In the film, the audience sees the biggest struggle during this transition with one of the elders, koro. The bull whale is an ancient whale, about 65 feet long. If i was in english class, id write a long descript essay into the characters. Whilst paikea is fixing the rope music is being played which is heard. Discuss the attitude of the maori people throughout most of the movie and compare it to their attitude in the final scene of whale rider. As a class, create a list of movies that you have seen recently. While pai lives in present day whangara, new zealand with her grandparents, maori tradition maintains that the. Character analysis of koro from the film whale rider by. This whale rider casts spears as lifegiving objects to the islands, but one spear he casts years into the future, which is the time of the storys young heroine kahu. Whale rider when talking about choosing the location to shoot whale rider, the films producer, john barnett says. Whale rider is a very educational movie, with all the teachings of. The whale rider is a 1987 novel by new zealander witi ihimaera. The mythical story of the whales told alongside the story of kahu discusses various important issues.
In the film whale rider depicts a culture in transition. What are the symbols in whale rider and what significance. With keisha castlehughes, rawiri paratene, vicky haughton, cliff curtis. Women can be portrayed as leaders, heroines, strong, powerful, etc. Free download or read online the whale rider pdf epub book. The whole movie koro is searching for a leader when she is in front of him the whole time. In the film, whale rider, pai discovers her sense of self as she reinvents the maori tribes creation myth to save the dying culture. Parents need to know that whale rider has some tense family confrontations. It really inspires me, and makes me really want to make spiritual movies like that. There is one drug reference but its so hidden that smaller kids wont notice. It is the sort of story which can also be read to children. The whale rider is an example of countercinema because it goes against hollywood movie stereotypes from back then. The story takes place in new zealand where the maori people of a small village claim descent from the whale rider, paikea.
Based on the novel of the same name by maori writer witi ihimaera, whale rider is a unique family drama directed niki caro. While the whale rider is fiction, it is suffused with maori legend and lore. Pai main character and the new whale rider born into a line of chiefs has all the qualities of a leader struggles against gender stereotypes and koro. Create a separate list of the strong female characters that featured in these movies. The main characters of this fiction, young adult story are kahu. Plenty of rich themes are found in ihimaeras the whale. One relationship in particular that between the whale rider and his giant whale was exemplary of a symbiotic connection. Take charactours quiz to get recommendations for thousands of characters, movies, tv shows, books, and games that are high matches for your unique personality. An analysis of the culture and traditions of the maori.
Watch whale rider 2002 full movie free online streaming. In the movie, whale rider, there are great examples of joseph campbells article, four functions of myth, which are. A contemporary story of love, rejection and triumph as a young maori girl fights to fulfill a destiny her grandfather refuses to recognize. Analysis of the film whale rider 1023 words bartleby. Niki caro based on the book by witi ihimaera prezi by. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of whale rider by witi ihimaera. I really felt for kahu or pai especially, and now i will look up to her as a favoured character. There are physical things that are described in the book the sweep of the bay, the island that looks. The whale in this context of whangara takes on the mythical origins of the taniwha but also serves as a lineage to. Theres brief strong language regarding female and male genitalia. I am always on the lookout for films with positive messages, and especially when they give kids insights to another country or culture. In the 2002 film, whale rider, the director, niki caro created a magnificently empowering movie that serves as an inspirational tool for females.
Myth, culture, and family in whale rider essay 1012. Pdf the whale rider book by witi ihimaera free download. Though disregarded by her grandfather and shunned by the villagers, 12yearold paikea remains certain of her calling and trains herself in the customs of her people. See more ideas about whale rider, maori symbols and maori. Whale rider arrives in theaters already proven as one of the great audiencegrabbers of recent years. It really is a magnificent masterpiece and sureley made for the whole family. The ocean sounds that are heard symbollise the link to the ancient ones the whales. The whale rider was a book i was quite drawn to, as i am a kiwi, and i love new zealand. The whale rider abstract whale rider is a drama film of the 2002, based on the novel of witi ihimaera, and directed by niki caro. Character analysis of koro from the film whale rider by niki caro. Whale rider is an internationally successful new zealand film focusing on indigenous cultural issues. Every culture has its own traditions and many of the times these traditions are broken when new generations are born. The biggest whale, the founder of maori culture, has a special relationship with. The whale rider 2002 summary and analysis uk essays.
