go go tales is an independent 2007 film by abel ferrara .

ferrara based the film on the killing of a chinese bookie , directed by john cassavetes .

it stars willem dafoe as a strip club owner and co-stars bob hoskins .

ferrara had the cast improvise much of their lines .

he described the film as his " first intentional comedy " .

go go tales

a highly personal movie , go go tales finds ferrara in a frenzied yet pensive mode .
scope : compared to the altman , the show - must - go - on sentiment in go go tales is obviously more defiant then melancholy .
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tales to go is published by travelers’ tales / solas house , inc . you will find detailed rights and payment information at our submissions intake site and in the full travelers’ tales submission guidelines .
ferrara : i wrote it way back : mary , go go tales , and the king of new york prequel that i’m trying to do next—they all kind of came together . you never know when the inspiration is going to come . we were here in cannes seven years ago , trying to get money for go go tales .
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i’m hoping that go go tales gets a run beyond manhattan , but i doubt it . in the meantime , ferrara fanatics ( and asia argento devotees ) can pick up an import dvd here .
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scenes of a go - jek jacket being burned on the streets made headlines and some go - jek drivers were hurt during the demonstrations .
but there is good news for ferrara fans . his 2007 film go go tales is finally getting a theatrical run , albeit a very limited one , as part of new york city’s anthology film archives tribute “abel ferrara in the 21st century . ”
a bit overdone , as reveries go—but i’ll just blame that on the movies .
if , at this moment , perhaps i’m thinking go go tales may very well be ferrara’s masterpiece , it’s because of all of the above — a fight for the uncommodified body . yet the final sense one’s left with isn’t melancholy , but defiance .
it ' s ok to be confused by richard kelly ' s
southland tales .
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scope : a few of us critics have compared go go tales to a prairie home companion —they’re both very personal ensemble movies about show business and performance . and the club ambience is reminiscent of killing of a chinese bookie . did you have those films in mind ?
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af : we ' re working on the go - go tales , a film that we want to star christopher walken . it ' s a comedy feature set in a go - go club . that ' s going to be the pilot for a series . it ' s like la cage aux folles meets the killing of a chinese bookie . [ laughs . ] if you can figure out how to do that , e - mail me .
a screwball comedy centered on a manhattan go - go dancing club , where a financial struggle between the owner , his accountant and his silent partner brother threatens the business’s future .
production : a massimo gatti presentation of a bellatrix media and go go tales production in association with de nigris prods . ( international sales : wild bunch , paris . ) produced by massimo gatti . executive producers , enrico coletti , massimo cortesi . directed , written by abel ferrara .
in the 1950s cinecitta was briefly nicknamed
hollywood on tiber
after playing host to a number of large - scale us productions , including ben hur and quo vadis . more recent productions include spike lee ' s miracle at st anna and abel ferrara ' s go go tales .
a screwball comedy centered on a manhattan go - go dancing club , where a financial struggle between the owner , his accountant and his silent partner brother threatens the business ' s future .
for the first question of the go go tales press conference at cannes , moderator henri behar asked abel ferrara to describe ray ruby’s paradise lounge , the manhattan strip club where his new film is set . “it’s a place where you go and they wait on you and you’re in a tuxedo and every drink is 40 euros and up , ” said ferrara , who was clutching a bottle of bud under the table and trying without success to be discreet when he swigged from it between answers . he paused , then drew the connection : “a little bit like cannes . ” behar arched an eyebrow : “where do you see go - go dancers in cannes ? ” ferrara replied : “everywhere i go . ”
“chiang mai ? ” carla raised a skeptical eyebrow at me . “marco polo didn’t go there . ”
promote stepney city farm & furry tales club to new day centre resources , sheltered housing projects and local agencies .
abel ferrara has a ball with “go go tales , ” a puckish and perpetually lively night out at a new york strip club that’s faring no better than its sweaty , stressed - out impresario . ferrara is in a wonderfully loose and comedic mood after the complex spiritual dramatics of “mary , ” expanding his fascination with big american dreams and [ … ]
on behalf of migrant tales and our readers , we wish rafal and her family much success and a better life in finland .
unlike the film that “go go tales” most touchingly references — john cassavetes’ “the killing of a chinese bookie” — a more hopeful end for ray is ironically proposed , until a smashing closing shot that once again brings the entrepreneur’s fantasies crashing back to terra firma , and focuses in on dafoe’s drooping , suddenly frowning visage even as he holds a share of the $ 18 million check .
written and directed by abel ferrara ; director of photography , fabio cianchetti ; music by francis kuipers ; production design by frank decurtis ; costumes by gemma mascagni ; produced by bellatrix media and go go tales inc . at the anthology film archives , 32 second avenue , at second street , east village . running time : 1 hour 36 minutes . this film is not rated .
singapore - based nsi ventures , which is part of the northstar group , first invested in go - jek in 2014 .
go go tales is ferrara ' s valentine to the times square go - go dancing clubs where he used to hang out as a young man . nostalgically , he recalls :
i ' d get in under the tent as the house director , and once inside , the first hit of seeing the girls never failed to blow my mind . they were truly fabulous : tall , cool , and g - stringed out . maybe it was the combination of near nude women , writhing in front of the well dressed guys , to music that always sounded better there than anywhere else , which makes the memory so long - lasting and vivid .
rights by submitting your story to travelers’ tales , you agree that we may post it on our site ( s ) as an example of good travel writing ( e . g . , “editor’s choice” ) . you will not be paid for this use , but you will retain all rights to your material , and as a travelers’ tales contributor you will be able to purchase any tt books from our catalog at 50 percent off . if we select your story for publication in tales to go or in one of our books , we will contact you regarding permission and payment .
how to submit we are unable to accept submissions via email or regular mail . all submissions must be made through the travelers’ tales submissions intake site .
i haven ' t stopped thinking about this film . just watched its 1970 ' s ancestor ,
killing of a chinese bookie
( also about a pathetic but lovable strip joint owner who screws everything up gambling ) , and kept wanting to be watching
go go tales
instead . i certainly hope it ' ll get a second chance and receive a wider audience down the line ; it ' s one of ferrara ' s masterpieces .
ferrara : i don’t think we’re that funny , or we’re more unintentionally funny . no , no , no , we were going for the jokes . there’s a story about the marx brothers—how they’d go on tour , start in providence or new haven or new york , and go across the country with the writers in the theatre and see if they could get two laughs a minute , a guaranteed two , like , ha ha ha laughs a minute . and they kept writing and writing across the whole country , and when they got to l . a . they’d shoot it . and we could do that kind of thing with go go tales because it’s real time . we could get those actors and perform it as a wooster group special .
the population explosion here has created the most congested city in the world ,
says the founder of indonesian motorbike taxi and delivery business go - jek .
my tongue is ineffectual in its pivots ; phi phi leh recedes in the darkness behind us . we go through strange rituals to prove things to ourselves in life .
customers can use the app to book a motorbike taxi , order food delivery , cleaning services , and even door - to - door beauticians and masseuses . go - jek has just launched go - car and after partnering with some of indonesia ' s biggest banks , the firm is in the process of making its payment system cash free .
if you find the content i provide useful please feel free to buy me a drink to say thanks ! just click the image to go to my urltoken page . cheers !
background newscasts in
southland tales
are also constantly referring to earthquakes , wild fires and
red tides .
these are all references to the seven plagues that precede the destruction of babylon .
i didn’t bother him when he stood up to go . the events that transpired as i tried to leave the verandah make so little sense that they are somewhat difficult to recount .
much less literally than in “mary” ( in which modine played a film director whom ferrara etched in unflattering autobiographical detail ) , the metaphor of filmmaking as a crazy capitalist gamble — with the clear implication that capitalism itself is an arena of mad self - destruction — comes through in “go go tales” with spirited effervescence . throwing all caution to the wind and encouraging his cast to improvise a large percentage of the dialogue , ferrara has made a film of considerable risk and bolstered by a supreme confidence that all will turn out alright in the end , much like ray himself .
travelers’ tales publishes books about the world and life - changing experiences that happen on the road . the best travel writing , volume 11 is our latest collection of great stories guaranteed to ignite your wanderlust .
figures , it begins right after i leave , end of may and ends the day before i go back again in august . this sounds fantastic . and i have to miss it ! wah !
type of story please read at least one issue of tales to go to get a sense of what we publish . in general , we’re looking for personal , nonfiction stories and anecdotes—funny , illuminating , adventurous , frightening , or grim . stories should reflect that unique alchemy that occurs when you enter unfamiliar territory and begin to see the world differently as a result . previously published stories are welcome , as long as you retain the copyright .
