Due to geographical isolation and sparsely populated factors, New Zealand had been symbolized as the trope of “man alone”. In addition, the harsh life and cruelty of the colony was one factor that created a stubborn culture of self-reliance and individuality. In spite of the rapid development of economy and diplomacy brought a fresh outlook to this country, the fundamental problem of NZ culture still exists. This paper argues that New Zealand has been mired in the self-imposed cultural isolation because of its over-dependence on other foreign cultures and inflexible persistence on traditional cultures, especially expresses in New Zealand films.
Firstly, I argue that New Zealand has over-dependence on foreign, specifically UK culture. As the history of New Zealand’s relationship with the UK mirrors closely the history of the growth of New Zealand as a modern nation, today’s New Zealand has a distinctive identity, forged from the twin strands of indigenous Maori culture and British heritage, but also incorporating many influences from the wider region. Furthermore, as a nation of immigrants, New Zealand has been heading to the diversity of cultures. Besides foreign languages spoken/ written/ published on New Zealand television, radio and other print media. More and more foreign (especially Asian) factors appear in New Zealand films, some even use Asian as the main character like My Wedding and Other Secrets.
However, the foreign and local cultures are like oil and water that do not mix essentially. For instance, Maoris eat fast food, watch movies, and wear fashion clothes as other people do nowadays, which seems like they accept foreign cultures quite naturally. But conversely, a lot of people who spend most of their life in ...
... middle of paper ...
...p the stage at a remote and inaccessible place, films such as Eight Below (2006) and Nói albínói (2003) deliver more meditation of life and human’s desire. And the reason I think The Whale Rider is a milestone of New Zealand film, is in this film, Pai and her grandfather’s journey together reinforces the importance of Maori beliefs and generational teachings. I didn’t see much unease in this film; what's more, it shows the fresh blood-- young Maori people are starting facing their own culture with honest and respect. I was moved by the sprit of people in that community, and I think this is the thing that New Zealand films need to bring to the audience more and more.
National film is a perfect platform of representing the country’s beauty of culture and ethos. Personally, it’s quite a pity to see an isolated image of New Zealand in most NZ films.
One of the first representations encountered in the film Jedda is the portrayal of Australia as a tourist destination in the exposition of the film. This glorified view of the landscape is conveyed to the audience through the use of bold visual images and birds eye camera angels. The visual images, as well as portraying Australia as a tourist destination, also adopt the romanticised Hollywood view of the landscape that many American westerns use to emphasise their appeal to an audience of European background. An example of this romanticised view can be seen in the incorporation of camera shots of landscapes such as rolling planes of dry grassy land, and areas of steep rocky hillsides. This style of filming has been incorporated into the exposition to highlight the drama, beauty and primeval nature of the landscape, and to entice the audience into continuing to watch the film. The films documentary-like voice-over also contribute...
Hannie Rayson’s play ‘Hotel Sorrento’ explores the changing nature of Australian cultural identity. Rayson successfully perpetuates and challenges common Australian stereotypes in order to establish how the Australian National Identity has changed over time. She presents these stereotypes through the characters expectations of gender roles, attitudes towards Australian culture and the theme of ownership.
Peter Weir’s 1981 film Gallipoli can in every sense of the phrase be called an ‘Australian classic’. The impact and effect this film has had upon the psyche and perspective of several generations of Australians has been significant. Whilst it can be argued that every Australian is aware of the ANZAC legend, and the events that occurred on the Turkish beaches in 1915, Weir’s film encapsulates and embodies a cultural myth which is now propagated as fact and embraced as part of the contemporary Australian identity. The film projects a sense of Australian nationalism that grew out of the 1970’s, and focuses on what it ‘means’ to be an Australian in a post-colonial country. In this way Gallipoli embodies a sense of ‘Australian-ness’ through the depiction of mateship and through the stark contrast of Australia to Britain. A sense of the mythic Australia is further projected through the cinematic portrayal of the outback, and the way in which Australia is presented in isolation from the rest of the world. These features combined create not only a sense of nationalism, but also a mythology stemming from the ANZAC legend as depicted within the film.
Isolation in Brave New World If one's different, one's bound to be lonely." John "The Savage" In the Brave New World, people who are different from the normal standard are alienated and isolated from society because of their individuality. The society of the Brave New World is structured and ordered – the government attempts to control everything. Alienation in the Brave New World can be categorized into three areas: appearance, intellect, and morals.
