Moana

The read

Critics rate it 19 points higher than audiences do.

Synopsis

Robert J. Flaherty’s follow-up to Nanook of the North shifts from the Arctic to the South Seas, portraying Samoan village life with a painterly eye. Blending ethnographic detail with a romanticized “Gauguin idyll,” the film celebrates daily rituals, communal traditions, and the passage into adulthood, suffused with what Flaherty called “pride of beauty, pride of strength.”

Ratings

Key crew

• Robert FlahertyDirector
• Julian JohnsonWriter
• James C. BradfordOriginal Music Composer
• Robert FlahertyScreenplay
• Frances H. FlahertyScreenplay
• Frances H. FlahertyDirector

Cast

• Ta'avaleMoana
• Fa'amgaseMoana's Fiancé
• TamaMoana's Father
• T'ugaitaMoana's Mother
• Pe'aMoana's Younger Brother
• LeupengaMoana's Older Brother

Stills

Themes