The Tahitian on AllMovie

Almost a throwback to the silent "docudramas" of Robert Flaherty, The Tahitian was filmed on location with a largely native cast. Taia Tepava plays a tribal medicine man who resists all efforts by the local authorities to bring modern medical advancements to his people. He is particularly obstreperous when it comes to introducing an anti-malaria vaccine. Only when his old son hovers between life and death does the medicine man agree to give the scientists' newfangled methods a try. The film's romantic subplot is carried by a pair of beautiful young Tahitians, male and female, billed only as Vahio and Ana. Shot on 16-millimeter film, The Tahitian was blown up to 35-mm for theatrical distribution; the film was coproduced by former actress Lotus Long.