Venus of the South Seas
About Venus of the South Seas
Shona Royal (Annette Kellerman), daughter of a man who runs a South Seas pearl business, falls in love with a wealthy traveler. Her father dies and leaves her the business. A ship's captain tries to take it from her. Kellerman does much of the action underwater. John Royal is played by Roland Purdie, Captain John Drake by Norman French, and Robert Quane by Robert Ramsey.
Cast & crew
More about Venus of the South Seas
James R. Sullivan directed. An American company shot the four-reel film in Nelson, New Zealand, with long underwater passages. The last reel is in Prizma Color. Davis Distributing Company handled distribution. Released in February 1924. Also known as Venus of the Southern Seas.
Themes
Background
A 1924 silent adventure released near the end of Prizma's two-color process, which was about to be overtaken by other color systems.
Making
Sullivan shot the pearl-island story on location in Nelson and kept a full reel for underwater swimming rather than for studio tanks.
Look
Substantial scenes were photographed underwater off Nelson, and the final reel was shot in Prizma Color.
Technique
A surviving Prizma Color reel combined with underwater photography, restored by the Library of Congress in 2004.
Music
Silent.
Preservation
The Library of Congress restored the film in 2004, including the Prizma Color final reel.
Notes
- It is one of the last features to include Prizma Color footage.
- The Library of Congress restored the film in 2004, including the color reel.
- Kellerman, a professional swimmer, performs the underwater scenes herself.
Scenes
- Kellerman swims the underwater passages that take up much of the film.
- The last reel switches into Prizma Color.