WHALE RIDER (2002)
PART ONE: FILM INFORMATION
Director: Niki Caro
Director and writer, Niki Caro was born in Wellington New Zealand, the country that would later become the setting of her first major motion picture Whale Rider. Most recently she has directed North Country, staring Charlize Theron. In 2005 she was named one of the “100 People in Hollywood You Need to Know,” by Fade In Magazine.[1]
Screenplay: Niki Caro (novel by Witi Ihimaera)
Cinematographer: Leon Narby
Producer: John Barnett
Production Company: Presented by; South Pacific Pictures, Apollo Media, and Pandora Film
Cast:
Keisha Castle-Hughes – Paikea
Rawire Paratene – Koro
Vicky Haughton – Nanny Flowers
Cliff Curtis – Porourangi
Grant Roa – Uncle Rawire
Mana Taumaunu – Hemi
Rachel House – Shilo
Taungaroa Emile – Willie
Tammy Davis – Dog
Mabel Wharekawa – Maka
Rawinia Clarke – Miro
Tahei Simpson – Miss Parata
Roi Taimana – Hemi’s Dad
Elizabeth Skeen – Rehua
Tyronne White – Jake
Release Dates[2]:
Canada (Toronto Film Festival): 9 September 2002
New Zealand: 30 January 2003
Australia: 8 May 2003
USA (limited): 6 June 2003
USA: 4 July 2003
UK: 11 July 2003
BUDGET AND BOX OFFICE FIGURES
Box Office Open: $137,418[3]
Box Office Total: $20,661,128[4]
Budget: NZD $6,000,000[5]
BIBLIOGRAPHY OF INTERVIEWS
The Making of ‘Whale Rider’ (TV). Directed by Jonathan Brough. Interviews with entire cast and director. [6]
AWARDS
Nominated:[7]
¨ Academy Award, Best Actress in a Leading Role (Keisha Castle-Hughes) – 2004
¨ Australian Film Institute, Best Foreign Film Award – 2003
¨ British Independent Film Award, Best Foreign Film – 2003
¨ Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards, Best Family Film (Live Action) – 2004
¨ Chicago Film Critics Association Awards, Best Actress (Keisha Castle-Hughes) – 2004
¨ Chlortrudis Award, Best Actress (Keisha Castle-Hughes) and Best Screenplay – Adapted (Niki Caro) - 2004
¨ Film Critics Circle of Australia Award, Best Foreign Film (English Language) – 2003
¨ Golden Trailer Awards, Best Voice Over – 2004
¨ Image Award, Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture (Keisha Castle-Hughes) and Outstanding Motion Picture – 2004
¨ Motion Picture Sound Editors (Golden Reel Award), Best Sound Editing in Foreign Features – 2004
¨ New Zealand Film and TV Awards, Best Actor (Rawiri Paratene), Best Cinematography, Best Design, Best Editing, Best Makeup, Best Supporting Actor (Grant Roa) – 2003
¨ Online Film Critics Society Awards, Best Breakthrough Filmmaker (Niki Caro) – 2004
¨ San Sebastian International Film Festival, Golden Seashell Award – 2002
¨ Satellite Award, Best Art Direction, Best Director, Best Motion Picture (Drama), Best Adapted Screenplay – 2004
¨ Screen Actors Guild Awards, Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role (Keisha Castle-Hughes) – 2004
¨ Teen Choice Award, Choice Breakout Movie Star (Keisha Castle-Hughes) – 2004
¨
Won[8]
¨ 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
¨ Chicago International Children’s Film Festival (Children’s Jury Award), Live-Action Feature Film or Video – 2003
¨ Cinemanila International Film Festival, Special Jury Prize – 2003
¨ Environmental Media Awards, Feature Film – 2003
¨ Humanitas Prize, Sundance Film Category – 2003
¨ Independent Spirit Award, Best Foreign Film (New Zealand) – 2004
¨ Mexico City International Contemporary Film Festival, Best Humanitarian Content – 2004
¨ New Zealand Film and TV Awards, Best Actress (Keisha Castle-Hughes), Best Costume Design, Best Dirctor, Best Film, Best Juvenile Performer (Mana Taumanunu), Best Original Music, Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (Cliff Curtis), and Best Supporting Actress (Vicky Haughton) – 2003
¨ Online Film Critics Society Award, Best Breakthrough Performance (Keisha Castle-Hughes) – 2004
¨ Rotterdam International Film Festival, Audience Award – 2003
¨ San Francisco International Film Festival (Audience Award), Best Narrative Feature – 2003
¨ Seattle International Film Festival (Golden Space Needle Award), Best Director and Best Film – 2003
¨ Sundance Film Festival (Audience Award), World Cinema – 2003
¨ Sao Paulo International Film Festival, International Jury Award – 2003
¨ Toronto International Film Festival, People’s Choice Award – 2002
