"Man of Two Worlds" is the sort of film that no one would make today. It's very much a relic of the early 20th century and influenced by the real life story of Minik, a native of Greenland brought back to Europe as a cultural curiosity--and who ended up wasting away and dying away from his native land.
A British expedition lands in Greenland and the adventurers soon meet up with a native, Aigo, who they instantly like and respect. As for Aigo (Francis Lederer), he longs to go to Europe and become a white man--and meet Sir Basil's daughter. This is because Aigo saw a photo of her and he instantly fell for her--though why no one else noticed this is beyond me.
Once in Britain, Aigo is treated as a curiosity--like some sort of simple-minded thing instead of a person. He likes what he sees--particularly Sir Basil's daughter. In his mind, he's envisioned that she is destined to be his--and, of course, he's setting himself up for disappointment. No one seems to believe, including the girl, that Aigo has normal human desires and urges.
Throughout this film, Aigo is treated in an amazingly patronizing fashion. He is some silly, childish savage--sort of like Tarzan but with even less intellect. Offensive? Yes, but also pretty dumb, as ANYONE with even average intelligence would recognize that he is a man and not a thing! So, while I think they had a good point in making this film, the characters often were caricatures and the film fails as a result. Lederer's performance doesn't help, as he overplays the role--making Aigo seem a bit brain-addled. Overall, offensive and poorly done. This could have been a lot better--and just a bit of a re-write would have really made this worth watching. Plus, why did they put a Czech actor in this role--couldn't they have gotten someone who at least looks like a native of Greenland?
A British expedition lands in Greenland and the adventurers soon meet up with a native, Aigo, who they instantly like and respect. As for Aigo (Francis Lederer), he longs to go to Europe and become a white man--and meet Sir Basil's daughter. This is because Aigo saw a photo of her and he instantly fell for her--though why no one else noticed this is beyond me.
Once in Britain, Aigo is treated as a curiosity--like some sort of simple-minded thing instead of a person. He likes what he sees--particularly Sir Basil's daughter. In his mind, he's envisioned that she is destined to be his--and, of course, he's setting himself up for disappointment. No one seems to believe, including the girl, that Aigo has normal human desires and urges.
Throughout this film, Aigo is treated in an amazingly patronizing fashion. He is some silly, childish savage--sort of like Tarzan but with even less intellect. Offensive? Yes, but also pretty dumb, as ANYONE with even average intelligence would recognize that he is a man and not a thing! So, while I think they had a good point in making this film, the characters often were caricatures and the film fails as a result. Lederer's performance doesn't help, as he overplays the role--making Aigo seem a bit brain-addled. Overall, offensive and poorly done. This could have been a lot better--and just a bit of a re-write would have really made this worth watching. Plus, why did they put a Czech actor in this role--couldn't they have gotten someone who at least looks like a native of Greenland?