i might add that there’s no need to read the endnotes at all if you prefer your travel tales to be self - contained and seamless . one reading strategy might be to read all the stories first , then go back and dip into the endnotes of the chapters that most interested you . these annotations don’t form a comprehensive body of work—they only exist to comment on the chapters in question—so they can be read ( or ignored ) at your discretion .
his firm , go - jek , which was launched in 2011 as a simple motorbike courier business , has evolved into a multifaceted service delivery and app - based transport provider . and it ' s taking jakarta by storm .
the tangent universe is an alternate reality to our own . you could argue that all of
southland tales
occurs in the tangent universe - - hence the film ' s alternate history of the past three years , and its weird mishmash of pop culture . in
donnie darko ,
the world ends when the tangent universe collapses , which may also be what happens at the end of
southland tales .
why that happens when the taverners touch , only richard kelly knows .
the power
is a pretty hilarious piece of work . it has a similar plot to
southland tales ,
but with different characters and more gratuitous product placement . its story overlaps with the movie , so it explains some of the back story .
before [ we had investors ] i couldn ' t afford myself , so i had to go work for other people ,
he says .
i came onboard full - time in 2014 and we launched the app in 2015 .
“that’s not the point , ” i insisted . “the adventure is in going to a place where you aren’t supposed to go . the charm is in living the novel backwards—going to an exclusive and secretive beach that also happens to be famous . ”
shot in late 2006 and shown out of competition at the cannes film festival in may 2007 , “go go tales” is the latest fiction film from mr . ferrara , one of the great undersung american independents . it’s a measure of the lamentable state of independent distribution in this country that the movie , despite receiving some critical support at cannes , never hooked an american buyer , which is why it’s opening in new york at the anthology film archives as part of a special program . that five - title series , “abel ferrara in the 21st century , ” also includes “mary , ” an unhinged 2005 fiction about the making of a jesus movie , and “chelsea on the rocks , ” the director’s 2008 docu - tour through the demimonde haunt known as the chelsea hotel .
if you know me , you know i don’t promote stories of “startup heroism” — those thrilling tales of late nights , fueled by coffee , working everywhere and everytime , for 3 - 5 years until the acquisition ship comes in and you retire with your riches to “mojito island” .
ronald walks up to martin kefauver ' s hummer , which is parked near the ocean . martin has just learned that he ' s been drafted to go to iraq and is about to shoot himself in the head . ronald persuades him not to commit suicide , and the two decide to go to mexico . cindy meets vaughn smallhouse at a restaurant and gives him a copy of the sex tape . when vaughn threatens her , she tells him that she has multiple copies , then tasers him in the balls .
initially operating from a small apartment with a few staff taking calls for deliveries
from mostly family and friends
, go - jek has transformed itself into a mobile app service with some 200 , 000 freelance drivers together with hundreds of other service providers .
most all the endnotes contain insights about the writing of the story itself . in this way , marco polo didn’t go there might well serve as a quirky travel - writing textbook , since each story is offset by an annotated peek into its own creation .
there’s one more bit of crucial information . go go tales is a new york story—or , more precisely , a story about a classic new york fear and emblem of failure : being forced out of new york—that was filmed entirely in rome , at cinecitta . it’s the first time this hometown boy , one of the great new york filmmakers , has ever had to find a stand - in for his city : a fact that , in the context of this particular film , is at once sad , apt , heroic , and redemptive . ferrara has made a movie about the price of independence that is independent to the core . the film is anything but whiny , but there’s undoubtedly a righteous indignation burbling here : ray never gets any respect , and the director , you can tell , identifies .
no ! i hope this doesn’t put you off staying in hostels – or hotels for that matter ! sometimes , things can go bad , but out of the hundreds of hostels i’ve stayed in , only a couple of times have i had real hostel nightmares .
we are interested in non - exclusive rights , in all languages , in print and digital editions , throughout the world . our use of the material does not restrict your rights to have your stories reprinted elsewhere . you will find additional rights information at our submissions intake site and travelers’ tales .
fairy tales have happy endings . they may be dark and scary but the prince always finds cinderella and little red riding hood susses out the big bad wolf . right ? all too often many assume that fairy stories are , have always been and should be all about the happily ever after .
harris explores art from velázquez to picasso , architecture from the phantasmagoria of gaudí’s sagrada familia to the cool suspension spans of santiago calatrava . she tells tales of formidable spanish women , from a fourth - century b . c . goddess to a queen who wrested spain from the moors , and to twenty - first - century winemakers who have elevated spain’s toro and rueda onto the world stage . literary , sexy , whimsical , and spiritual , 100 places in spain every woman should go is for the smart and curious traveler who wants to see spain , her way .
so before we get to go into the woods we should take care not to get too comfortable in the cosiness of the cottage fireside – and remember the dark truth in the history of the fairy tale and the continued possibility of invention , innovation , subversion and disruption .
pokémon go , launched by nintendo in the us and australia on 5 july , involves spotting little animated monsters on a map , catching them with your poké ball by flicking your finger at your screen , and . . . barring a handful of other features , that’s about it .
the other great attraction in “go go tales , ” though she’s not on screen nearly enough , is the actress and sometime director asia argento , who enters wearing her pretty scowl and tethered to a rottweiler . she certainly gives it her all ( well , she keeps on her stockings , leather panties and pasties ) as one of the strippers , instantly earning her character’s introduction as “the scariest , sexiest girl in the world . ” ms . argento , who delivers a fantastic star turn in another out - of - competition film here , olivier assayas’s underappreciated “boarding gate , ” has the kind of intense screen presence that could bring out the fire department . actors are paid to emote and recite lines , but ms . argento bares body and soul , throwing herself into both mr . ferrara’s and mr . assayas’s films as if her life depended on it . maybe it does .
a moroccan called majid * got in touch with migrant tales who was deported in october despite marriage to a finnish woman . the finnish immigration service ( migri ) claims that the marriage was arranged , but he denies such a claim . he is presently awaiting a decision by the administrative court to overturn migri’s decision .
ferrara’s 16th feature—and his second , after mary ( 2005 ) , since he decamped for rome a few years ago—is his first flat - out comedy . the press book name - checks wilder , sturges , and capra , and he described it in a 2002 interview ( it took years to get this project off the ground ) as “ cheers meets the killing of a chinese bookie . ” but as you might deduce from that little exchange with behar , go go tales is also an allegory : a portrait of the artist as a hustler , a gambler , a performer , a dreamer , an addict , a throwback , a holdout , and , of course , a purveyor of good old - fashioned t & a , navigating the screw - or - be - screwed questions common to all exploitative professions , indeed to modern capitalist systems . you could say this one comes from the heart .
the theatrical cut of
southland tales
has been extensively reedited - - a subplot has been excised , additional special effects shots have been inserted , a new explanatory sequence opens the movie - - and critics have been considerably kinder to it . as andrew o ' hehir put it , the recut film
transcends its adolescent awkwardness and approaches being magnificent .
but even with the changes , the film is still almost impossible to understand , a trait that probably hasn ' t helped its box office . it ' s too bad , because
southland tales
is one of the more interesting and ambitious american films in recent memory .
again , we ' re not entirely sure . but if
southland tales
follows the same logic as
donnie darko ,
as laid out in that film ' s dvd extras , when the fourth dimension is corrupted , it causes the creation of two parallel universes : the tangent universe and the primary universe .
critics have always found it easy to dismiss ferrara—to chuckle at his drunken buffoonery and write off his films as scraps of underbelly anthropology . that attitude reared its head at cannes this year . despite being invited to open the quinzaine , go go tales quite predictably received a midnight slot out of competition and many viewers reacted as they had been programmed to : the hollywood reporter ’s reviewer proclaimed it “dunderheaded” ; a few high - profile critics and programmers were only too happy to announce that they walked out . even those who called it a “return to form” are somewhat misstating the case . this may well be ferrara’s best film in years but on the basis of the blackout ( 1997 ) , r - xmas ( 2001 ) , and mary , it isn’t “form” so much as the american film industry that has deserted him ( the funeral was his last film to receive a proper us release , in 1996 ) .
the country of birth listed on tania’s american passport changed four times in four successive renewals . until the first time , she believed your country of birth was a fixed point . today she knows better . go with her as she journeys through time and history looking for answers , and finding some .
once krysta departs , boxer receives a phone call from starla instructing him to go to the santa monica pier . boxer gets into a convertible and drives off . the baron phones simon theory ( kevin smith ) , an old bearded man , and instructs him to
remove the body from utopia three .
furry tales provides an imaginative solution by drawing on the community’s existing resources to connect people and services to the natural world and , therefore , each other . we have a long successful history of working closely with care homes , day care centres , gps and other nhs services , all of whom say there is a need for this service .
