Whale Rider DVD

 a must see!
i am not into movies too much, but this is one i would watch again........i am putting it in my small video collection so i will have it to view again and am reccomending it to all my family and friends
Submitted by donna11518 (new york, usa) 
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 The other New Zealand: tradition not fantasy
Whale Rider is a great story of a family caught between trying to preserve the rules of the Maori culture (New Zealand Polynesian culture) and modern society. The story is based on a family on the East Coast of the North Island, an area where some Maoris live a traditional way of life, and an elder concerned with who will take over his leadership. His some lives in Wellington with his non-Maori wife and has no interest in continuing the tradition; his teen aged daughter does, but in Maori culture, this is not a role for a woman to play. The challenges she faces in trying to assume this role is what the movie is about. It is both sad and funny as the two main characters try to resolve the issue. While this movie is about Maori culture, it could just as easily be about any traditional culture trying to come to terms with modern society whose rules or lack of rules flies in the face of many things that are considered important by the traditional group.
Submitted by sphennessey (Bristol, CT USA) 
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 A truly beautiful story!
This a a movie that is very enjoyable! The acting is great and, Keisha Castle-Hughes is really a wonderful little actress! You won't be able to stop the tears when she is on the stage during a school play. This is Based on the novel of the same name by Maori writer Witi Ihimaera, Whale Rider is a unique family drama directed Niki Caro. On the eastern coast of New Zealand, the Whangara people believe their ancestor Paikea was saved from drowning by riding home on the back of a whale. The tribal group has since granted leadership positions to the first-born males, believing them to be descendants of Paikea. This tradition is challenged when a young mother dies in childbirth along with her newborn male son. His twin sister manages to survive and the father (Cliff Curtis) runs off, overwhelmed with grief. The little girl, Pai (Keisha Castle-Hughes), is brought up by stubborn grandfather Koro (Rawiri Paratene) and gentle grandmother Nanny (Vicky Haughton). Koro, the chief of their tribe, is disappointed because Pai's twin brother was supposed to be the next leader. Trying to find the proper successor, he attempts to organize a leadership group amongst the local boys while Pai enlists the help of her has-been uncle Rawiri (Grant Roa) to teach herself the art of chiefdom. She appears to possess a natural leadership ability and adventurous spirit that draws her to the proliferation of her faltering tribe. This truly is a MUST OWN movie to be treasured!!
Submitted by a reviewer (Coventry, RI) 
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 Incredible tale amidst spectacular settings
Amidst beautiful settings a moving and inspiring tale. Pai does an incredible acting job. I would give it a 4.5
Submitted by a reviewer (Seattle, WA, USA) 
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