Director:
Niki Karo (2002)
Adapted for the screen from the novel by
award-winning New Zealand writer Witi Ihimaera (The Matriarch, Tangi).
Cast:
Keisha Castle-Hughes,
Rawiri Paratene, Vicky Haughton, Cliff Curtis
The
Story
In a small New Zealand coastal village,
Maori claim descent from Paikea, the Whale Rider. In every generation
for more than 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.
Grief-stricken, her father leaves her to
be raised by her grandparents. Koro, her grandfather who is the Chief,
refuses to acknowledge Pai as the inheritor of the tradition and claims
she is of no use to him. But her grandmother, Flowers, sees more than
a broken line, she sees a child in desperate need of love.
And Koro learns to love the child. When
Pai's father, Porourangi, now a feted international artist, returns
home after twelve years, Koro hopes everything is resolved and Porourangi
will to accept destiny and become his successor.
But Porourangi has no intention of becoming
Chief. He has moved away from his people both physically and emotionally.
After a bitter argument with Koro he leaves, suggesting to Pai that
she come with him. She starts the journey but quickly returns, claiming
her grandfather needs her…
ACTIVITIES
FOR EOI STUDENTS
1st,
2nd and 3rd year students.
Test
your knowledge of New Zealand with this quiz, then see how your score
compares to others!
- 1. What´s the
capital of New Zealand?
- a) Auckland
b) Wellington
c) Sydney
- 2. Which percentage
of the population lives in cities?
- a) 80%
b) 30%
c) 50%
- 3. Are there
more sheep, more kangaroos or more people in NZ?
- a) sheep!
b) kangaroos!
c) people, of course!
- 4. What is NZ's
closest neighbour?
- a) England
b) Argentina
c) Australia
- 5. What´s the
population of New Zealand?
- a) 3,000,000
b) 4,000,000
c) 6,000,000
- 6. What is the
indigenous language of the New Zealand?
- a) Maori
b) English
c) Samoan
- 7. How many big
islands does New Zealand have?
- a) 5
b) 1
c) 2
- 8. What is the
most popular sport in New Zealand?
- a) Rugby
b) Football
c) Golf
- 9. New Zealand
is independent since:
- a) 1920
b) 1907
c) 1950
- 10. What is New
Zealand's national symbol?
- a) Sheep
b) Silver fern
c) Kiwi
- 11. New Zealand
is the first country in the world:
- a) to give the
vote to women in 1893
b) to have a woman Prime Minister
c) to win the Football World Cup
4th
and 5th year students.
Read the following review of the
film and complete the blanks with one of the words from the box below.
Do not repeat the words. There are more words than blanks.
Whale Rider is every
bit as bold and uplifting as its title 1) _____________. Adapted from
the novel by Witi Ihimaera, it's a contemporary growing pains yarn,
infused 2) _____________ the mysticism of 3) ____________ Maori legend
- celebrating tradition and redefining it for our times.
On the east coast
of New Zealand, the Whangara people believe their presence there dates
4) ____________ a thousand years or more to a 5) ____________ ancestor,
Paikea, who escaped death when his canoe capsized 6) _________ riding
to shore on the back of a whale. From then on, Whangara chiefs, always
the first-born, always male, have been considered Paikea's
7) ___________descendants.
Pai (Keisha Castle-Hughes), an 11-year-old girl in a patriarchal New
Zealand tribe, 8) ____________ she is destined to be the new chief.
But her grandfather Koro (Rawiri Paratene) is 9) _____________ by tradition
to pick a male leader. Pai loves Koro more than anyone in the world,
but she must fight him and a thousand years of tradition to 10) _____________
her destiny.
With the weight
of the film on her shoulders, Keisha Castle-Hughes 11) __________ poised
and unaffected. Her onscreen presence is as powerful as the role 12)
_____________, and then some. Director Niki Caro 13) _____________ her
against a sandy dreamscape, conveying all the drama of the New Zealand
coastline and Pai's 14) _____________ connection to her environment.
In weaving together
15) ______ themes of family, and the need for acceptance, with the romanticism
16) ______________ ancient legend, Caro is 17) ____________ for the
most part. However, the knotty family dynamics can sometimes feel perfunctory
and even a little clichéd, highlighted 18) ________________ a
key scene when Koro fails to show at Pai's school concert. 19) ______________
so, Whale Rider is a wonderfully refreshing and evocative 20)_____________
fairytale that's sure to make waves with its audience.
| ANCIENT |
BRAVE |
DEEP |
FRAMES |
OF |
SUGGESTS |
| BACK |
BY |
DEMANDS |
FULFIL |
REMAINS |
TO |
| BELIEVE |
CHANGING |
DIRECT |
IN |
SINGLE |
UNIVERSAL |
| BOUND |
CLAIM |
EVEN |
MODERN |
SUCCESSFUL |
USED |
