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"Whale Rider" - anybody seen this film?


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I have seen it. It's a visually beautiful film about a young girl who is the obvious choice to become the next leader of her people but is denied the opportunity to learn important skills due to her sex. Naturally she overcomes all odds and succeeds by the end. The only drawback in my opinion is the New Zealand accent, which takes some getting used to. I would recommend it.

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Hey, thanks for seconding the recommendation! Somehow this film just slipped right by me when it came out.

Any ideas on films portraying a "patrol size" grouping of girls or women accomplishing a goal together?

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The Wizard of Oz - Dorothy shows leadership as she takes a guy with no brains, one with no heart and one with no courage and melds them into an effective team that successfully accomplishes its mission. The team succeeds only after they stop blaming others for their problems, and start taking responsibility for their own destinies.

 

Quoted from a website...whaddya think?

Anne in Mpls

 

 

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I'll inject a review from the Y-chromosome perspective. I saw it back when it first came out and liked it very much. I was sorry that the competition was so stiff at the Academy Awards, the film should have received more recognition. I would think it would be great for Girl Scouts.

 

There are a couple of true-life stories that I know of that have been made into films and a couple that I wish would be made into films.

One of the former is 'Out of Africa' but perhaps too mature for the girls, I'm not sure.

The latter would be a film about the life of Margaret Murie from her book "Two in the Far North". Now she REALLY had an adventure. Come to think of it, the girls would probably benefit from reading a book from time to time as well.

 

Edited part: About "The Wizard of Oz", that's one of my favorites too. My dedication at the front of my dissertation is a quote, from near the end of the film, by the Wizard to the Scarecrow,

 

"...Back where I come from we have universities, seats of great learning -- where men go to become great thinkers. And when they come out, they think deep thoughts -- and with no more brains than you have.... But! They have one thing you haven't got! A diploma!"

 

I sort of thought it fit the occasion.

(This message has been edited by packsaddle)

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Whale rider is a great movie. Our troop had done new Zealand one year for our Tasting Tea event, so the movie was quite interesting in that it showed more about the Maori people. The girl who played the lead role was excellent.

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There are many examples, good and bad, of leadership and self-deception in the film. So many, in fact, that the girls may need a little help keeping track. But the story line is so easy that it helps resolve things. The main thing is to follow the main characters who accept different roles of leadership and also the sibling-rivalry aspect and its destructive element. There are many lessons buried in the story. Hope this helps.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I bought the DVD (looking back, should have bought the video - our camps have VCRs, not DVDs!)

 

It is a fabulous film - no argument from me! I

m still looking for something portraying *girls working together* - so far every film that's been recommended to me has been about one girl standing alone - certainly worthwhile and an honorable message, but I'm still looking for something portraying that patrol-size grouping...

 

The search continues....

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At the risk of getting something thrown at me....

 

How about the movie about Girl Scouting in Hollywood, you know, where the leader takes them all shopping?

 

Just a joke, y'all.

 

Or how about the Xena movies where the Amazons get together..

 

I'll shut up now.

 

BD

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Big Dog, you mean Troop Beverly Hills, actually it isnt bad if you look past some of the insipidness. They do manage to win the competition even after doing the right thing by transporting the evil leader of the other troop. But somehow, I dont think thats what Anne is looking for. What about the movie about the girl surfer? I dont know anything much about it other than the song "I feel so alive" came from it and the scene where she is dragging weight across the ocean floor just holding her breath.

 

The original movie Parent Trap with Haley Mills may be worth a look. I mean at the end, the twins really work together. (plus I had a huge crush on Haley Mills)

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