[masks-of-mer--Film-list-image]

2010 / 37 minutes

Directed by
Michael Eaton
Country of production
United Kingdom

The film Alfred Haddon made in 1898 in the Torres Straits, lasting for less than a minute, is the world’s first example of anthropological cinema. ‘The Masks of Mer’ tells the extraordinary story of this experiment and traces the masks worn in the sacred initiation ceremony Haddon filmed. And, for the first time since Haddon himself publicly presented the work, his films are synchronised with the team’s phonographic recordings.

Language and subtitles
English (no subtitles)
Region
Australia
Country
Australia
Keywords
History of Anthropology Film / Photography / Mass media Archival material / Museum displays Ritual