The sole directing credit of Venice-born Umberto Bonsignori, the 1961 Maeva is the story of a young and beautiful Tahitian woman (Tumata Teuiau) who leaves her small fishing village to become a painter's model but is soon disillusioned by the insincerity of her European lovers. The script and narration were written by avant-garde filmmaker Maya Deren (Meshes of the Afternoon), whose then-husband, Teiji Ito, composed Maeva's unusual score. The film is apparently lost but Ito's soundtrack is still available. Also known as Pagan Hellcat, True Diary of a Wahine, and other titles tailored for grindhouse marquees.
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