When Columbus and Cortez ventured into the New World there was no camera to record the drama of this first encounter. But in 1930 when the Leahy brothers penetrated the interior of New Guinea in search of gold, they carried a movie camera. Thus they captured on film their unexpected confrontation with thousands of Stone Age people who had no concept of human life beyond their valleys. This amazing footage forms the basis of "First Contact", part one of "The Highlands Trilogy" which I recently bought at our local op-shop.
It had been collecting dust there for well over a year, unwanted and overpriced, until I lashed out the thirty dollars last week and brought it home with me. I've watched it twice already, and no doubt will watch it again and again whenever "homesickness" for New Guinea overtakes me.
Here are two previews of Part 2 and 3 of "The Highlands Trilogy":
"Black Harvest" and "Joe Leahy's Neighbours" and "Black Harvest":
