The scene in Once Were Warriors that is most relevant to national identities is the one in which the family mourns Grace's death. This scene begins with the family entering what I assume to be tribal lands, in a slow procession. The procession is accompanied by the singing of a group of native young men. The family then gathers around Grace's body, which is covered in Maori blankets and clothes, to grieve. They speak majorly in English as they talk about Grace and how they will miss her. The audience perceives that the remaining members of the family have become closer because of the tragedy. This series of shots combines the traditions of the Maori tribe and also the Anglo traditions of talking, in English, about the person.
The Anglo identity becomes much more prevalent in the next series of shots. The family, sans Jake and Grace, sit down to a meal when Beth commands them to "say grace" before eating. This tradition is entirely an Anglo one and shows how the family has somewhat integrated into Anglo society. However, the misunderstanding of one of the younger children proves that they have not been wholly integrated. After Beth says "say grace," he calls out to his dead sister, "Grace!" This particular scene is ironic to me because it shows the family's most Anglo moment and yet quickly develops into the moment when Beth officially decides to move them all back to Maori lands, back to their roots, and therefore leave her husband. She finally recognizes that the struggle between the two identities is too hard to endure and picks the one with which she is more familiar.
Lauren Hamilton
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A good point about the movie. I was expecting a bit more in the terms of analysis (besides the end of it). Maybe next time you could hit upon a few more points, or maybe talk more about a general theme? I'm also unsure as to whether there should be a short synopsis, but I've seen the movie, so it doesn't really bother me. :)
ReplyDeleteI agree, though. I think the strongest message in this film is one of cultural identity. You've noticed a few things about the Anglo tradition that I haven't, which was great to read on and reflect on. I do think, though, that your second paragraph is the stronger one. It seems to have more substance.
This is a very good analysis of the ending scene, but it fails to review the film as a whole.
ReplyDeleteGood analysis of the theme, but this belongs in the forum. This is not a review.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the scenes you mention are relevant to national identities, but in addition to explaining which parts are relevant, you should also explain how they are relevant. Personally, my argument would be that cultures all over the world are assimilating others as they mix, and these scenes are relevant examples of this trend.
ReplyDeleteI like your analysis towards the end about the merge between Maori and Anglo culture and how the Maori's have adopted some aspects of the Anglo culture. However, I think you can expound on this idea and have a more complete review.
ReplyDeleteYou could have hit on the issue of identity a bit more. One cool thing I noticed about the this topic was that Nig, the oldest son, only had tattoos on one side of his face; this symbolized how he accepted the traditional Maori ancestry inherited form his mother while he rejects his father.
ReplyDeleteI agree with most of your analysis except for one aspect. I believe they didn't choose English as the main language of the film to show their Anglo identity, but they choose English because it is more easily accepted in the world market.
ReplyDelete-David Brown-