The Sopphires Analysis

Critique 1:
‘The Sapphires’ – Wayne Blair

The Sapphires directed by Wayne Blair, was a film set in the Cummeragunja mission settlement on the banks of the Murray river in 1969. A true story at its core, ‘The Sapphires’ was adapted from Tony Brigg’s stage play, inspired by his own mother’s experiences as a young Aboriginal teenager in Vietnam.

This powerful film takes us on a journey through the eyes and hearts of four young girls from the Yorta Yorta community. Cynthia, Julie, Gail and Kay shared a love of singing, before Kay was taken away by the government and placed in an institution to learn the ‘the white ways’. The four girls reunited as adults to embark on their own journey through Vietnam, singing as an all Aboriginal girl group

(Australian Institute of Family Studies, 2016). As a Pre-Service Teacher specialising in Early Childhood Education, it is imperative to understand how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities were treated in the past and the impact that this may have on Indigenous families in the

He takes the children on a journey, cleverly integrating Indigenous culture into the experience by telling stories that relate to the food the boys are served. With crocodile pizza and honey milkshakes, he tells the stories of the young boy who went hunting in the wrong waterhole and the discovery of the stinging bees, followed by spiritual dances.

The story explores many vital concepts accompanied by beautiful illustrations. I felt a strong sense of cultural understanding, spirituality and connection to family and land as though I was on this journey too. I could sense an underlying meaning in each dance, holding great importance to Bertie’s family and a strong connection to their culture. Pryor has attempted to fuse the then and now, by speaking of changes in the land, from a once spiritual gathering place, to a now busy town street where through food, they keep the culture alive (Pryor, 2010).

Shake a leg is a wonderful early childhood teaching resource, that engages children of varying ages, allowing them to explore aboriginal culture and gain insight into Aboriginal