch, which were strictly prohibited by Canadian law until 1951. Motana, the son of a great chief, must gain power from the spirit forces through a quest. His love is the beautiful Naida, a maiden who has been promised to the Sorcerer of another tribe. After Motana kills his rival in battle and marries his love, the dead man's brother attacks the village and kidnaps the bride. Although her captors plan to kill her, the beauty of Naida's dancing saves her life. But only Motana can lead his tribe in a daring raid to rescue her. The film's gala premieres in December 1914 featured the performance of an original orchestral score by composer John J. Braham. That composition, the earliest known for a feature film, was recently rediscovered. The Turning Point Ensemble's rousing and beautiful rendition is a lovely match for the painstaking reconstruction/restoration by UCLA Film and Television Archive's Jere Guldin which showcases the original film's gorgeous color tinting. Review: Kwakiutl First Nation Cultural Treasure - This video release by Milestone is a cultural treasure of the Kwakiutl First Nation. The main feature is the restored 1914 film "In The Land Of The Head Hunters." I have seen better restorations but the restorers can only do so much with what they have to work with! If the reader does not already know, most films made before 1952 or so were made using Nitrocellulose or celluloid. Nitrocellulose is not an altogether stable substance. So for any film made before 1952 it is a question of how much has the film detertiorated. In fact there are special hazardous materials regulations to be observed when transporting films made with Nitrocellulose stock. The film story is set in a time before European contact on the North American Pacific coast. The story line itself is probably a fiction. But the ceremonies, the masks, the costumes, and the people are authentic. There is an edited 1973 version with a sound tract called "In The Land Of The War Canoes." There was still another feature, a modern 21st century performance by Gwa wina dancers of their First Nation's ceremonial dances in traditional costumes. Review: A Great addition to my Native American Library Collection - In The Land of the head hunters, by Edward S Curtis, is a nice addition to my Native American History Collection. The time and work the Edward Curtis put into this movie, was huge. His love, patience and journalism of American History is noted. Some of the movie is boring or silly, but what Edward Curtis was trying to convey in time-period clothing, transportation and Native beliefs, and Taboos, was quite an artful endevour. I am thankful that he spent his life preserving what otherwise would be lost forever.
| ASIN | B00RYZFJJ6 |
| Best Sellers Rank | #283,344 in Movies & TV ( See Top 100 in Movies & TV ) #11,335 in Documentary (Movies & TV) #38,102 in Drama DVDs |
| Customer Reviews | 4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars (26) |
| Director | Edward S. Curtis |
| Item model number | 32974916 |
| MPAA rating | NR (Not Rated) |
| Media Format | Black & White, Multiple Formats, NTSC, Restored |
| Number of discs | 1 |
| Product Dimensions | 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 2.93 ounces |
| Release date | February 24, 2015 |
| Run time | 1 hour and 6 minutes |
| Studio | Milestone Video |
J**J
Kwakiutl First Nation Cultural Treasure
This video release by Milestone is a cultural treasure of the Kwakiutl First Nation. The main feature is the restored 1914 film "In The Land Of The Head Hunters." I have seen better restorations but the restorers can only do so much with what they have to work with! If the reader does not already know, most films made before 1952 or so were made using Nitrocellulose or celluloid. Nitrocellulose is not an altogether stable substance. So for any film made before 1952 it is a question of how much has the film detertiorated. In fact there are special hazardous materials regulations to be observed when transporting films made with Nitrocellulose stock. The film story is set in a time before European contact on the North American Pacific coast. The story line itself is probably a fiction. But the ceremonies, the masks, the costumes, and the people are authentic. There is an edited 1973 version with a sound tract called "In The Land Of The War Canoes." There was still another feature, a modern 21st century performance by Gwa wina dancers of their First Nation's ceremonial dances in traditional costumes.
T**N
A Great addition to my Native American Library Collection
In The Land of the head hunters, by Edward S Curtis, is a nice addition to my Native American History Collection. The time and work the Edward Curtis put into this movie, was huge. His love, patience and journalism of American History is noted. Some of the movie is boring or silly, but what Edward Curtis was trying to convey in time-period clothing, transportation and Native beliefs, and Taboos, was quite an artful endevour. I am thankful that he spent his life preserving what otherwise would be lost forever.
D**Y
Interesting film, bad film preservation
I remember seeing clips from this film in documentaries and have tracking the origins of the clip for years. I was finally able to track it down to this film made over a century ago. From a film historian point of view, it's really cool to own because of the fact that it's the first major motion picture with an all Native American cast. On the other hand, the film is in really terrible shape. While some of the footage looks pretty decent for 1914, other scenes are either missing entirely or terribly damaged beyond repair. One scene was so badly preserved, it looked so horrible I actually wished it was left out the cut entirely and replaced with a screenshot of the sequence or at least some text. Let this act as a reminder of film preservation. As for what is there, it is rather fascinating to witness how Edward S. Curtis wanted to show how the Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest might have lived before European settlers ever set foot there. I would only recommend this for major film fanatics like myself.
E**R
Fascinating view of a traditional Kwakiutl past
Fascinating historical document and great restoration of damaged fragments of a deteriorated antique film--possibly the first ever documentary film in which Edward Curtis attempted to recreate traditional tribal customs and rituals of the Kwakiutl tribe of the Pacific Northwest, using the device of a fictional love story to frame the dances and ceremonies he had the tribal members recreate from memory, after all such traditions had been outlawed by the Canadian government.
A**R
It is amazing that this epic video has been preserved and that ...
It is amazing that this epic video has been preserved and that the film was shot over 100 years ago. My book club read the book The Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher by Timothy Egan and this movie was a wonderful conclusion to our study of Edward Curtis.
R**Y
But an excellent piece of early re enactment documentary
Lots of extras, some of which are a bit odd. But an excellent piece of early re enactment documentary. Very interesting.
C**K
Five Stars
I always wanted to see this, as I am a fan of Curtis's work
C**Y
Five Stars
It was very interesting and we enjoyed watching it from a historic and cinamatic point of view
A**T
There are 2 discs, one with the original music and the other with dialogue and English subtitles. This was more than I expected, and the extras of interviews, etc. was very interesting.
D**Y
Rien à redire sur l'envoi, délai respecté, emballage OK. Par contre, si on comprend bien que le travail a été ardu pour récupérer ce très vieux film, une fois regardé, le DVD se révèle assez décevant. DVD valable pour inconditionnel.
J**S
Awesome movies! It arrived late but thats ok. It arrived and in great shape.
A**R
EXCELLENT SERVICE. EXCEEDED EXPECTATIONS.
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