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Uncivilised (1936)

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clip You are not white

This clip chosen to be G

Clip description

Sondra, a Malay girl (Marcelle Marnay) calls Mara (Dennis Hoey) a white savage when he rejects her advances because of her colour. Akbar Jhan (Ashton Jarry) arrives with Beatrice Lynn (Margot Rhys) and Mara is well pleased with her appearance.

Curator’s notes

Much of the film is concerned with the question of who Mara will ‘settle down’ with – and specifically, what colour the woman should be. It’s taken for granted that she must be white, although the casting of a very pretty actress (Marcelle Marnay) as the temptress suggests the choice is not easy to make. This temptation by an exotic woman of colour was common in Hollywood South Sea islands movies, indeed any adventure movie shot in an exotic location. Almost invariably, the male lead never ‘gives in’ to the temptress. Mixing of the races would become a theme only much later, in Hollywood musicals such as South Pacific.

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australianscreen is produced by the National Film and Sound Archive. By using the website you agree to comply with the terms and conditions described elsewhere on this site. The NFSA may amend the 'Conditions of Use’ from time to time without notice.

All materials on the site, including but not limited to text, video clips, audio clips, designs, logos, illustrations and still images, are protected by the Copyright Laws of Australia and international conventions. All rights are reserved.

When you access australianscreen you agree that:

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  • Where permitted, you may embed materials for your personal or non-commercial educational use only.
  • The National Film and Sound Archive’s permission must be sought to amend any information in the materials, unless otherwise stated in notices throughout the Site.

ANY UNAUTHORISED USE OF MATERIAL ON THIS SITE MAY RESULT IN CIVIL AND CRIMINAL LIABILITY.

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