The Misfortunes of Mr. and Mrs. Mott on Their Trip to Tahiti

All three films from Tahiti are probably only fragments of their original versions. However, this one is unique in many ways. Gaston Méliès describes in a letter to his son that he came up with Mr. and Mrs. Mott so he could start filming during the voyage and document the progress of the journey. We then see the first shots of Papeete, the capital of Tahiti. These are of great value, as in 1912 the town still had less than four thousand inhabitants. The fictional plot is more of an excuse to film, and because the couple are on a tourist trip, the film predominantly contains authentic footage – for example of the Tahitian queen, the fashion of the time or the streets and shops. (Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival)