Kliou the Tiger [also known as "Kliou, the Killer"] is a 1936 silent film directed by Henry de La Falaise. It is the first movie filmed in Indochina, one of the last silent film ever released by Hollywood, and the final film to be released in two-colored technicolor. [1] Until the year 2000, the film was considered lost.
The story is told through the words of a white adventurer residing in a French outpost in the form of a flashback.
Bhat is a member of the Moi tribe in the Annamese Jungles in Indochina (now Central Vietnam). Bhat is in love with a woman named Dhi, but her father, Khan, does not believe Bhat is worthy of his daughter as he lacks hunting and warrior prowess. Meanwhile, a tiger, Kliou, has been attacking Moi villages, taking people and livestock. During a hunt, Khan is severely mauled by the claws of Kliou. Witch doctors claim that Khan can only be saved if Kliou experiences a similar injury.
Bhat teams up with Nyan, Dhi's younger brother, to hunt Kliou. After traversing the dangerous jungle, they manage to find Kliou's trail and wound them with a poisoned arrow. Kliou is killed, and Bhat is hailed as a hero, Khan recovers from his attack, and Bhat and Dhi are reunited. [2]
The movie was filmed in Vietnam, with most of the actors being natives of the area. [3] Due to this, the actors are unknown.
The film was written by Paul Perez and Ray Doyle and edited by Ralph Dietrich. The photography was done by W. Howard Greene, and the music was created by Heinz Roemheld, S.K. Wineland, and Abe Meyer. [4]
The film's premiere was August 14, 1937. [5] After the movie came out, it was considered to be lost. However, in the early 2000s, the black and white print was found in the collection of Jerry Haber. The original technicolor version is likely lost to time.
The film was shown at the Press Cafe in Hanoi, Vietnam in 2010. [6]
The film was also released by Milestone Videos as an extra on DVD's of Legong, another film by Henry de La Falaise. [7]