Educational film magazine; (January-December 1920)

TRAVEL — RESEARCH THE CANNIBAL AND THE CINEMA South Sea Savages See Themselves on Screen Set Up in Malekula Jungle. While the Movie Camera "Shoots" Their Amazement at the White Man"s Wonders—Biggest Thrill of Their Lives, Say The Johnsons By Martin Johnson CAi\ you imagine the thrill you could get if it were possible to go back a thousand years in the life of the world, and suddenly appear from nowhere— seemingly, and without warning show moving pic- lures to the people of the time, and witness their wonder- ment and awe at such a marvelous spectacle? Well, we have just had this wonderful experience, and now that I look back over our last six months in Malekula, in the New Hebrides Islands, it seems that I have just gone through the most interesting part of my life; and Mrs. Johnson says though we may travel in every land, and have no matter how many queer experiences, none will ever stick to her memory as will the weird nights when we showed the Male- kula savages the movies. Two years ago we had some little trouble on this island and barely missed being the principal article of a native feast, and with the in- tention of learning more of these wild people, and making a moving picture record of their every-day lives, we journeyed from New York to Sydney, then on the French steamer Pacifique to the New Hebrides, and were finally set down with our sixty-five pieces of bag- gage on the little island of Vao. just off the coast of the big island of Malekula. Here we set up our headquarters, hired native black boys, and waited for the four schooners and cutters that we had arranged for. When they arrived we set sail again for the north- western coast of the big island, dropped anchor, and for eight days we proceeded to make friends with the natives, and in everv way we tried to get their confidence. There were four of us white men, Mrs. Johnson, and thirty blacks, all armed, but even with this guard we were careful where we went, and it was the moving pictures that finally opened up the island to us, and made it possible for us to make the most wonderful films that have ever been made since lime began. Hours of Anxiety [ was very doubtful as to the manner the movies would be taken by the savages, and for my first attempt I decided to set up my projection apparatus near the shore, so that we could get away quickly should the natives get worked up. Accordingly I started early one morning to unload my apparatus from the cutter, and by noon had it ashore and set up, but the blamed thing would not work. I had the film, and mv Peerless was in good shape, but the MMMIX JOHNSON, author of this article, appears above in the small oval. Below are shown Nagapate, cliicf of the Big Numbers tribe of cannibals on Malekula Island. New Hebrides, South Pacific, and plucky Osa lolmson, wife of the author. On a previous camera trip through the islands, the Johnsons were captured by Naeapate's men. Qti this last trip they^ turned the tables and captured the savages with their marvelous movies, even bringing to life on the screen a man who died since the film was made. generator would not work—I could not get the juice. I could not find anything wrong and there were no directions with the machine, as the entire outfit had been made to order for me, and was the first of its kind the Peerless people had put out. The day previous I had given out the word, and the savages were already assembling. Squat- ting around me were over a hundred warriors—all armedi with rifles and big knives and bows and arrows; and Naga- pate, the chief, was watching every move I made. I knew I had to do one of two things: either get the machine running or go away and leave it. I had prom-i ised the savages a big sensation; I could not make them understand; what it was, but if I did not pro-' duce something I knew they would' make short work of me that night. I was so sure of this that I decided' to sail away and leave the entire plant on the beach if I could not get the electricity to work. I would never stay to pack up, for it would have been impossible to make themi understand it was not my fault. Four hours I worked and sweated, Mrs. Johnson did what she could to help me, and the blackl guards sat around and grew sullen.i llipv had never seeri a moving pic- ture, and would be just as angry as the natives if I did not get the pictures, and the four white men were growing restless. They said they would never be able to recruiti along this coast again if I fooled the people. Yes, they said fooled. It seemed to me at the time as though everyone thought I was trying to fool them, and I was the most worried of the lot, and had the most to lose. But after hours of work, and I was seemingly no nearer to success. I sent Mrs. Johnson back CO the cutter, as the mutterings of the savages were getting worse, and I expected hell to break loose when I had to give up. Then the Miracle! I had overhauled everything connected with the generat- ing outfit, and the motor refused to give even a spark. The outfit was a series of wheels and gears that were turned by man power—^two men on either side turning handles th.at drove the wheels to such a speed that sufficient speed was supposed to be produced, that it would have the same effect of driving the motor by an engineer. But no juice could be produced, and just before sundown I stood off looking at the machine, about the most worried man on earth at the time, and gave it up. I motioned to the boys 18