since 2006 the editors of travelers’ tales have run a writing competition to find the best travel story of the year : the solas awards . over those years , thousands of stories have come across their desks , from writers famous and unknown , covering all corners of the globe with stories of adventure and discovery , love and loss , humor and absurdity , grief and joy . in this collection appear all of the top prize winners of the first ten years , stories that bring readers along for journeys that are inspiring , uplifting , and , very often , transformative . these tales are powerful , moving testaments to the richness of our world , its cultures , people , and places .
in the hopes of helping you make sense of the movie , we ' ve decided to unravel
southland tales
as we ' ve done for
mulholland drive ,
the wire
and , of course ,
donnie darko .
if you haven ' t seen the movie and don ' t want to have it - - or the graphic novels - - spoiled , you should stop reading this right now . using the graphic novels , the book of revelation , friends and whatever else we could find , we ' ve pieced together everything you need to know ( or at least everything we ' ve been able to figure out ) about
southland tales .
go go tales begins with ray daydreaming on a couch in his office while a ballerina ties her slippers . this poetic interplay of images gives the impression that , to ray , dreams are his only medium for success . his desire , then , to win the lottery—by any means possible—is his way of forcing those dreams to fruition , and implicit in his deceitfulness is a need to maintain a sense of integrity while exploiting a callous capitalist system . how interesting that lilian ( miles ) , despite her repeated threats to sell the paradise to bed , bath and beyond ( do not miss miles’s performance of the song “bed , bath and beyond” during the closing credits ! ) , is comfortable hanging out inside the paradise . she’s probably blowing hot air because she understands that ray , like ferrara , is a relic , and keeping the paradise afloat is a means of preserving a lost new yorkness . ( pity that the film doesn’t feel as if were actually filmed anywhere near the big apple . )
fairy tales started as a spoken tradition and were written up by the grimm brothers and charles perrault for families – not exclusively for children . what’s more , they contained predatory wolves who had to be killed , children who were abandoned and wicked , and wayward witches . jack zipes demonstrates in his study of red riding hood that often in early versions the endings of the story weren’t so very happy and included our red - capped heroine sometimes defeating the wolf single handed , and in others being eaten all up . as angela carter showed us , these dark cautionary tales for young women were passed down by mothers and grandmothers for good reason . the stories functioned as warnings , life lessons about growing up as a woman .
latif is a great screen player . he succeeded to capture the pure emotion of a woman trying to save marriage that was arranged , not out of love . it ' s quite sad if you come to think of it . any woman would try to go out of it but not this one . wonderful screen play too !
i probably wasn ' t the first to come up with the idea of go - jek ,
30 - year - old mr makarim admits .
a lot of people before me have thought of it as well . it ' s just that we were the first ones to execute this on a large scale .
mr makarim refuses to discuss the firm ' s financials , but when asked if he would sell go - jek for the right sum , he says :
sell up ? well . . . our investors need to profit at some point from their investment , but i don ' t see a sale happening anytime soon .
geckos tales is for anyone and everyone who wants to learn more about the big bad world . written by a crack team of well - travelled , good humoured and good looking folks , there ' s nowhere else on the web that will better serve your wanderlust . apart from maybe that magazine called wanderlust . those guys are pretty good at what they do .
macdonald took out a pen and wrote a phone number down on a napkin . “this is the number for sarah clark . she’s a publicist . you’ll have to go through her if you want to do any interviews . but at most you’ll probably just get an interview with me . ” he didn’t look too thrilled by this possibility .
southland tales
opens on july 4 , 2005 , in abilene , texas . kids are shooting home video of their independence day barbecue . suddenly , a bright light appears through windows and a mushroom cloud rises in the distance : abilene has been nuked . we zoom out to a satellite view , revealing that another nuclear bomb has been detonated in el paso .
if
southland tales
is a semi - straightforward reinterpretation of the book of revelation , then baron von westphalen is the antichrist , sen . bobby frost is probably his false prophet , krysta now is the whore of babylon , the two witnesses are probably boxer santaros and roland taverner , the white horse is the levitating ice cream truck , and christ is ronald and roland taverner .
southland tales
also borrows from
repo man ,
which ends with a flying car . singer rebekah del rio , who ( as herself ) performs the
star spangled banner
onboard the mega - zeppelin , is also featured in david lynch ' s
mulholland drive .
jericho cane is the name of arnold schwarzenegger ' s character in
end of days .
fairy tales are a uniquely adaptable and adapted form which continue to be renewed and transformed for new family audiences . for children today , the woods are an important imaginative realm , somewhere where the baddies can be good and goodies can be bad . we have to continue to invite our children into the fictional forests , to learn about the dangerous and wonderful world through the lens of fantasy .
furry tales offers a unique kind of support to hundreds of people living with dementia , varying mental and physical health conditions , hospital in - patients and those living in residential and nursing homes in east london . our grant funding runs out at the end of august 2017 , so we launched a crowfund campaign on crowdfunder on 23rd june ! our goal is to raise £8 , 000 in 4 weeks !
pokémon go shares geocaching ' s treasure hunt element , and the thrill that someone ( well , in this case an api ) has hidden something for you on a real street that you can visit . this lure has prompted apple and android users all over the world to bypass country restrictions to get access to the game before it is released in their country . (
the problem , however , is that i’m having trouble explaining why i want to go there in the first place . i arrived here yesterday morning to discover that all the affordable lodging on long beach had been sold out . welcoming the ascetic novelty of sleeping on the beach itself , i left my backpack with a friendly restaurant manager and set off to scope things out .
furry tales is our innovative project that delivers animal - assisted activities to elders in tower hamlets . we are passionate about linking nature & laughter in later life . we take small , furry and feathery animals ( guinea pigs , rabbits , chickens & ferrets ) to meet isolated older adults facing disadvantage . these creatures offer comfort physically and emotionally , and bring about much conversation , reminiscence and above all , laughter .
if ray doesn’t win the lotto , he’s screwed , but — in true ferrara fashion , where characters often go from bad to much worse — even when he does win ( in one of dafoe’s several explosive scenes ) , he’s still screwed . neither he nor jay can find the winning ticket among the stacks and stacks of tickets they’ve bought and squirreled away for safe keeping .
marco polo didn’t go there is more than just an entertaining journey into fascinating corners of the world . it is a unique window into travel writing , with each chapter containing a “commentary track”—humorous endnotes that reveal the ragged edges behind the experience and creation of each tale . offbeat and insightful , this book is an engrossing read for students of travel writing as well as armchair wanderers .
the catch , though , is you can’t do it from your bed or sofa . the game maps the pokémon onto real gps and street maps , so you have to roam around in the real world to find them . this is no candy crush on the tube , or days spent playing fifa in a darkened room . you have to “go” ( get it ? ) outside .
our routine each day was simple ; wake up with sunrise , swim , eat , read , relax , nap , go for another swim and join the small group of other travellers for dinner each night . everyone we met seemed to live by a similar beat . the island motto was to do less each day than we did on the previous , and we lived by it religiously .
with the internet , and going to europe , i feel like i grew up . you’ve got to be like a wall street broker , especially with the internet and digital , watching that tape every minute to know how the film business is going . there’s going to be a way , for the people who want to see my films , where i can go right to them with it .
the treer company is a german defense contractor that employs dr . inga von westphalen , a zeppelin designer and the baron ' s mother . in the
southland tales
universe , when war broke out following the nuclear attacks in texas , treer was contracted to build several mega - zeppelins to ferry troops and equipment across the world . kelly has said that this idea was inspired by a real u . s . army project .
interestingly , it’s gender stereotypes that offend most cultural theorists such as henry giroux , who accuse the animated versions of fairy stories in particular of being full of outdated ideology . certainly , early disney didn’t alter the blueprint of the early fairy tales – rags to riches , a happy ending , defeating the baddies – but it is far from cautious in confronting so - called adult themes such as death , jealousy and fear of responsibility .
in the end , having the courage to leave new york—once you do that , you find places . you find they want to shoot films in shanghai , korea . as long as you’re making films , it doesn’t matter , i don’t know if you even need language . there are a lot of ways to go . but the only way is where you’re working with people who respect what you’re doing .
the book of revelation is the last book in the new testament . it foretells the end of the world and the second coming of christ ( pilot abilene keeps reading it on the soundtrack ) . kelly has said in interviews that the film was partially made in response to the rise of apocalyptic evangelism in the united states . for
southland tales ,
he loosely adapted the plot of the book of revelation and set it in an alternate version of the present day .
meanwhile , watching someone play isn’t far off from watching someone text in public . they walk slowly , starting and stopping , while staring obsessively at their phone . conversations are punctuated by squawks of “a bulbasaur ! ! ” a friend ' s desire to
