synopsis
Gaston Méliès stayed in Tahiti for about a month while travelling to film on the surrounding islands, for example the island of Bora-Bora. We know many details about the whole Tahitian leg of his journey from the letters he sent to his son Paul in New York, who had stayed behind to arrange for the films to be distributed. As a result, we know the complete filmography despite the fact that the footage did not survive. We also know that, from the beginning, the director intended to mix together techniques of fiction and documentary film. In one of his letters, he mentions that the local population was already too civilised and therefore difficult to cast in films.
biography
Gaston Méliès (1852-1915), the brother of the more famous Georges, was primarily his sales representative in the United States. However, he has been directing films himself since 1903. He was first celebrated by American audiences. In the years 1912-13 he traveled the world and shot documentary films with staged scenes in exotic environments.
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