You cannot copy content from our website. The beginning of the film 'Whale Rider' introduces the characters in a close-up camera shot. Stephanie loves to read and has a bachelors degree in History. "Whale Rider" arrives in theaters already proven as one of the great audience-grabbers of recent years. The techniques that the composer uses to express the journeys are personification, onomatopoeia, repetition, similes, metaphors, music and acting skills., Whale Talk is a book of many themes. It would have been Pais father or her twin brother if either of them were still around. We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. Pai is played by Keisha Castle-Hughes, a newcomer of whom it can only be said: This is a movie star. Marginalised from contemporary New Zealand society, the Maori community is ostensibly struggling in rural poverty and obscurity; rusting car wrecks and abandoned machinery litter the otherwise idyllic Whangara coastline (the northeast region of New Zealands North Island where the film was shot), emphasising the intrusion of Western/Pakeha culture and the effects of modernity. She also secretly follows Koros lessons. Pai, an 11-year-old girl in a patriarchal New Zealand tribe, believes she is destined to be the new chief. Instead, she spies on them and does everything the class does, except by herself. Retrieved from https://graduateway.com/analysis-of-the-whale-rider/, Coming Of Age across Cultures in Film: Whale Rider and Rabbit-Proof Fence Analysis, Analysis of the Film Easy Rider Directed by Dennis Hopper, Fox and coyote and whale compare and contrast. "Whale Rider" [ ] She understood my main topic well and follow the instruction accordingly. It has a lot of awards through the world: BAFTA Childrens Award, Best Feature Film 2003; Broadcast Film Critics Association Award, Best Young Actor/Actress (Keisha Castle-Hughes) 2004; Chicago Film Critics Association Award, Most Promising Performer (Keisha Castle-Hughes) 2004; Cinemanila International Film Festival, Special Jury Prize 2003; Humanitas Prize, Sundance Film Category 2003; Independent Spirit Award, Best Foreign Film (New Zealand) 2004; Mexico City International Contemporary Film Festival and others. Recently, this tradition has come under scrutiny. The girl in question is Paikea, performed magnificently by Keisha Castle-Hughes in a role for which she was . While he does later form an affectionate bond with his granddaughter, carrying her to school every day on his bicycle, he also resents her and blames her for many of the troubles facing the tribe. This time, while no one is looking, Kahu jumps into the water and talks to the whales. Even the elder women of the community are shown playing cards and smoking. Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. The negative side of pride can be seen in both the play Antigone, written Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ) translated as The Brave-Hearted Will Take Away the Bride is romantic bollywood film directed in 1995 by Aditaya Chopra. Before man, "in the years that have gone before us, the land and sea felt a great emptiness, a yearning" (8). Ever since the time of the whale rider, Kahu's tribe has been ruled by a male chief. These three well-used techniques are camera shots, lighting and sound and dialogue. No plagiarism, guaranteed! In The Whale Rider, Kahu helps to cook and garden with Nanny Flower. The Whale Rider starts a thousand years ago, with a pod of whales. And he came on the back of a whale, a man to lead a new people, our ancestor, Paikea Porourangi offers to take Paikea with him back to Europe, but as she looks out to sea she feels the pull of her ancestors and cannot abandon her heritage. On the east coast of New Zealand, the Whangara people believe their presence there dates back a thousand years or more to a single ancestor, Paikea, who escaped death when his canoe capsized by riding to shore on the back of a whale. He teaches the boys to use a taiaha (fighting stick). Duncan Petrie, New Zealand, in M. Hjort, D. Petrie (ed), The Cinema of Small Nations, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2007. She has used a number of cinematic techniques in this film to create atmosphere and sometimes show what the character is feeling. The stoic mysticism of Niki Caro's cool-handed charmer ''Whale Rider'' -- in which the young Pai must overcome resistance as she tries to assume her destiny as the leader of a tribe on the New. On the east coast of New Zealand, the Whangara people believe their presence there dates back a thousand years or more to a single ancestor, Paikea, who escaped death when his canoe capsized by riding to shore on the back of a whale. For example, in the beginning when Koro goes to see the baby boy and tells Nanny to take Pai away from where he is. Issues such as cultural differences and gender equality are presented by the composers through the clever use of devices appropriate to the medium, while using the post-colonial context to accentuate these issues. The girl, Pai (Keisha Castle-Hughes) survives. All work is written to order. Pais father refuses to assume traditional leadership; instead he moves to Germany to pursue a career as an artist. Various types of journeys can be seen clearly in the three texts studied this year: The Happiest Refugee extract, written by Anh Doh in 2010, The Silver Donkey novel by Sonya Hartnett in 2004 and the