Whale Rider [15th Anniversary Edition] [Blu-ray]

Director: Niki Caro Niki Caro

Overview

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. Whale Rider premiered at the 2002 Toronto International Film Festival and won the World Cinema Audience Award.

Product Details

Release Date:	08/22/2017
UPC:	0826663178630
Original Release:	2002
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	Shout Factory
Region Code:	A
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	1:41:00
Sales rank:	14,080

Special Features

Director Commentary; Te Waka: Building The Canoe" Featurette; "Behind-the-Scenes Of Whale Rider"; Deleted Scenes With Optional Commentary ; Poster Art and Photo Gallery

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Keisha Castle-Hughes	Paikea 'Pai' Apirana
Rawiri Paratene	Koro
Vicky Haughton	Nanny Flowers
Cliff Curtis	Porourangi
Grant Roa	Uncle Rawiri
Mana Taumaunu	Hemi,Fisherman
Rachel House	Shilo
Taungaroa Emile	Willie
Tammy Davis	Dog,Maui
Mabel Wharekawa	Maka
Rawinia Clarke	Miro
Tahei Simpson	Miss Parata
Roi Taimana	Rewi
Elizabeth Skeen	Rehua
Tyronne White	Jake
Taupua Whakataka-Brightwell	Ropata
Tenia McClutchie-Mita	Wiremu
Peter Patuwai	Bubba
Rutene Spooner	Parekura
Apiata Whangaparita-Apanui	Henare
John Sumner	Obstetrician
Sam Woods	Young Rawiri
Pura Tangira	Driver
Jane O'Kane	Anne
Lisa Gerrard	Composer

Technical Credits

Niki Caro

Niki Caro	Director,Screenwriter
John Barnett	Producer
Bill Gavin	Executive Producer
Linda Goldstein Knowlton	Executive Producer
Charlie McClellan	Special Effects
Diana Rowan	Casting
Tim Sanders	Producer
Frank Hübner	Producer
Mark Harris	Stunts
Chris Burt	Sound Effects
Dave Madigan	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Add this uplifting triumph to the shortlist of films that arrive from overseas -- in this case, New Zealand -- take audiences by surprise, and upend conventional Hollywood wisdom in the process. The recipient of standing ovations and audience awards on the film festival circuit, Whale Rider met with rapturous critical acclaim, generated glowing word-of-mouth buzz, and became the serious filmgoer’s alternative to the summer blockbusters of 2003. Based on the novel by Witi Ihimaera and inspired by an ancient Maori tribal legend, this empowering and unsentimental story stars Keisha Castle Hughes as Pai, a 12-year-old girl who will discover in the course of the story "who she is and who she is meant to be." Legend has it that her tribe's founder arrived in her fishing village on the back of a whale. Since then, the firstborn male of every generation has taken on the role of leader. Pai's twin brother would have been designated as the next chief, but he died shortly after his birth, as did the twins' mother. Pai's father, an artist, then abandoned her, after which she was raised by a distant, tradition-bound grandfather who refused to allow her to be "taught in the old ways." Suddenly, a school of beached whales offers Pai the opportunity to fulfill her destiny. Though the characters' accents and the wrenching opening scenes may be initially off-putting, this is a whale of a tale that refreshingly finds girl power in the qualities of courage, intelligence, leadership, and respect for one's culture.