¨ Young Artist Award, Best International Feature Film, Best young Actress in an International Film (Keisha Castle-Hughes) – 2004
BIBLIOGRAPHY OF REVIEWS IN NEWSPAPERS, CRITICAL ESSAYS IN JOURNALS, DISCUSSIONS IN BOOKS
Sampling of Reviews, for more critic reviews go to (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/whale_rider/)
“The film boasts a terrific newcomer in the lead role, exquisite widescreen photography and a powerful sense of place.” – Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter.com
“The first 2/3rds are artfully, soulfully crafted with heart, family, tradition and real humor.” - Ross Anthony, Hollywood Report Card
“Stripped of its exotic cultural context and New Zealand setting, it wouldn’t differ much from an inspirational TV movie…” – John Beifuss, Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)
“Has the feel of a great and rare children’s movie.” Jeffery M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
“For a better look at the sexism behind ancestral traditions, try Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi’s masterpieces The Circle. But this easier-to-take film has an intoxication all its own.” -Kevin John Bozelka, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“Pai’s unflagging spirit in the face of staggering personal hardship (and infuriating chauvinism) resonates with eloquent inspiration.” -Jeanne Aufmuth, Palo Alto Weekly
“The film is a closer to a feminist tract. And, like all propaganda, it wants to do all of your thinking for you.” – Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel
“Messages aside, time with this little girl and her brethren is well spent.” –Jules Brenner, Filmcritic.com
“Caro strive to poeticize the native sea legends (the lovely underwater whale footage is, alas, all digital), but the aboriginal hoopla comes off as tribal ritual for its own sake.”
- Michael Atkinson, Village Voice
“Pai is resourceful and in harmony with the natural world in a way that will charm and enthrall young viewers.” - Jami Bernard, New York Daily News
Sampling of Scholarly Journals for more information go to (http://web1.epnet.com.proxyau.wrlc.org/resultlist.asp?)
Beck, Bernard. 2004 “The Sea Around Us: Social Climbing in Seabiscuit, Whale Rider, and Finding Nemo.” Multicultural Perspectives. Vol 6, Issue 2; p24-27.
Damer, Sean. 2006. “Inside The Whale: A Closer Look at ‘Whale Rider’.” Screen Education. Issue 41; p74-78.
Frances, Helen. 2004. “Mythic Movie.” Cineaste. Vol 29, Issue 2; p50-51.
Freydkin, Donna. 2005. “What are you Watching?” USA Today; Nov. 28.
Gould, Rozanne. 2004. “Whale Rider: A Film.” Tribal College. Vol 16: Issue 2; p44-45.
Klawans, Stuart. 2004. “Keisha Castle-Hughes.” New York Times. Vol 153, Issue 52760; p11-11, 15 Feb.
Krauth, Shan. 2004. “Whale Rider’ Study Guide.” Screen Education. Issue 36; p60-64.
FILMS ON-LINE PRESENCE IN THE WEB LITERATURE
Given the films cultural substance, there is actually a lot of information regarding the aboriginal themes present in the film. Whale Rider was also an Academy Award nominee in addition to winning numerous film festival awards. Due to the films release date in late 2002, early 2003 much of the information is found within on-line databases rather than in print form; however, there were several critical reviews in newspapers and magazines around the world.
PART II: CRITICAL REVIEW OF FILM AND LITERATURE
Whale Rider follows the cultural and emotional journey of a young Maori girl as she struggles to gain the approval of her grandfather and her people. As legend tells, the Maori, the aboriginal peoples of New Zealand, came to the land on the back of a whale led by Paikea. The first born male of the chief is to carry on the traditions of Paikea, the whale rider, but the first born male does not survive childbirth. Before she dies, the mother of twins whispers Paikea.[9]
From the beginning, Paikea (Pai) is a young girl caught in a man’s world. Though she is loved by her grandfather (Koro), the chief, she is not accepted. Yet the movies symbolism from the beginning foreshadows her future as a leader.[10] A close up of the crying babies hazel green eye mirrors the close of up of a whales eye. The focus of the eye humanizes the whale and connects the young girl to the animal.