go check out that park over there
turns a little sour when you realise it ' s rooted in the presence of a lake , and therefore the potential for snaring a water
no , it ' s not just you . but , then again , you probably shouldn ' t try to interpret
southland tales
too literally . it ' s filled with so many references and so much self - conscious irony that it ' s nearly impossible to make sense of it all . and then you would miss all the jokes and stop enjoying the dance sequences . it does get easier to understand , though , if you ' ve read the book of revelation .
the release of into the woods has set this myth on its bewitching way once again . the film is a disney adaptation of stephen sondheim’s musical intertwining of several well - known fairy tales , principally little red riding hood , jack and the beanstalk , rapunzel , and cinderella , and features more death than the typical tale , and other “adult themes” like adultery . predictably , its release has set the worriers worrying that disney’s version will have sugar - spun the original beyond all recognition .
ferrara : there was that period in the ’90s when all these guys sold out—harvey and all that . when every studio had an independent branch , it was the wrong way to go , 100 percent . you’re either going to battle them on that level or be a change on that level . you’re going to say , oh right , being a part of disney is going to help independent films ? that’s fucking bullshit , man . who are you kidding ?
imagine creating your italian dream vacation with a fun - loving savvy traveler girlfriend whispering in your ear . go along with writer susan van allen on a femme - friendly ride up and down the boot , to explore this extraordinarily enchanting country where venus ( vixen goddess of love and beauty ) and the madonna ( nurturing mother of compassion ) reign side - by - side . with humor , passion , and practical details , this uniquely anecdotal guidebook will enrich your italian days .
after the show , the celebration continues with the harambe nights street party , filled with music , characters , and live performers , encouraging everyone to join in and “go wild ! ” you can enjoy an all - inclusive buffet of sophisticated and flavorful african cuisine and gourmet desserts . exclusive lion king merchandise and collectibles will be available for purchase during the event , and you’ll want to stick around for a special finale to bid “kwaherini” to a magical evening that could only happen at disney’s animal kingdom !
but the main thing that struck me was the half - naked guy in the middle of the floor . passed out from the night before , not a pretty sight . climbing over him , which was the only way around him , i dumped my bags and popped into the en suite bathroom . it was a similar theme , basically mess everywhere and you certainly wouldn’t want to go in there to get clean ! since i was only booked for one night i couldn’t be bothered to change rooms but
in a sense , “postmodern” is a confusing appellation , since the word is used in slightly different ways when describing , say , literary theory , or interior design , or tv commercials . i use the word to describe the increasing placelessness that accompanies any information - age journey . many recurring themes of the travel tales in this book ( the weird gap between expectations and reality ; the challenge of identifying “authenticity” in post - traditional settings ; the realization that unexpected encounters help you better see places for what they are ) are the result of this dislocation .
harambe nights takes place every saturday from june 7 – august 9 , 2014 , with the welcome reception starting at 7 p . m . and a 7 : 30 p . m . show time . tickets are $ 119 for adults , $ 79 for ages 3 - 9 , plus tax . tickets with premium floor seating are $ 134 for adults , $ 94 for ages 3 - 9 , plus tax . capacity is limited , so you’ll want to go ahead and get your tickets by visiting urltoken or calling 407 - 939 - 1319 .
hello tracy , i believe and shawn can correct me if i am wrong but tbd means to be determined or announced . the food and drinks are included in the price . i am attending june the 7th . i am thrilled that i saw the information about it just days after if was announced but the more expensive closer seats were already sold out in less than a week . so , book , book , book if you want to go . it is a non - refundable ticket and not inexpensive so be sure you want to attend .
what follows is a hyperkinetic fox news - style summary of the following three years in the
southland tales '
alternate universe : after the nuclear attacks in texas , the united states reinstates the draft , and by october 2005 , war ( sponsored by hustler and bud light ) breaks out with iran , syria , afghanistan , north korea and iraq - - where pilot abilene , the film ' s narrator , is injured in a friendly - fire accident . a blockade in the strait of hormuz impedes the flow of oil to the united states , causing an increased demand for alternative fuel sources .
unlike most of the longtail operators i met in ton sai , jimmy is a quiet , introspective man . when we were negotiating the trip yesterday afternoon , he nodded silently as i took out a dive - shop map of phi phi leh and told him where i wanted to go . at first i thought he couldn’t speak any english , but he cut me short when i tried to use my thai phrase book on him . “three in the morning , o . k . , ” he’d said . “i know loh saman bay . ” i suspect he is working to support a wife and kids somewhere .
to three girls bringing home “guests” , including the girl in the bunk underneath mine . as the bunk bed shook and i was completely unable to sleep despite asking everyone to go somewhere else , i just grabbed my stuff and decided it was the final thread . i complained to a staff member who gave me a full refund and i immediately left with my bags ready to explore the rest of the city ( albeit with my carry - on bag ) . i left on a bus to lisbon after discovering the fish market ready for a change . i still occasionally stay at hostels , but read the reviews carefully and avoid party hostels like the plague .
the film that is most obviously referenced is
kiss me deadly ,
a 1955 film noir about a private detective who uncovers a plot to detonate a nuclear device . the movie plays in the background in several scenes , and in the
prequel saga ,
krysta tells boxer it is his favorite movie . as in
southland tales ,
a character in
kiss me deadly
picks up a stranger in the desert , and one of the main characters in the film is named after a poet . the name of dr . severin exx is a reference to the name of an evil doctor in the movie
kiss me deadly ,
and boxer santaros ' convertible is the same car driven by ralph meeker in the 1955 film .
af : i grew up in the ' 60s , which was a creative time , so it wasn ' t that big of a stretch to go from a baseball bat to a guitar to a film camera . i was born in the bronx , and then my father moved us to the country at an early age . but it was a creative country . my original screenwriter , nikky st . john , and this great writer , t . c . boyle , were from this town . mel gibson was from this town . pee - wee herman was from this town . hey , how about that group ? [ laughs . ] when you ' re surrounded by people like that , you ' d better do something .
logistics and marketing aside , however , i came to realize that “marco polo didn’t go there” was not just a statement of geography : intentional or not , it was a keen observation about the postmodern reality of far - flung lands . unlike marco , my travels were not a simple journey from home to the other and back . at any given moment in southeast asia , i was likely to run into a burmese shan refugee who could quote west coast hip - hop to illustrate his plight , a laotian hmong tribesman who’d recently visited his relatives in minneapolis , or a jewish - american buddhist who’d slept in suburban maryland thirty - six hours earlier . whereas marco had traveled into a mysterious and frightening terra incognita , i was traveling into a globalized asia that had long since been visited by the oracle of mass media and the shock troops of mass tourism .
ferrara : we wrote the part for walken and chris never really got it . willem and i had worked together in new rose hotel ( 1998 ) . we had our differences but he’s now also living in rome , and when he read it he got it . if you’re gonna have a film where someone’s got his name on the cuff of his shirt , that’s a pretty big ego you have to play . and he got it , he did it , he sang . it’s so sad he wasn’t there that night , but he’s shooting this movie [ paul schrader’s adam resurrected ] where he’s playing the head of the gestapo or a concentration camp . willem understands the idea with entertainment , that the show must go on , from a theatrical point of view , and he made it happen . we’ve been trying to make this film for seven years , but we never really had the guy .
the fact that the information commissioner’s office has launched an investigation into whether the metropolitan police service trident gangs matrix breaches the data protection act is welcome , but the dangers go beyond this . [ 1 ] the home office , local authorities and all other public sector agencies involved in the multi - agency approach to combating ‘gang - associated activity’ should , according to the irr , review procedures to ensure that they are not contributing to a form of racialised data profiling that has serious repercussions for the human rights of young people , particularly black boys and young black men . for there is evidence to suggest we are witnessing a continuation of the ‘windrush scandal’ , only , this time it is the grandchildren of the windrush generation that have been let down by the expansive scope of the ‘hostile environment’ precept , targeted now at inhabitants of certain neighbourhoods and particular estates in london and , in other areas of the uk . [ 2 ]
af : every one is a different story . the story with the blackout is unbelievable . there ' s a big lawsuit now in an l . a . bankruptcy court about it . we made a deal with destination films that set up a distribution system . they bought two or three films , including the blackout , raised $ 100 million , and never distributed anything . five years later , they ' re trying to go bankrupt , saying all that ' s left is $ 35 , 000 out of $ 100 million , even though they never distributed one film . now , i don ' t know what ' s going on . i ' d love to show you the paperwork . i ' m getting thousands and thousands of documents . i ' m just one of a ton of people this company screwed over . can you imagine these pricks ? they ' re basically trying to steal $ 100 million . it ' s a fucking robbery .


