NationMaster - Encyclopedia: The Whale Rider

Whale Rider is a 1987 novel by New Zealand Māori author Witi Tame Ihimaera. The 2002 movie Whale Rider is an adaptation of the book with the author's involvement by Niki Caro, who also directed. It was released in New Zealand on January 30, 2003. The world premiere was on September 9, 2002, at the Toronto International Film Festival. Image File history File links Movie poster for Whale Rider This is a copyrighted poster. ... Niki Caro (born 1967) is a film director and screenwriter who was born in Wellington, New Zealand. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Witi Tame Ihimaera-Smiler (born 1944), generally known as Witi Ihimaera, is a New Zealand author, and is often regarded as the most prominent Maori writer alive today. ... Niki Caro (born 1967) is a film director and screenwriter who was born in Wellington, New Zealand. ... Keisha Castle-Hughes (born March 24, 1990) is an Academy Award-nominated New Zealand actress. ... Rawiri Paratene is a New Zealand Maori actor (Nga Puhi iwi) born in Hokianga. ... Cliff Curtis (born 27 July 1968, Rotorua, New Zealand) is a New Zealand actor. ... Newmarket Films is an American film production and film distribution company which is a subsidiary of Newmarket Capital Group. ... January 30 is the 30th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the United States holiday, the Fourth of July, see Independence Day (United States). ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... MÄori or Te Reo MÄori, commonly shortened to Te Reo (literally the language) is an official language of New Zealand. ... The New Zealand dollar (ISO 4217: NZD, sometimes NZ$ and often informally known as the Kiwi dollar) is the official currency of New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau, and the Pitcairn Islands. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Languages MÄori, English Religions MÄori religion, Christianity Related ethnic groups other Polynesian peoples, Austronesian peoples The word MÄori refers to the indigenous people of New Zealand and their language. ... Witi Tame Ihimaera-Smiler (born 1944), generally known as Witi Ihimaera, is a New Zealand author, and is often regarded as the most prominent Maori writer alive today. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... Film is a term that encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. ... Niki Caro (born 1967) is a film director and screenwriter who was born in Wellington, New Zealand. ... January 30 is the 30th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... September 9 is the 252nd day of the year (253rd in leap years). ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... Poster for the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival Box office at the Manulife Centre The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is widely considered to be one of the top film festivals in the world and is the premiere film festival in North America from which the Oscars race begins. ...

Plot

The movie's plot follows the story of Paikea Apirana at the age of 12 (or Kahutia Te Rangi, in the book), who is the only living child in the line of the tribe's chiefly succession because of the death of her twin brother and mother during childbirth. By tradition, the leader should be the first-born son--a direct patrilineal descendant of Paikea, the one who rode atop a whale from Hawaiki. However, Pai is female. Look up plot in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Childbirth (also called labour, birth, partus or parturition) is the culmination of a human pregnancy with the emergence of a newborn infant from its mothers uterus. ... Patrilineality is a system in which one belongs to ones fathers lineage; it generally involves the inheritance of property, names or titles through the male line as well. ... A Fin whale The term whale is ambiguous: it can refer to all cetaceans, to just the larger ones, or only to members of particular families within the order Cetacea. ... Polynesians give the name Hawaiki to the mythical island to which they trace their origins. ...

Pai's grandfather Koro Apirana, or Old Paka as his wife Nani Flowers calls him, the leader of the tribe, is initially angry about her birth. While he later forms 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. At one point Pai feels so rejected that she attempts to leave New Zealand with her father; she finds that she cannot bear to leave the sea and returns home. Pai's father has refused to assume leadership; instead he has moved to Germany to pursue a career as an artist. Pai herself shows an interest, learning traditional songs and dances, but is given little encouragement from her grandfather.

Koro decides to form a cultural school for the village boys, hoping to find a new leader. Pai, aided by her uncle and one of the students, Hemi, secretly follows the lessons and learns to use a Taiaha fighting stick, something traditionally reserved only for males. Her grandfather is enraged when he finds out. His relationship with Pai erodes further when none of the boys prove worthy of the title of leader. Stick fighting is a generic term for any of several martial arts which employ a small staff, cane, cudgel or walking stick as a weapon. ...