As Pai grows older, her defiant nature becomes apparent. She convinces her uncle to teach her Taiaha fighting, a traditional stick fighting method used by the Maori men. She becomes quite proficient and is able to take out Hemi, a young boy, during a fight. This still does not prove to her grandfather that she is good enough to take her place a leader of the people.[11]
Koro had placed a peoples hope on Pai’s twin brother, but with him dead, there was no one. Koro attempts to find a new leader by teaching the young village boys the old ways in hope that a leader will emerge out of this crowd, but he is continually reminded that Pai, a female, is indeed the one chosen to lead the people. It is she that has mastered Taiaha, and it she that retrieves the whale tooth from the ocean.[12]
As the climax approaches, Koro finds their ancestral animal beached along the shores of their land. He blames Pai for medaling with the gender roles of their society. Yet after Koro and the people give up their attempts to push the great whales back into the ocean, Pai sits upon the back of, “Paikea’s whale” and encourages it back into the ocean carrying her into the water with the rest of the pod. As she vanishes further into the ocean, her grandfather finally realizes that she was indeed chosen to lead the people, she truly was Paikea, the whale riders, kin.[13]
Though the film is from New Zealand, there are still many Australian elements. The concept of mateship is still prevalent. The film also shows the connection between the land and the native people, which is evident through the cinematography. However, the film also conveys the negative aspects of the Maori culture in the form of alcoholism, similar to the alcohol problems experienced by Australia’s native aborigines.
Like Rabbit Proof Fence, Whale Rider focuses on the role of the female and the native culture. In Rabbit Proof Fence, three young girls journey through the outback using the old ways of their people to return home to their mothers[14]. Whale Rider, similarly focuses on a young native girl destined to lead her people. Though possibly coincidence, both films point to the fact that the future of the aboriginal peoples in both New Zealand and Australia rest on the back of the female gender. They have not been corrupted by drugs and alcohol as much as men and they are generally more proud to retain their native heritage.
Whale Rider, though labeled a drama and often considered a family film, is seen by many critics as a feminist movie.[15] According to the definition of an Australian woman’s film as stated by Mary Ann Doane and Jeanine Basinger, “A woman’s film is a movie that places at the center of its universe a female who is trying to deal with emotional, social, and psychological problems that are specifically connected to the fact that she is a woman.”[16] This definition is Pai’s world throughout the film.
The woman’s film is often directed by a woman, which is the case with Whale Rider. Niki Caro is a white New Zealand woman, who after directing Whale Rider, directed North Country, a film that focuses on the struggle of female miners.[17] Yet, Whale Rider does not fit into any of the sub-genres associated with the Australian woman’s film. The film is not a “paranoid gothic thriller,” Pai does not suffer from mental illness nor is she a mother. And there is no love story in the sexual context that emphasizes this last sub-genre.[18]
Though the film has a strong female character, there are still male dominant elements throughout the film. The idea of mateship was never defined as a plutonic relationship only between men. In fact Whale Rider portrays the bond between Pai and Hemi and young boy in the film. It is Hemi who originally teaches Pai how to hold the Taiaha properly and he later stands up for Pai after their fight. Though the bond is not a significant element throughout the film, the relationship portrays the respect between the two characters. No other characters of that age share the same bond within the film.[19]
In a way the mateship that takes place between Pai and Hemi alludes to the acceptance of a female leader. Whale Rider is a coming of age story in a cultural context. Pai is a determined young girl at the start of the film, and a leader in the end. The cultural element is very important to the themes of the film. The cinematography, the long shots of the ocean and the land, not only portray the setting, but draw the connection between the people and their land. Like many Australian films, the connection to the land or a specific animal is very important. In many Australian films this animal connection is with a horse rather than a whale, but the emphasis on equality and respect for the animal is still the same. Though Australia and New Zealand are both oceanic countries the terrain is quite different. Where the Australian film emphasizes the desert, New Zealand portrays rolling green hills and vast blue ocean. Though the land is different, both countries accentuate its importance in film.
There was a lot of critical response in regards to the film. Having been nominated for an Academy Award and meeting success at a number of film festivals, Whale Rider, though originally seen as an independent film in the United States, was shown to a broader range of audiences with much success. Much of the films achievement surrounded the portrayal of Pai by Keisha Castle-Hughes. Castle-Hughes is still the youngest person ever to be nominated for an Academy Award.[20] It is her performance in the film that caught the eye of many critics around the world and most likely led to the success of the film. “And in the role of the young heroine, newcomer Castle-Hughes conveys the innocence, and wisdom, of a secretly intelligent animal, generating fathoms of empathy with a silent gaze.”[21]
Whale Rider is a unique and magical film. It is not just a family film, a woman’s film, an Australian film, or a New Zealand film; it is a film that can touch the heart of anyone who dares to get involved in the mystical story of a young girls future and her connection with the past. In the end, the film is a bit predictable as many critics have agreed. But Whale Rider is a film about a girl trapped in a patriarchal society who must lead a people that her father does not wish to accept and her brother did not survive. She must win the respect of a grandfather who does not want a girl, “it’s not Koro’s fault I’m a girl,” she utters.[22] And though we know that in the end she will succeed, the film is still fulfilling.