whale rider is a 2002 new zealand-german family drama film directed by niki caro , based on the novel of the same name by witi ihimaera .

the film stars keisha castle-hughes as kahu paikea apirana , a twelve-year-old māori girl who wants to become the chief of the tribe .

her grandfather koro believes that this is a role reserved for males only .

the film was a coproduction between new zealand and germany .

it was shot on location in whangara , the setting of the novel .

the world premiere was on 9 september 2002 , at the toronto international film festival .

the film received critical acclaim upon its release .

at age 13 , keisha castle-hughes became the youngest nominee for the academy award for best actress before she was surpassed by quvenzhané wallis , at age 9 , for beasts of the southern wild less than a decade later .

the film earned $ 41.4 million on a nz$ 9,235,000 budget .

whale rider

12 . paikea ' s whale album : whale rider music by : lisa gerrard whale rider ( 2002 ) a contemporary story of love , rejection and triumph as a young girl fights to fulfill her destiny .
the kahurangi tribal dancer during ' whale rider ' - premiere after party at . . .
rawiri paratene and keisha castle hughes during ' whale rider ' - premiere after . . .
cliff curtis and steve buscemi during ' whale rider ' - premiere after party at . . .
01 . paikea legend album : whale rider music by : lisa gerrard whale rider ( 2002 ) a contemporary story of love , rejection and triumph as a young girl fights to fulfill her destiny .
use the thumbs up and thumbs down icons to agree or disagree that the title is similar to whale rider . you can also suggest completely new similar titles to whale rider in the search box below .
emma gibbs and helen klisser during during ' whale rider ' - premiere after party at . . .
grant roa and keisha castle hughes during ' whale rider ' - premiere after party at . . .
rawiri paratene and keisha castle hughes during ' whale rider ' - premiere , new york . . .
if you want to answer the questions ,
who starred in the movie whale rider ?
and
what is the full cast list of whale rider ?
then this page has got you covered .
this cast list of who was in whale rider includes both lead and minor roles . ( 19 items )
looking for movie tickets ? enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing whale rider near you .
whale rider , new zealand’s latest film sensation , premiered last night in tokyo to an influential japanese audience .
keisha castle hughes during ' whale rider ' - premiere after party at guastavino ' s in . . .
keisha castle hughes during ' whale rider ' - premiere , new york city at city cinema . . .
cliff curtis , big vic and emma gibbs during ' whale rider ' - premiere after party at . . .
steve buscemi during ' whale rider ' - premiere , new york city at city cinema 1 in . . .
rawiri paratene during ' whale rider ' - premiere , new york city at city cinema 1 in . . .
cebeci , ali . suduiko , aaron ed .
the whale rider summary
. gradesaver , 6 april 2015 web .
whale rider cast list , listed alphabetically with photos when available . this list of whale rider actors includes any whale rider actresses and all other actors from the film . you can view additional information about each whale rider actor on this list , such as when and where they were born . to find out more about a particular actor or actress , click on their name and you ' ll be taken to page with even more details about their acting career . the cast members of whale rider have been in many other movies , so use this list as a starting point to find actors or actresses that you may not be familiar with .
the 2002 film whale rider , directed by niki caro , is an adaptation of witi ihimaera ' s 1987 novel the whale rider , itself based on the māori legend of paikea , or kahutia te rangi , who rode from the ancestral home of hawaiki to new zealand ' s east coast on the back of a whale .
the question and answer section for the whale rider is a great resource to ask questions , find answers , and discuss the novel .
my name is paikea apirana , and i come from a long line of chiefs stretching all the way back to the whale rider .
keisha castle hughes during ' whale rider ' - premiere after party at guastavino ' s in new york city , new york , united states .
tv presenter phillip schofield and his wife stephanie arriving for the uk premiere of whale rider , at the ugc cinema in haymarket , central london .
the whale rider starts a thousand years ago , with a pod of whales . the biggest whale , the founder of maori culture , has a special relationship with the whale rider , a young man who sits upon its back . the book ' s narrator , kahu ' s uncle rawiri , then explains that the tribe ' s first chief and ancestor , kahutia te rangi , who is also called paikea , came to their land on the back of a whale , making him the whale rider . he gave them gifts , including the ability to communicate with animals and nature .
the kahurangi tribal dancer during ' whale rider ' - premiere after party at guastavino ' s in new york city , new york , united states .
steve buscemi during ' whale rider ' - premiere , new york city at city cinema 1 in new york city , new york , united states .
rawiri paratene during ' whale rider ' - premiere , new york city at city cinema 1 in new york city , new york , united states .
cliff curtis and steve buscemi during ' whale rider ' - premiere after party at guastavino ' s in new york city , new york , united states .
keisha castle hughes during ' whale rider ' - premiere , new york city at city cinema 1 in new york city , new york , united states .
whale rider is not only a great picture it has a great message two . should be rated pg - 13 but not a very intense pg - 13 .
emma gibbs and helen klisser during during ' whale rider ' - premiere after party at guastavino ' s in new york city , new york , united states .
grant roa and keisha castle hughes during ' whale rider ' - premiere after party at guastavino ' s in new york city , new york , united states .
rawiri paratene and keisha castle hughes during ' whale rider ' - premiere after party at guastavino ' s in new york city , new york , united states .
as expected , local film phenomenon whale rider took away the bulk of the prizes at this year ' s new zealand film awards held in auckland last night .
i ' m not really a big fan of the film
whale rider
. i have tried watching it but the film never really appealed to me .
the whale rider study guide contains a biography of author witi ihimaera , literature essays , quiz questions , major themes , characters , and a full summary and analysis .
' ' whale rider ' ' is rated pg - 13 ( parents strongly cautioned ) for scenes of emotional cruelty that may be a little upsetting for younger viewers .
cliff curtis , big vic and emma gibbs during ' whale rider ' - premiere after party at guastavino ' s in new york city , new york , united states .
rawiri paratene and keisha castle hughes during ' whale rider ' - premiere , new york city at city cinema 1 in new york city , new york , united states .
analysis of witi ihimaeras ' the whale rider ' on the basis of . . . | publish your master ' s thesis , bachelor ' s thesis , essay or term paper
stream whale rider by lisa gerrard and tens of millions of songs on all your devices with amazon music unlimited . exclusively for prime members . new subscribers only . terms apply .
each part of the novel begins from the perspective of the whale herd . there is one old bull whale among them that remembers the days of the whale rider and thinks longingly about them , even though those days are long past . the older female whales worry about his growing nostalgia , because they know that heading back to the islands would be dangerous , but after they attempt to return to an underwater trench that is homelike to them , they find the trench toxic and inhospitable . all the while the bull whale fondly remembers communicating with the human whale rider and eventually leads the herd to new zealand .
movie review : a whale of a tale ( by c . a . wolski )
“from the animated and enthusiastic discussions that followed the screening , there can be no doubt that whale rider is going to generate further interest and awareness of new zealand as a destination .
audio commentary by writer / director niki caro - a mellow caro broaches various aspects of the filmmaking process and how she brought whale rider to the screen . in english , not subtitled .
poster art and photo gallery ( 1 : 58 , 1080p ) - a short slide show consisting of five us / international posters for whale rider and sixteen high - res color photographs .
studio : newmarket ( released june 6 ) category : adapted source material : “whale rider , ” a novel by witi ihimaera storyline : in a new zealand village , where the maori people are descended from paikea , the whale rider , the chief’s male heir automatically becomes the tribe’s next leader . since the current chief has no male heir , his granddaughter , pai [ … ]
families can talk about the traditions in whale rider and the traditions of their own cultures . which ones do you think are important to pass down ? which do you think need to evolve ?
: and he came on the back of a whale . a man to lead a new people . our ancestor , paikea . but now we were waiting for the firstborn of the new generation , for the descendant of the whale rider . for the boy who would be chief .
good plot . i like the fact that they put a really whale in this film .
set at the east coast town of whāngārā , whale rider tells the tale of a young māori girl , pai ( keisha castle - hughes ) , who challenges tradition and embraces the past in order to find the strength to lead her people forward . niki caro ' s second feature is based on witi ihimaera ' s novel the whale rider . coupling a specific sense of place and culture with a universal coming - of - age story , whale rider met with sizeable success worldwide , winning audience choice awards at sundance and toronto and its young star was nominated for an academy award
also joining the festivities were “whale rider” producer linda goldstein knowlton , cast member cliff curtis , newmarket films head bob berney and peering from the side , director darren aronofsky ( “requiem for a dream” ) .
[ 2 ] mottesheard , ryan ( june 6 , 2003 ) : girl power : new zealand writer / director niki caro talks about ` whale rider´ . interview with niki caro . urltoken p . 1
set in the east coast town of whāngārā , whale rider tells the tale of a young māori girl , pai ( keisha castle - hughes ) , who challenges tradition and embraces the past in order to find the strength to lead her people forward . directed and written by niki caro , the film is based on witi ihimaera ' s novel the whale rider . coupling a specific sense of place and culture with a universal coming - of - age story , whale rider became one of the most successful and acclaimed new zealand films released internationally . it also won audience choice awards at the sundance and toronto film festivals .
iervolino and bacardi said on monday they were committed to supporting each release with marketing , advertising and publicity akin to a new platform release . whale rider will launch in november in both restored digital and 35mm formats .
