Gow the Headhunter

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]

Premise

The film consists of genuine documentary footage but an attempt at creating a plot may be perceptible in the end.[2]

Production

Footage originates from a two-year expedition led by Edward A. Salisbury, a wealthy British adventurer, in the Western Pacific.[2] 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.[3]

Reception and legacy

In 2012 Flicker Alley released a Blu-ray edition[4] 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
  1. "Flicker Fusion – Flicker Alley". Retrieved 2023-04-25.
  2. ""GOW" A TRIBAL PICTURE.; Head-Hunter Film Depicts Customs in South Sea Islands". The New York Times. 1928-12-25. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
  3. Gow, the Head Hunter (1928), retrieved 2023-04-25
  4. "Silent Era : Home Video Reviews". www.silentera.com. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
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