Pai, in an attempt to bridge the rift that has formed, invites Koro to a concert of Māori chants that her school is putting on, as her guest of honor. However, as he is preparing to leave, he notices that numerous right whales are beached near Pai's home. The entire village attempts to coax and drag them back into the water, but all efforts prove unsuccessful. Koro sees it as a sign and despairs further. He admonishes Pai against touching the creatures, but when he walks away, she climbs onto the back of the largest whale and coaxes it to re-enter the ocean. Riding on the back of the whale, she leads the entire pod back into the sea, nearly drowning in the process. It is only when she vanishes into the ocean that Koro realizes that Pai is destined to be the next leader. When Pai is found and brought to the hospital, Koro begs her forgiveness. The film ends with the village, including Pai's father, uncle and grandparents, celebrating her status as leader. It has been suggested that Balaenidae be merged into this article or section. ...

While the plot of the book is basically the same, it pays less attention specifically to Pai/Koro, and mainly focuses from a perspective of narration by Pai's uncle. It clearly expresses the deep resentment felt by her grandfather, and Pai's longing to gain his respect as a rift opens between them.

Production and Awards

Produced by South Pacific Pictures, on the East Coast of New Zealand's North Island, the movie has received highly favourable praise from international critics and audiences. South Pacific Pictures is a television production company based in New Zealand. ... North Island The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, the other being the South Island. ...

Keisha Castle-Hughes was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance, becoming the fifth youngest actress ever nominated for the award. She was 13 years old at the time. She has featured in 3 more movies and as of 2007 is expecting a child. Poster for the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival Box office at the Manulife Centre The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is widely considered to be one of the top film festivals in the world and is the premiere film festival in North America from which the Oscars race begins. ... The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival in the United States, and ranks alongside the Cannes, France, Moscow, Russia, Venice, Italy, Berlin, Germany, and Toronto, Canada festivals as one of the most prestigious in the world. ... IFFR logo The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) is one of the larger film festivals in Europe (arguably in the Big Five, alongside Cannes, Venice, Berlin and Locarno). ... Keisha Castle-Hughes (born March 24, 1990) is an Academy Award-nominated New Zealand actress. ... // The Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the awards given to actresses, working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ...

Controversy

Many people, including Roger Ebert, thought the movie should have been rated PG (as opposed to its PG-13 rating) by the MPAA. Many felt that the rating was received solely because of a brief drug reference. However, the film opened with a sequence in which a mother dies in childbirth (as does one of the newborns), and contains another scene where students are told their "dicks will fall off" if they don't obey the teacher - two scenes that are also likely responsible in part for the rating. Russ Meyer (left) and Roger Ebert, (1970) Roger Joseph Ebert (June 18, 1942 - ) is an Emmy Award-nominated American television personality, author, and film critic who began writing for the Chicago Sun-Times in 1967. ... The MPAA film rating system is a system used in the United States and territories and instituted by the Motion Picture Association of America to rate a movie based on its content. ... The MPAA film rating system is a system used in the United States and territories and instituted by the Motion Picture Association of America to rate a movie based on its content. ... The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) is a non-profit trade association formed to advance the interests of movie studios. ... Look up dick in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

No real whales were beached to make the film. The whales in the movie were scale models, 9 were animatronic, several manipulated from inside by humans. The Right Wales shown underwater were of course real. Pai rode a mock-up, and that key sequence occurred several miles offshore.

Cast

Keisha Castle-Hughes (born March 24, 1990) is an Academy Award-nominated New Zealand actress. ... Rawiri Paratene is a New Zealand Maori actor (Nga Puhi iwi) born in Hokianga. ... Cliff Curtis (born 27 July 1968, Rotorua, New Zealand) is a New Zealand actor. ...

Contents

Plot

Production and Awards

Controversy

Cast

See also

External links

Contents

Plot GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Production and Awards

Controversy

Cast

See also

External links

Plot