Niki caro was so lucky to find and i have never seen one and the same movie more than twice in the theatre before. The film is based on the whangara people from the east coast of new zealand, who believed that their existence was purely reliant on a brave prophet, also named paikea, who rode on the back of a whale. It won the audience awards as the most popular film at both the toronto and sundance film festivals, played to standing ovations, left audiences in tears. Its fixation on myths indigenous to new zealand lends a bizarre, ethereal otherworldliness.
The novel was set in whangara and it would almost have been heresy to shoot anywhere else. Characters drink and smoke, and theres a brief drug reference a bag of marijuana and drug paraphernalia are shown. The story follows a 12yearold maori girl named paikea apirana who struggles to. The death of a mother and baby in childbirth is very sad. The maori, the native polynesian people of new zealand, are looking for a male descendant of paikea the brave leader. Analysis of the whale rider essay example graduateway. The whale rider together with yavaraj athur raghuvir i watched the movie called the whale rider which deals with the issue of cultural restrains both as an individual and as a society. And its characters speak in maori almost as much as they do in english. It is leading its herd in search of safer waters, but at the same time it struggles to come to terms with its deep love for the ancient whale rider, now long dead, who once had been its dearest companion. Disregarded by her village, a maori girl trains herself in the customs of her people to prove shes the rightful heir to her grandfather as chief. Comprehension and discussion activities for the film whale. Still, care should be taken to compare and contrast the way the movie handles the role of women with that established in scripture.
This is what made ihimaera decide to make the hero of his novel, the whale rider, a girl. A must for anyone who loved niki caros movie, but also for readers who like to learn about aboriginal communities. Fillingim also discusses the symbolism of pais death and rebirth as a christic symbol the audience and the other characters assume that pai has died. The 2002 film whale rider, directed by niki caro, is an adaptation of witi ihimaeras 1987 novel the whale rider, itself based on the maori legend of paikea, or kahutia te rangi, who rode from the ancestral home of hawaiki to new zealands east coast on the back of a whale the tribe founded by paikea has always been led by the previous chiefs firstborn son, in a line of. The indie film whale rider is an engrossing character drama with an inspirational message. I watched it 7 times in the cinema and i am into it still today. The movie whale rider, directed by niki caro, have many things in common with the book nervous conditions, written in 2002 by tsitsi dangarembga. The module consists of teachers notes and a handout with background information that you can copy and give to your students. The whale rider, by witi ihimaera, is rich in thematic concerns. When koro apirana, rawiri, and the guys are in the meeting house discussing what should be done, koro apirana states that. The taniwha is the mythological whale or sea creature that paikea the ancestor rode on to lead the way to aeoteara new zealand originally. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 150 pages and is available in paperback format. Whale rider 2002 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more.
The movie whale rider deals with a hybrid culture, and some characters have a harder time transitioning than others. The characters in the movie have very strong personalities and they follow what they believe. Strong female characters also include paikeas grandmother. See our topranked characters and read their profiles. The two main characters of each story share one major characteristic in common. The whale rider starts a thousand years ago, with a pod of whales. These two share many common themes such as sexism, discrimination, and loss. The new zealand film whale rider tells the story of 12year old pai, a maori girl whose ancestor paikea was the whale rider.
The movie shows that anyone can step up and be a leader no matter who they are. This is a beautiful film and the scenery is gorgeous. Whale rider this module has been designed to accompany the film whale rider 2003. If you have the tooth of a whale, you must have the jaw of the whale to wield it.