Interactions between native peoples and immigrants have caused elements of their cultures and societies to entwine where one overpowers the other unevenly, changing both their individual and collective identities. The ambiguity in the peoples’ intentions and understandings creates tension that forces both people to reflect on their identities and act to shape and strengthen them. Both engage in a battle of defining their own and others’ identities and struggle to make them reality. Director Philllipe Noyce’s film The Rabbit-Proof Fence manifests the effects of interactions between indigenous Australians and English colonists, both attempting to control their societal and national identities through the care of their youth. Based on Doris Pilkington Garimara’s Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence, the film uncovers forgotten memories through a simple but mysterious glimpse into Aborigine (person with mixed aboriginal and white descent) children’s experience of forced separation from their families. In the story, three Aborigine girls escape on foot together from a sickening settlement, hoping to return home, 1500 miles away, safely. The film simplistically, but realistically, depicts the Aborigines as victims of a hypocritical government changing their future claiming to help them, but ultimately to change its own standing. The Rabbit Proof Fence communicates the importance of native rights, freedom, justice, voice, family, and home.
Australia has the terrible condition of having an essentially pointless and prefabricated idea of “Aussiness” that really has no relation to our real culture or the way in which we really see ourselves. We, however subscribe to these stereotypes when trying to find some expression of our Australian identity. The feature film, The Castle, deals with issues about Australian identity in the 1990’s. The film uses techniques like camera shots, language and the use of narration to develop conflict between a decent, old fashioned suburban family, the Kerrigans and an unscrupulous corporation called Airlink. Feature films like The Castle are cultural products because they use attitudes, values and stereotypes about what it means to be Australian.
Schepelern, Peter. "Film according to Dogma: Ground Rules, Obstacles, and Liberations." Transnational Cinema in a Global North. Eds. Andrew Nestingen and Trevor G. Elkington. Detroit: Wayne State Press, 2005: 73-107
Whether you have experienced a lot of traveling to other countries and continents or perhaps you have never left the East coast, it can be assumed; whether through school or a work environment, you have had at least one experience dealing with different nationalities and cultures. The realization is that we may come from different places and have different backgrounds but most people, cultures included, have more in common then we could imagine.
The movie depicts what it was like to be Australian in the decades of the 50’s and 60’s and the decisions of the Australian government over this period, through the journey of four Aboriginal women and one Irish man. The movie explores the treatment of indigenous people living in this era in comparison to white Australians. The unique ways in which the characters made their living provided for scrutiny, judgement and vulnerability. In the movie you see just how differently the Aboriginal community was treated compared to the white Australians during these era’s.
It is not uncommon for an individual to describe a culture that is not their own as exotic, unique, or dated. However, they would be overlooking the idea and importance of cultural relativism on a global scale. It is understandable that a cultural aspect, different from what an individual is used to interacting in, seems hard to understand or too complex to recognize, but it is important to look at one’s own culture and others from multiple angles. The lack of familiarity of another culture that often produces words like “exotic” can be put away with a proper amount of time researching, understanding, and appreciating the normal behavior of another culture. In the paper, I will discuss the concepts that go along with cultural relativism and relate these to the stories found in “Nest in the Wind” and examples from our current society.
Throughout both ‘Rainbow’s End’ and ‘The Rabbits’, the audience discovers the plights that the Aboriginal Australians faced, due to discrimination and assimilation, in intensely confronting, yet intensely meaningful ways. We see how the discrimination and forced assimilation of cultures was common in the lead up to modern times because of composers like Harrison, Marsden and Tan reminding us of these events, allowing us to discover and rediscover our past wrongs through their works, in order to pave the way for a brighter, harmonious future. Without these documentations and retellings of events such as these, history would repeat itself, conflicts would be more apparent and we as a species would not be able to thrive and prosper due to our prejudices and superiority complexes.
Crocodile Dundee (1986) directed by Peter Faiman and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) directed by Stephan Elliott are two Australian films that have unique plots. The expositions of both films have various similarities and differences in the context of quirky ‘Aussie’ characters, stereotypical Australian language, themes and the vast outback setting. The exposition of each film reaffirms typical Australian stereotypes.
Smoke Signals, directed by and starring Native people, ushered in the golden age of Aboriginal cinema. The story was not about what occurred one hundred years ago but about current-day “nativeness,” where there are no stereotypes and no stoic Indians.
Goodman, Ellen. “The Culture of Thin Bites Fiji”. Everything’s an Argument. 6th ed. Boston Bedford St. Martin’s, 2013. Print.
With the advent of television, films start progressing "by leaps and bounds." One kind of cinema is a documentary film. Thanks to the documentary film, which is simple, concise and understandable form, tell us about nature, culture, history and science, and replenished our "body of knowledge." This is the positive role of cinema in which the means of the common man gets a huge amount of information without losing its finding and processing of your precious time. It increases the overall level of culture. The story of “Australia” makes us closer to the problems of Australian native people, and still, it tells us a beautiful story of Australian people which would be erased if it had any other form except film.