Post #310509 by Kaiwaza on Sat, Jun 2, 2007 12:50 PM

I just watched a film / dvd last night I think many of you might enjoy. It's a 2001 film directed by Mario Andreacchio called "Paradise Found" and it's a drama about the life of Paul Gauguin, emphasizing his time in the South Seas. Kiefer Sutherland plays Gauguin and Natassia Kinski plays his wife Mette.
Having read a fair amount about Gauguin & his letters, it doesn't seem to follow his life exactly, several things are not even mentioned, however I think they did a beautiful job portraying the sense of escapism and his attraction to the exotic. Tikis play a much larger role in the film than I think they did in his real life, but they are featured prominently with missionaries burning them, Gauguin seeking out those remaining, and what they represented to him in his art.
The film ends with his return to Tahiti after his failed Tahitian exhibit back in Paris. It does not deal with his increased poverty, severe health problems and eventual death in Tahiti at all.
At any rate, I would highly recommend it to Tiki folks. Moving away from my family to come here at 19, many decades ago, I've always related to Gauguin and I feel this film, aside from featuring some beautiful tiki scenes, does capture some of the emotion involved with one who feels a real compulsion towards Polynesia.