the story begins with a focus on the ancient days , when nature and all wildlife were excitedly waiting for the coming of man . then man arrived from the east , and the relationship between nature and man throve . one relationship in particular - - that between the whale rider and his giant whale - - was exemplary of a symbiotic connection . this whale rider casts spears as life - giving objects to the islands , but one spear he casts 1000 years into the future , which is the time of the story’s young heroine kahu .
tv spots ( 2 : 38 , upconverted to 1080i ) - five us tv spots promoting whale rider with voice - over and critics ' quotes . the spots are shown in letterbox . in english , not subtitled .
you ' ve reached the
hub
for any and all dramatica analysis of whale rider . in addition to the storyform , you ' ll also find any additional analysis or media related to the story in question .
“whale rider” star keisha castle - hughes sparkled at the after party for the film’s premiere at the cavernous guastavino restaurant under the queensboro bridge along the east river in midtown manhattan . the film , by niki caro opens in ny friday .
caro is in the united states . her best screenplay award was accepted on her behalf by whale rider author witi ihimaera , while the best director award was accepted by hone taumaunu , the kaumatua of whangara where the movie was set and filmed .
soon after , there is another mass group of beached whales . this time , while no one is looking , kahu jumps into the water and talks to the whales . she climbs on the back of the ancient bull whale as it dives deep into the sea . her family thought she would die , but they soon realize that she is the whale rider .
the partners have hired larry greenberg to oversee the unit , kicking off with niko caro’s 2002 multiple award - winner whale rider ( pictured ) . the executive recently served as vice - president of acquisitions and theatrical distribution for momentum pictures and phase 4 films .
us theatrical trailers ( 2 : 57 , 1080p ) - an awards season trailer followed by whale rider ' s official theatrical trailer . they ' re presented in anamorphic widescreen and while in good shape , they contain some dirt . in english , not subtitled .
' the whale rider ' is a story about a maori girl named kahu , who dreams of being the chief of her tribe . however , in maori culture , only men can be chief . the story shifts between the present day and a thousand years ago .
whale rider ( 2002 ) , a film by new zealand director niki caro , is based on the novel of the same name by witi ihimaera . the novel in turn uses the traditional tale of paikea , who came to new zealand on the back of a whale . whale rider enjoyed extraordinary international success and made the young māori actress keisha castle - hughes , who played a young , female paikea , one of new zealand’s most recognised faces . in this scene the wit and irreverence of māori humour is shown in the interaction between two generations of māori women . also featured are paikea’s grandmother flowers ( vicky haughton ) and friends maka ( mabel wharekawa - burt ) and miro ( rawinia clarke ) .
supersummary , a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes , offers high - quality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes , characters , quotes , and essay topics . this one - page guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of whale rider by witi ihimaera .
her instinctive underplaying gives ' ' whale rider ' ' an added gravity , with the lush remoteness of the landscape serving as an entrancing contrast to the sugar - rush , you - go - girl empowerment of programmed pandering like ' ' the lizzie mcguire movie , ' ' whose tweener heroine flails her arms and bats her eyes as if she were sending distress signals . the director demonstrates a class and tact that brand ' ' whale rider , ' ' which opens today in new york and los angeles , as more than a time - filler for young moviegoers or an ironman competition for adults accompanying them .
u . s . label shout factory has officially announced and detailed its upcoming 15th anniversary blu - ray edition of director niki caro ' s film whale rider ( 2002 ) . the release , which will be part of the label ' s recently launched shout select line , will be available for . . .
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
ms . caro ' s attempt to fight the mawkishness inherent in the film ' s opening by setting a tone of emotional tidiness makes the rest of ' ' whale rider ' ' distinctively efficient ; this gamble makes the first section seem distended and a little drab . still , there aren ' t many filmmakers who would have fought that initial heightening of heartbreak . too flamboyant an opening would have left the movie with no place to go and embarrassed us with so early a claim on our sentiments . bear with ' ' whale rider ' ' : once the picture kicks into gear , it has the inspiring resonance of found art .
in the whale rider , kahu is a young maori girl who wants to be the chief of her tribe , but cannot be because in her culture that role is only for men . she uses her gifts of communicating with nature to save a beached pod of whales , and because of that she is finally accepted .
the focus shifts to a herd of whales . the whale mothers look over their young while the single leader whale—the bull whale—reminisces about his own youth so long ago , and the precious time he spent with the whale rider . now , so many years after their separation , the nostalgia for their time spent together cuts away at the old bull whale . but then the story shifts to kahu . the narrator of this time period is rawiri , her uncle . when she is born , her great - grandfather expresses great disdain that she is a girl . he is looking for a suitable successor , which according to local culture ought to be passed from eldest child to eldest child . porourangi , the girl’s father , is his eldest grandson so he is the successor for that generation . the problem in koro’s mind , however , is that porourangi’s eldest child is now kahu , who—because she is female—is not fit to lead according to koro .
if a picture tells a thousand words , a movie runs at 24 pictures per second , and a 105 minute film is comprised of 151 , 200 frames , then a piece of celluloid should tell a story worthy of 151 . 2 million words . whale rider is the first movie i have ever seen that achieves this mark .
i could gush on for much longer but there is little point . when push comes to shove , all that i need to say about whale rider is that it is the best film i have seen in a movie theater since almost famous ; moreover , the twin performances of rawiri paratene as koro and keisha castle - hughes as pai are as good as any in recent cinema . stating the obvious , whale rider is one of the best movie experiences of my life and i strongly urge you to see it as soon as you possibly can . and bring a lot of tissue paper just in case . our movie theater was niagara falls during several key moments .
“the premiere of whale rider was an ideal way to start my visit . the film has already proved to be a superb vehicle for promoting new zealand to discerning audiences around the world . opening night in tokyo left the audience moved and impressed with the film , its story , and the new insights it gave them into new zealand .
all of these elements are creatively combined for a very unique film in the world of cinema today . by the time whale rider arrives at a fairly unorthodox and surprisingly suspenseful ending , the viewer will be so in love with the characters that the emotional impact is almost unsettling . something this special is an absolute must - see and is recommended for the entire family .
a different herd of whales washes up on the beaches of whangara , and though most of the locals attempt to save them , the whales all perish . koro interprets this as a sign of what is happening to the maori . however , the following night the herd of whales the novel has been following arrives in whangara . the bull whale beaches himself , apparently waiting to die . kahu communicates with the bull whale , who is overjoyed at the return of the whale rider and swims back out to sea with kahu still on his back . kahu sacrifices herself so that her people may continue to thrive and decides that she will remain with the herd ; however , one of the elderly female whales convinces the bull whale to take kahu back to shore . koro realizes that he has been blind to kahu’s talents and her leadership and finally tells his great - granddaughter that he loves her .
in desperation , kahu swims out to the whale and climbs up its back after communicating with it . the whale mistakes kahu for its old master—kahu’s ancient ancestor , kahutia te rangi . overjoyed , the whale returns to sea and it descends back into the water with the rest of the herd and kahu in tow . kahu agrees to come with the herd in the hopes that she will thus save them and save her own people . she thinks that this will be the last time she will ever see her home and family and that accompanying the herd means losing all that she holds dear , but she sacrifices herself nonetheless and chooses to remain as the whale rider . back on the shore , koro finally realizes kahu’s special status and her suitability to lead . his anguish is now doubled as he must accept that he has been so harsh to the very person he needed so badly this whole time .
based on the witi ihimaera children ' s novel , whale rider tells the story of maori people living in new zealand who are struggling to survive in the modern world . like many spiritual people , they are caught between the beliefs that have been passed down for many generations from their ancestors and a world which appears to offer no safe harbor to even the truest of believers .
weaving family life , cultural tradition , and an ancient myth into a contemporary story , whale rider is a tender tale . as pai , first - time actress castle - hughes is a small but impressive warrior , perfectly balancing kid naivety with adult bravery . the traditional costumes , language , chants , and personality of the maori people come through well , while the tale is clearly a modern fiction , based on a novel by witi ihimaera . beautiful and dramatic new zealand landscapes and dreamy underwater whale photography cement the formula of the film and add to its magic .
koro recognizes in this event a spiritual warning to him and his people ; their test is to return this ancient whale back to sea because they are so connected to this supernatural whale herd that if it lives they live and f it dies they die . koro calls a meeting of the local maori people and impresses upon them the spiritual significance of this event . their way of life is being put to the test : they can either save the whale or fail and fall into ruin . they organize all available vehicles and manpower down on the beach and attempt all sorts of measures to get the bull whale back to sea , but the giant creature stubbornly resists and continues to wait for itself to die on the shore .
