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DVD Whale Rider
One of the most charming and critically acclaimed films of 2003, the New Zealand hit Whale Rider effectively combines Maori tribal tradition with the timely "girl power" of a vibrant new millennium. Despite the discouragement of her gruff and disapproving grandfather (Rawiri Paratene), who nearly disowns her because she is female and therefore traditionally disqualified from tribal leadership, 12-year-old Pai (Keisha Castle-Hughes) is convinced that she is a tribal leader, and sets about to prove it. Rather than inflate this story (from a novel by Witi Ihimaera) with artificial sentiment, writer-director Niki Caro develops very real and turbulent family relationships, intimate and yet torn by a collision between stubborn tradition and changing attitudes. The mythic whale rider--the ultimate symbol of Maori connection to nature--is also the harbinger of Pai's destiny, and the appealing Castle-Hughes gives a luminous, astonishingly powerful performance that won't leave a dry eye in the house. With its fresh take on a familiar tale, Whale Rider is definitely one from the heart. --Jeff Shannon
I originally saw this film in the theater and was so impressed by it that I bought the VHS as a present for a friend. We watched it with several other people and everyone enjoyed it immensely. It shows the strength and persistence of a young girl against the traditions of her community and how she is finally recognized for her tremendous spiritual power. I highly recommend this film.
Whale Rider
Wonderful story of a girl who was born to be chief of her Maori tribe in New Zealand. Her grandfather can't accept that a mere girl is the annointed one, the coming chief. He excludes her from the training necessary to be chief, which includes stick fighting. But she learns nonetheless and proves, time after time, that she is the one. In the climactic scene she performs a miracle out of Maori tradition, perhaps a Maori equivalent of a newborn Moses recreating a Biblical story, the only problem being that the new Moses is a girl.
If you are curious as to the nature of the miracle that our darling Maori girl is to perform, just notice the title of the story.
Whale of a Film
"Whale Rider", a New Zealand film, is a story about a Maori tribe in modern times, with a twist of their tales and tradition thrown in. It's based on the 1987 novel of the same name. I thought I'd like it much more than I actually did, unfortunately.
Pai is a twelve year old Maori girl, the latest in a line of chiefs, an only daughter, very passionate about her people and culture, and who loves her grandfather, the chief of their region, very much. Daughters cannot go on to be chiefs, no matter how passionate they are, that is the tradition, and a tradition Pai's grandfather is determined to keep. Deciding to ignore his daughter completely, the old chief calls together all the Maori boys in the community, teaching them the old ways, the whats and the whys. In secret, Pai spys on them, learning the old ways too, creating an even bigger rift between her grandfather, a rift he refuses to mend.
I found it was rather serious and melodramatic (the dialogue, the shots, the music, the acting) like there was (or had to be) significance in everything that happened in the story. There was very little humour, which is a shame, because I'm sure I would have enjoyed the film a bit more if it had. The Maoris are pretty funny guys in real life as well. This film makes them out to be very stressed and intense, for the most part. Ah well. Through the film, I learnt a little bit about the culture of the Maoris, but considering it was one of the central parts of the film, it didn't seem to get too deep or detailed with explanations. Also, the title of the film is a bit misleading. There isn't an awful lot of whale riding, and I was looking forward to that. Where there is some, it's pretty well done, I thought.
Based on a true story, Rabbit-Proof Fence moves with dignified grace from its joyful opening scenes to a conclusion that's moving beyond words. The title refers to a 1,500-mile fence separating outback desert from the farmlands of Western Australia. It is here, in 1931, that three aboriginal girls are separated from their mothers and transported to a distant training school, where they are prepared for assimilation into white society by a racist government policy. Gracie, Daisy, and Molly belong to Australia's "stolen generations," and this riveting film (based on the book by Molly's daughter, Doris Pilkington Garimara) follows their escape and tenacious journey homeward, while a stubborn policy enforcer (Kenneth Branagh) demands their recapture. Director Phillip Noyce chronicles... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Everlyn Sampi - Tianna Sansbury - Kenneth Branagh Director(s): Phillip Noyce DVD Release Date: Released the 15 April 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
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March of the Penguins instantly qualifies as a wildlife classic, taking its place among other extraordinary films like Microcosmos and Winged Migration. French filmmaker Luc Jacquet and his devoted crew endured a full year of extreme conditions in Antarctica to capture the life cycle of Emperor penguins on film, and their diligence is evident in every striking frame of this 80-minute documentary. Narrated in soothing tones by Morgan Freeman, the film focuses on a colony of hundreds of Emperors as they return, in a single-file march of 70 miles or more, to their frozen breeding ground, far inland from the oceans where they thrive. At times dramatic, suspenseful, mischievous and just plain funny, the film conveys the intensity of the penguins' breeding cycle, and their... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Luc Jacquet DVD Release Date: Released the 29 November 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Bend It Like Beckham is true girl power. This glorious comedy centers on Jess (Parminder Nagra), an Indian girl born in England whose only desire is to become a football--or, as we say on this side of the Atlantic, soccer--star like her idol, David Beckham; but her traditional family refuses to even consider it. With the help of her new friend Juliet (Keira Knightley), Jess secretly joins a girls' team under the guidance of a male coach (Jonathan Rhys Meyers). As the team starts to gain some attention, Jess's secret can't be kept forever. The story of Bend It Like Beckham is so genuine and detailed that it transcends all the sports-movie formulas that it also fulfills with cheeky exuberance. Wonderfully acted, and written and directed with loving care by Gurinder Chadha... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Parminder Nagra - Keira Knightley - Jonathan Rhys-Meyers Director(s): Gurinder Chadha DVD Release Date: Released the 30 September 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
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The Fast Runner turns the frozen landscape of northern Canada into the stage for an adventure as sweeping as The Odyssey or Beowulf. Adapted from an Inuit legend, The Fast Runner centers on Atanarjuat, a charismatic young hunter struggling for the affections of Atuat, who has already been promised to Oki, the son of the camp's leader. When Atuat chooses Atanarjuat, Oki seems to accept it, but later events turn his anger and hatred into a murderous spite. This story, as passionate and primal as any film noir, is framed by the daily lives of the Inuit--a struggle for survival that is both simple and vivid, foreign yet immediately understandable. No one in the cast is a professional actor, but the performances are direct and compelling, telling a story that is... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Natar Ungalaaq - Sylvia Ivalu Director(s): Zacharias Kunuk DVD Release Date: Released the 11 February 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
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