Venus of the South Seas

Movie Poster, Venus of the South Seas, 1924 Colour lithograph, by Jno.Evans & Son, Kent St., Sydney, 101 x 37 cm. Backed on thick cardboard., Text continues 'Beaumont Smith Films Present Annette Kellerman In a story of Girls and Pearls, Love and Adventures, Mermaids and Wonders of the Coral Isles., Annette Marie Sarah Kellermann (1887 ? 1975) was an Australian born professional swimmer, vaudeville star, film actress and writer. She appeared in several movies, usually with aquatic themes, and as the star of A Daughter of the Gods was the first major actress to appear nude in a Hollywood production. Kellermann was an advocate of health, fitness, and natural beauty throughout her life. She helped popularize the sport of synchronised swimming after her 1907 performance of the first water ballet in a glass tank at the New York Hippodrome., The majority of Kellermann's films had themes of aquatic adventure. She performed her own stunts including diving from 30 meters into the sea and 20 meters into a pool of crocodiles. Many times she would play mermaids named Annette or variations of her own name. Her 'fairy tale films', as she called them, started with The Mermaid (1911), in which she was the first actress to wear a swimmable mermaid costume on film, paving the way for future screen sirens such as Glynis Johns (Miranda), Esther Williams and Daryl Hannah (Splash). Kellermann designed her own mermaid swimming costumes and sometimes made them herself., Venus of the South Seas, shot in and around Nelson, New Zealand, was one of the last films made in Prizma Color. The last reel (of the four reel film) was in colour and shot underwater. The film was restored by the Library of Congress in 2004 and is the only feature film starring Kellermann known to exist in its complete form.