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Gow the Headhunter

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gow the Headhunter
Poster
Directed byEdward A. Salisbury
LanguageEnglish

Gow the Headhunter (or Gow, the Headhunter, with a comma) is a 1931 exploration film. The footage, from the 1920s was originally released as 4 different films before being released as a 63-minute feature film in 1931. The film was released in the 1950s under the title Cannibal Island.[1] The film is also known as Gow the Head Hunter, or simply Gow,[2] and Gow the Terror and Gow the Killer.

Premise

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The film consists of genuine documentary footage but an attempt at creating a plot may be perceptible in the end.[3]

Production

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Footage originates from a two-year expedition led by Edward A. Salisbury, a wealthy British adventurer, in the Western Pacific.[3] The aim of the filming was to document the life of cannibals in the South Seas islands (Western Solomon Islands, the New Hebrides and the Eastern Solomons),[1] including the practice of headhunting.[4]

Reception and legacy

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A theater showing of Gow the Headhunter (aka Gow the Killer, Gow the Terror, Cannibal Island)
A theater showing of Gow the Terror

In 2012 Flicker Alley released a Blu-ray edition[5] of The Most Dangerous Game including Gow presenting the film as an Exploration classic[1]

According to the company, the film "is not only a true curiosity but also in many ways a key influence of later Cooper and Schoedsack productions including King Kong."[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Flicker Fusion – Flicker Alley". Archived from the original on 2023-04-25. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
  2. ^ "AFI|Catalog". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  3. ^ a b ""GOW" A TRIBAL PICTURE.; Head-Hunter Film Depicts Customs in South Sea Islands". The New York Times. 1928-12-25. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2023-04-27. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
  4. ^ Gow, the Head Hunter (1928), archived from the original on 2023-04-25, retrieved 2023-04-25
  5. ^ "Silent Era : Home Video Reviews". www.silentera.com. Archived from the original on 2023-04-25. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
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