witi ihimaera is one of these maori writers who was born in 1944 . his work includes novels , short stories , and anthropological works . central to ihimaera’s fiction is the examination of the concerns of the maori culture and the return to traditional values . therefor he sensitivly captures the particular nuances contained within maori society . in 1987 ihimaera wrote the novel the whale rider which was turned into a movie in 2003 by niki caro and opened a huge acclaim and interest to maori culture throughout the world . ihimaera himself said his novel to be a “a modern retelling of a maori legend” creating the central figure as a female “in response to his daughter ' s complaining about the boy always being the hero” [ 2 ] . the whale rider novel appears somehow like a modern tale .
storyline : in a new zealand village , where the maori people are descended from paikea , the whale rider , the chief’s male heir automatically becomes the tribe’s next leader . since the current chief has no male heir , his granddaughter , pai ( keisha castle - hughes ) , fights generations of tradition in an attempt to succeed him , an honor for which she believes she is destined .
whale rider is a story of the quest for the new leader of an indigenous maori tribe living on an island off the coast of new zealand . often this type of film ends up making a caricature of the people , accentuating their quaint customs and idiosyncratic behaviors and causing us to smile condescendingly at their ignorance and stunted development . whale rider does nothing of the kind . director niki caro treats her subject matter with profound respect , genuine curiosity and effortless grace , while refusing to ignore the signs of cultural disintegration . it is as if we are invited into the whangara community , and are free to observe comfortably , without fear or embellishment . the 11 - year - old first - time actor keisha castle - hughes gives the most astonishing performance by a child that i have ever witnessed , and lifts the movie from being just plain good to a profoundly moving experience . whale rider is a tale of the evolution of a culture , wrapped in humor and hope . it is a story of an indomitable spirit . it is a movie about love and change , about the grim realities of life and the marvelous miracles of faith . if you have a chance to see this film , do not miss it !
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 zealand coast - - is wickedly absorbing . much of the film ' s power comes from the delicate charisma of keisha castle - hughes , making her acting debut as pai .
and also included the keisha castle - hughes screen tests that appeared on the european editions . shout ! ' s still gallery varies from the pictures displayed on the region 1 ' s gallery . the forty - five minute
riding the wave : the whale rider story
that is on the r2 swiss ascot elite disc seems to be a longer version of the making - of that shout ! licensed from sony .
the whales are a symbol of kahu ' s tribe : when the whales are safe , the tribe is safe . the old whale serves as a comparison to koro . when the whale accepts kahu as a leader , koro does as well . the whales also are a symbol of the relationship between man and nature . the whales are safe again once man respects nature and the ocean again .
part i begins by refocusing on the herd of whales . the bull whale leads his herd away from their most - feared predator : mankind . the old whale remembers the days when man and animal were united and in communication , but those are long past . however , he is unable to let go , and thoughts of returning to the place of his youth at whatever cost gnaw at his heart .
climbs onto the largest whale ' s back and coaxes it back into the ocean , causing the other beached whales to follow , saving them all . pai nearly drowns as a result , though she ultimately survives
ever since the time of the whale rider , kahu ' s tribe has been ruled by a male chief . 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 . koro was very upset when kahu was born because she was a girl , and since then has ignored her , even though she loves him very much and wants his affection .
in whale rider , there are no big - name stars , the director is unknown , and the story is far from being mainstream , yet it’s not quirky or strange , either . the movie is a simple celebration of spirit and courage with an emotional power unlike anything since the iron giant . it celebrates cultural mores even as it deconstructs them , using impacting performances , cinematography , music and themes to draw the viewer into its singular universe .
whale rider
arrives in theaters already proven as one of the great audience - grabbers of recent years . 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 . i recite these facts right at the top of this review because i fear you might make a hasty judgment that you don ' t want to see a movie about a 12 - year - old maori girl who dreams of becoming the chief of her people . sounds too ethnic , uplifting and feminist , right ? 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 . there is a vast difference between movies for 12 - year - old girls , and movies about 12 - year - old girls , and
whale rider
proves it .
the tribe founded by paikea has always been led by the previous chief ' s firstborn son , in a line of descent stretching back to the whale rider himself . however , in the late 20th century , a daughter , paikea apirana
pai
, is born , and the death of her mother makes her the only child in the line of succession . the story follows her as she challenges the traditions of her people and struggles for recognition and acceptance .
with such a character - driven story , near - perfect casting was required for whale rider to be truly moving and heartfelt . keisha castle - hughes gives the year’s best acting performance as the teenager pai , infusing the character with a self - possessed composure that belies her youthful vulnerability . one of the most beautiful little girls i’ve ever seen , castle - hughes is resilient and almost majestic . her quiet confidence is most impressive for a girl of her age .
it ' s not until
biking home
that you might even recognise gerrard ' s voice in this quietly joyful mood piece . she only gives herself full , if understated , voice on the symphonic closing track
go forward
which echoes gladiator ' s
now we are free
, but with maori chanting . though there is some compelling music on whale rider , much of it sounds bereft without the accompanying images . - - john diliberto , urltoken
those who are familiar with lisa gerrard ' s solo career (
the mirror pool
,
duality
and
immortal memory
) and her dead can dance days will almost certainly nurse a sense of loss at hearing this most poignant of soundtracks . for a start lisa doesn ' t provide any of the vocals , and the music itself is not an epic creation in the manner of the
gladiator
soundtrack . still , don ' t dismiss it on these grounds ! the music for
whale rider
is just as intimate and enveloping as her previous work . shot through with a wonderful homogenity it moves through some delicious native maori chanting to haunting melodies fully evocative of an ancient relationship with the sea and the whales . those who have seen the film , which i also recommend highly , will know the vital importance of gerrard ' s music in its context , and might well be surprised by how well it transfers to a simpler auditory experience . lisa gerrard has referred to the
whale rider
project as
one of the most intimate of my artistic life . . . because it reminded me intrinsically that we live in a world full of fragile complexity .
fragile , complex and intimate - all words which encapsulate the experience of the
whale rider
soundtrack and make it well worth purchasing , as a fan of the film or a fan of lisa gerrard .
if you are interested in other cultures , and particularly if you are interested in the traditional attitudes to girls ' roles in society , this film is for you . the girl is the natural heir to the headship of the village , except that she is a girl . it takes a series of startling events and adventures before the village elder , her grandfather , finally realises that she really is the reincarnation of the first maori , the
whale rider
of the title .
niki caro’s “whale rider” had its new york premiere monday night , followed by an after party under the queensboro bridge at the magnificent guastavino restaurant , a unique , yet fitting location for the soiree . among the crowd were newmarket chief bob berney and rogers and cowan’s jeanne berney . also there , the film’s star keisha castle - hughes along with fellow star , cliff curtis . polynesian culture also made its way to manhattan for the occasion , with a rousing performance by the kahurangi maori dancers .
based on the novel by maori author witi ihimaera and adapted by director niki caro , whale rider is part saga and part fairy tale , part kids ' adventure tale and part poignant coming of age story , part , part girl power drama and part adult life lesson . it ' s all these things , as well as a rousing good time - - with beautiful beachscapes and stunning whales a - swimming imagery by cinematographer leon narbey , and yet maintains an elegant , simple - seeming narrative structure .
but you will have surrendered to ' ' whale rider ' ' long before then . the film shows strength by tightening the rhythms of the scenes ; be warned that the longueurs that surface in the first 10 minutes or so may make demands on your patience . ms . caro and her editor , david coulson , obviously wanted to dissipate any feeling of forced pathos that might accompany the intense tragedy experienced by pai ' s family . it ' s a welcome exercise of taste on the director ' s part .
synopsis in a small new zealand coastal village , maori claim descent from paikea , the whale rider . in every generation for over 1000 years , a male heir born to the chief succeeds to the title . the time is now . the chief ' s eldest son , porourangi , fathers twins - a boy and a girl . but the boy and his mother die in childbirth . the surviving girl is named pai . . . a contemporary story of love and rejection as a young girl fights to fulfil her destiny .
i did not like this film very much . this movie seemed to force a gender issue , where there was not a real need for one . i liked the concept of the whale rider , and how the grandfather would raise the youth of the area into a whale rider . i thought the grandfather not allowing his daughter to train and practically banishing her was excessive . the grandfather was quick tempered and only wanted a grandson , so the entire movie was based around the grandfather ' s disliking of his daughter . in my opinion , this movie was too focused on the subject of the daughter not being the person that her grandfather wanted her to be , rather than it focusing on what she wanted . some people could view this movie as a break from social and gender norms , but i saw it as a girl that couldn ' t do anything to break her gender norms until she risked her life to save the whales . overall , this movie was not very enjoyable for me , mainly because of the dull plot and sub - par acting .