film Bend It Like Beckham directed by Gurinder Chadha in 2002. She made a loud sound and the whales dove into the water, as if Kahu was warning them. Koro attempts to discover their new leader through a cultural reform school solely for the first-born sons of every family. Pai feels, that she can become the leader, but it is impossible for a woman to do so, and she is given little encouragement by her grandfather. By tradition the heir to the leadership of the Maori tribe has to be the first born son- a direct patrilineal descendant of Paikea. The inner journey is one which involves the hurdling of psychological barriers, as well as cultural and social obstacles, rather than just a physical trek. Pride can be seen in both positive and negative ways. Moreover, the plot of Whale Rider follows a single thread and is linear while in the novel, there are multiple flashbacks, especially to Maori myths. But when Koro walks away, she climbs onto the back of the largest whale and coaxes it to re-enter the ocean. Without the author's use of actual time and place, Irving's tale would not have the same force or strength as an American myth. : Taking Derrida, Lyotard, and Foucault to Church, MI, Baker Academic, 2006. By tradition the heir . Koros high standards make him look stubborn and that is why he pushes Pai away from him. The Whale Rider Witi Ihimaera 3.83 9,773 ratings1,111 reviews Eight-year-old Kahu craves her great-grandfather's love and attention. Whale Rider is a 2002 drama film directed by Niki Caro, based on the novel of the same name. The genius of the movie is the way is sidesteps all of the obvious cliches of the underlying story and makes itself fresh, observant, tough and genuinely moving. Differences Between the Whale Rider and Whale Rider Essay, Pride in Antigone and in Whale Rider Essay, The Themes of Tradition and Modernity in Bollywood Movies Essay, Family Tree and Other Customs of the Manchu Culture Essay, Enduring Issues: Conflict Between Traditional Culture and Modernization Essay, Family Traditions and Importance of Them Essay, The Importance of Culture and Traditions for Identity in Society Essay, What Should We Know About Obie Tradition Essay, Study Review on the Role of Festivals in Society and Culture Essay. This is a hot issue of many cultures through the world even today, as women try to gain a respectable place by hard working. The other text that I have studied Bran Nue Dae is also a good example of this. The story follows Paikea (Pai), who has disappointed her community by being born a girl. The program saw the city offer up to $1,200 for anyone looking to buy an electric bike, an additional $500 was also available for anyone considering a cargo bike. We`ll do boring work for you. Challenge. Most heroes are big strong men, or mythical creatures that have thousands of stories and tales written about them. The indie film Whale Rider is an engrossing character drama with an inspirational message. berkeley Synopsis The film opens with Porourangi, eldest son of Koro, the current chief, anxiously supporting his wife who is in labour. Whale Rider exemplified the Ideology of Patriarchy perfectly because of how Koro ran his tribe. One night Paikea delivers a speech to the rest of the tribe that traces the history of her people and the significance of the Paikea legend, which she tearfully dedicates to her grandfather. A nations culture resides in the heart and soul of its people- Mahatma Gandi and this culture is kept alive by what they do. Eventually, her birthfather, Porourangi, comes back and describes his current situation in life; how he lives in Germany and has a great life with a new woman, who is pregnant. By continuing, well assume you agree with our Cookies policy. Paikea: My name is Paikea Apirana, and I come from a long line of chiefs stretching all the way back to the whale rider. Whale Rider is a drama film of the 2002, based on the novel of Witi Ihimaera, and directed by Niki Caro. 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Free resources to assist you with your university studies! The Piano (1993 Movie): Summary, Analysis, Avatar: Story telling in the tradition of the legend, Analysis of cinematography and mise-en-scene of a short sequence from Alfred Hitchcock's Blackmail, Zemlya / Earth (1930 Movie) - Summary - Analysis. Janet Wilson, Re-representing Indigeneity: Approaches to History in recent New Zealand Australian Films, in Alistair Fox, Barry Keith Grant and Hilary Radner, (eds), New Zealand Cinema: Interpreting the Past, Bristol, Intellect, 2011, pp. A contemporary story of love, rejection and triumph as a young Maori girl fights to full fill a destiny her grandfather refuses to recognize., Whale Rider shows just how important culture and tradition is to some people. Which will talk about where she comes from. Kahu's great-grandfather Koro is chief of the tribe, but because of his old age he is worried about who will be his heir. What is the boat called in whale rider? While the grandfather is explaining about the ancestors, hes trying to start the engine but the rope breaks. Director and Screenwriter: Niki Caro. The films plot follows the story of Paikea Apirana (Pai)[In the book, her name is Kahu, short for Kahutia Te Rangi], a 12-year-old girl who is the only living child in the line of the tribes chiefly succession following the death of her twin brother and mother when she was born.