Roger Donaldson, réalisateur de Le Bounty en 1984 © DFree - shutterstock.com.jpg
Île de Nuku Hiva, lieu de tournage de l'émission Survivor © Vyshnivskyy - shutterstock.com.jpg

Cinematographic journey in Polynesia

In 1912, George Méliès' brother filmed Ballad of the South Seas in Papara. In 1927, Robert Flaherty directed White Sh adowsin the South Seas. Shot in Bora-Bora in collaboration with F.W. Murnau, Taboo (or Tapu, in 1929) is a quality film that depicts with great accuracy the daily life of the time. In 1935, Richard Thorpe directed Taro the Pagan

There are three films made on the theme of the Bounty Revolt. In 1935, the first version - the most Hollywood - features Clark Gable in the role of Christian Fletcher, leader of the mutineers. This version, directed by Frank Lloyd, takes many liberties with reality. The best known is Lewis Milestone's film, with Marlon Brando (1962), which was once an event in the territory. This Hollywood blockbuster was a real manna for the nascent economy of French Polynesia. Millions of dollars were paid for this pharaonic filming, which resulted in the hiring of thousands of extras and fresh money for the islanders. Marlon Brando, seduced by Polynesia, ends up identifying with his character and marries his partner. He even goes so far as to rent the atoll of Tetiaroa on a long-term basis, on which he builds a hotel. The last version of the film, with Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins (1983), filmed in Moorea, is rather disappointing

In 1957, Leo McCarey directed Him and Her with Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr in the main roles. In 1979, Hurricane, based on the novel by James Norman Hall and Charles Nordhoff, was produced in Bora Bora by Dino de Laurentis. The last big-budget French film shot in Polynesia was The Prince of the Pacific, starring Thierry Lhermitte and Patrick Timsit, released in 2001, with many scenes shot in Huahine. More recently, Vince Vaughn and Jean Reno starred in Thérapie de couple (Peter Billingsley, 2010), an American comedy filmed in Bora-Bora. In 2011, Mathieu Kassovitz shot L'Ordre et la morale, in Anaa, Tuamotu, which evokes the hostage-taking of 27 French gendarmes by Kanak independence fighters in 1988. Finally, it is regrettable that no director has yet chosen to depict the conquest of Polynesia by the first Polynesians, which remains an extraordinary epic, or the discovery of the country by the first explorers, and the ensuing destruction of the traditional civilization, an excellent subject for a historical film.

In Tahiti

The largest island in French Polynesia has been trodden on by several film shoots. In 1957, Bernard Broderie(Le Gorille vous salue bien) directed Tahiti ou la joie de vivre, a comedy in which Georges de Caunes portrays a journalist sent to the island to prove that paradise exists on earth. In 1962, Ted Kotcheff shot his first film on the islands, Tiara Tahiti(The Beauty of the Islands). In 1966, "Bebel" arrived in Tahiti to interpret the adventures of a gigolo in Jean Becker's Tendre Voy ou. Jean-Paul Belmondo returns to Tahiti accompanied by Claude Lelouch in 1988 for the needs of the very good Itinéraire d'un enfant gâté. Belmondo received the César for Best Actor for his performance in the film. In 1994, Glenn Gordon Caron directed Rendez-vous avec le destin, starring Warren Beatty and Katharine Hepburn. This remake of the 1957 film Elle et Lui marks the last cinema appearance of the great actress. The same year, Frédéric Blum adapted Romain's novel Gary The Guilty Head by directing The Counterfeiters. Gérard Jugnot plays a writer who came to Tahiti to write Paul Gauguin's biography. The French painter and his life on the island are once again in the spotlight in the film Gauguin - Voyage de Tahiti (2017), directed by Édouard Deluc, in which Gauguin is played by Vincent Cassel. The work arouses a certain amount of controversy in the world of the press. The press condemned Deluc's cinematographic approach and especially his vision of the colonial context of the time, but also of the painter's sexuality. This film is to date the last feature film shot in and about Tahiti. Unfortunately, many American films about Tahiti are shot outside Polynesia, as Hollywood producers with their ready-made ideas did not find it necessary to film scenes close to reality. The best example is probably the film 6 Days, 7 Nights with Harrison Ford and Anne Heche. On the event side, the Tahiti House of Culture has been hosting the International Oceanic Film Festival (FIFO) every year for the past 10 years. This festival celebrates documentaries on Oceania, organizes meetings between professionals and of course, awards prizes.

On the small screen

On the television side, French Polynesia seems to be a good place for American reality shows such as Surf Girls, Meet the bakers, Road Rules or Survivor. Created in 1992, this reality show is the American version of the famous Koh-Lanta in France. For one month, the candidates of Survivor, stranded on a deserted island, must prove their bravery by performing several tests that will challenge their nerves and their bodies. The goal of the game is to be the last remaining contestant on the island and thus win the title of "survivor". Shot all over the world, season 4 is based in Nuku Hiva, Polynesia. The very French Opération Séduction also chose French Polynesia as its setting. On the series side, the French photographer and filmmaker Adolphe Sylvain arrived in 1967 to shoot the only season of Téva-Opération Gauguin. The painter is once again highlighted in this mini-series whose plot revolves around Mr. Pigeon and his quest in Tahiti to find a painting by Gauguin that is part of his heritage. Broadcast in the early 1970s, this program truly puts Polynesia in the spotlight and participates in the inauguration of color on screens in France. In 1999, Gaumont launched the production of the French series Les Perles du Pacifique. This series, whose plot takes place in a pearl farm in Manatea, delights all lovers of love stories, betrayal and adventure. Closer to home, in 2019, it is Éric Delafosse who lands in Tahiti to direct the new French series Tahiti PK.0 with Édouard Montoute