paikea ' s whale performed by , vocal by ' keriana thomson ' , ' the wananga boys ' music composed by , arranged by lisa gerrard copyright owned by 4ad ltd under license from south pacific pictures ltd . © ( p ) 2003 4ad ltd
the novel begins with a traditional legend of the maori tribe which tells of the arrival of man from the east , and his relationship with all the animals . in particular , this story is about paikea , the first whale rider who uses spears to create life on the island . one of his spears is cast one thousand years into the future , and is understood to give life to kahu , who will become the novel’s protagonist . the narrator of the modern sections of the novel is rawiri , kahu’s uncle . the maori are a tribe from a small coastal village in whangara , new zealand , who trace their lineage back to the first whale rider through male descendants . koro , the aging leader of the tribe , tries to ensure his line of succession , but when his first great - grandchild is born and she is female koro feels he must search the community for a new heir since in his mind , women cannot be tribal leaders . koro rejects kahu throughout much of the novel , and tries to preserve traditional maori culture in the face of spreading modernity .
the story is about a young maori girl called kahu who is the granddaughter of koro apirana , chief of a maori tribe . while koro is desperate about not having a male grandchild he starts to look for a male successor amongst his tribe , unaware that kahu has the aptitudes which a chief requires . because of his blindness and frustration koro abandons kahu . for the action the story of the whales plays an important role . the whales are strongly connected with koro´s maori tribe by his ancestor and whale rider paikea . a herd of whales which is leaded by the ancient whale which paikea rode is heading towards new zealand troubled by changes in their environment . they stranded on the beach in front of the maori village and the people tried to get the whales out to the sea again but they fail . kahu manages to lead them back to the sea by riding the ancient bull whale . koro now realizes that kahu is the true successor with the right characteristics to be a leader , regardless of age and gender and ensures the salvation of her village .
based on a novel by transplanted new zealander witi ihimaera , whale rider is the story of a 12 - year - old girl named pai , short for paikea , a child of the whangara tribe which habituates the maori east coast of new zealand . when pai is born , her mother and twin brother die , a tragedy that also causes a very difficult and unfortunate situation . the whangara people believe that their presence on the island results from the arrival of a single ancestor thousands of years earlier . that man , like our heroine , was named paikea and he escaped death when his canoe capsized by riding to the distant shore on the back of a whale . after this historic event , the whangara chiefs , who are considered to be the legendary figure’s direct descendants , are always the first - born and always male .
the whale rider novel is a positive and sensitive representation of maori culture and several terms from the postcolonial theory can be determined within the novel . that is why it appears to me worth analysing this text in the context of postcolonial literary studies which is the purpose of this term paper . in chapter 1 i will give a short summary about the colonial and postcolonial history of new zealand and its postcolonial literature tradition . chapter 2 deals with the novel´s main characters and the narrative structure while chapter 3 detects the features of postcolonial theory which are embedded in the story .
writer - director niki coro perfectly suits the style to the story . the modest buildings in the midst of the starkly beautiful setting convey the contrast between the timeless culture of the maori and the ephemeral artifacts of the modern age . pai ' s perceptiveness and quiet persistence are always evident , but when she finally speaks from her heart , standing on stage in a school production , wearing traditional garb , she is purely luminous . whale rider is not only genuinely lyrical , but , even harder to manage , it is lyrically genuine . a must - see for families of tweens and up .
the next evening an even bigger event occurs , this time witnessed not by everyone but just by the small maori community within the town . during the night , rawiri , koro , kahu and nanny hear a booming sound coming from the sea , as if a great door has just opened , and then they witness a large group of huge whales emerge from the bottom of the sea . at their head is a great bull whale with an ancient sacred maori tattoo . the bull whale pulls itself onto shore and strands itself there , waiting for its death .
tradition dictates that the first - born grandson step into the role of chief , but pai - - named paikea by her father , after the tribe ' s ancient ancestor , who legend says arrived in the village on the back of a whale - - is all the family has .
the epilogue narrates that the oldest mother whale notices kahu and realizes that her husband , the bull whale , has mistaken this little girl for her ancestor . she leads to him the conclusion that she is kahutia’s descendent , and she is the spear he cast into the future and thus she must be returned to her people so she can bring them life - giving benefit and guide them through these troubled times . the bull whale eventually agrees and they return kahu , now unconscious , to whangara . when found by humans , kahu is brought to the hospital to recover and there she is near to nanny , who collapsed in shock after her dear great - granddaughter left with the whale her three days have passed since then and koro and rawiri have been taking care of the two of them . when nanny awakens , koro admits to her that this is entirely his fault , and that he has been stubborn and blind in the matter of kahu . later when kahu also awakens , he tells her for the first time that he loves her . then the story ends with kahu telling her dear great - grandfather that she can still hear the singing of the whales .
part 3 begins , as usual , by focusing on the whale herd . the bull whale is leading his herd through the frozen waters of antarctica . a collapsing of the ice there and the life - threatening nature of this collapse forces him to make a snap decision in guiding his herd . he chooses to take them down the paths leading back to the seas of his youth , a decision that causes dismay among the elder mothers because they know his nostalgia for the past is clouding his present judgment . but he leads them on anyway to what they know will be their final journey .
there was no gladness when i was born .
whale rider begins with tragedy . noisy tragedy . a woman gives birth to two children , one stillborn . as her husband , porourangi ( cliff curtis ) , watches helplessly , she dies in the process , leaving him bereft , angry , and confronted by his own father , koro ( rawiri paratene ) , ready to blame the surviving child , a daughter , for the death of the male child . porourangi storms off , leaving the baby to the care of his mother , nanny flowers ( vicky haughton ) . fortunately , she knows how to handle her husband in ways that even he doesn ' t imagine .
part ii begins with another short focus on the whale herd . they head towards a sea trench that used to provide them bounty and shelter but they find there an inhospitable and radioactive place . they are forced to travel to other havens as this long - time home for them has become too inhospitable to live in .
behind the scenes of whale rider
( 27 : 03 , upconverted to 1080p ) - a traditional epk making - of with voice - over ( by barry jenkin ) and talking - head interviews with niki caro , producers john barnett and tim sanders , composer lisa gerrard , as well as actors keisha castle - hughes , cliff curtis , vicky haughton , witi ihimaera , and rawiri paratene . unfortunately , the piece seems truncated from south pacific pictures ' original sixty - minute program that aired in new zealand . sony probably had to make cuts in order to fit it on the dvd . the 1 . 78 : 1 presentation appears windowboxed . in english , not subtitled .
this ex - dead can dance member imparts her own mixture of the ethereal , the worldly , the emotionally abstract , and the purely beautiful to all of her projects . she ' s been universally recognized and acclaimed for her body of work : she received a golden globe and was oscar - nominated for the
gladiator
soundtrack . she has also worked on such high profile movies as
ali
and
the insider
. this release is a soundtrack for the new zealand indie film
whale rider
, already the biggest grossing film in new zealand ever . gerrard ' s music , combined with the motion picture , provides an experience of profound power and spiritual enlightenment .
a young girl might fulfill a prophecy in an indigenous new zealand community . though the film brims with authenticity , it is almost too authentic . there are voice overs explaining the culture in which the film is set , but i spent some of the film lost about the relationship between the protagonist and the legend she ' s supposed to fulfill . the patriarchal structure of the family provides grounding to the story , and the interactions between the characters are interesting , but the grand metaphysical puzzle that dominates this film isn ' t clear to one who is unfamiliar with the film ' s cultural backdrop . overall , i liked whale rider , but i don ' t think i fully got it .
linda goldstein knowlton co - directed and co - produced the feature - length documentary , the world according to sesame street . the film examines sesame street ' s international co - productions , made primarily in some of the world ' s political hotspots , including kosovo , bangladesh , and south africa . the film made its world premiere in competition at the 2006 sundance film festival as an official selection in the u . s . documentary category . the film was selected and screened at the hot docs film festival in toronto , the seattle film festival , and other festivals including boston , dubrovnik , new zealand , melbourne , and zurich . previously , goldstein knowlton produced the new zealand film whale rider ( 2002 ) , directed by niki caro , which was the winner of the audience awards at toronto , sundance , rotterdam , seattle , san francisco , and maui film festivals . goldstein knowlton became involved with whale rider in 1992 , a decade before its theatrical release , after reading the novella upon which the film is based . prior to that , she initiated the development of the shipping news after reading the novel in galley form in 1993 , and then produced the 2001 - released film , directed by lasse hallstrom . she made her feature - film producing debut in 1999 with both mumford , written and directed by lawrence kasdan , and crazy in alabama , directed by antonio banderas . she is currently developing both fiction and documentary films .