Ten Canoes details
| Format: | 15 DVD |
|---|---|
| Starring: | Crusoe Kurddal, Jamie Gulpilil, Richard Birrinbirrin, Peter Djigirr, Peter Minygululu, Frances Djulibing, David Gulpilil, Johnny Buniyira |
| Directors: | Rolf de Heer, Peter Djigirr |
| Genres: | Action/Adventure - War, Drama - War |
| Studio: | UNIVERSAL |
| Name | Discs | |
|---|---|---|
Ten Canoes |
15 Feature |
DVD Information
| Run time: | 1 hour 28 minutes |
|---|---|
| Rental release: | 24 Sep 2007 |
| Main languages: | Aboriginal |
Write your own review
Most helpful review
Visit to another world
By IanStewart (129 reviews) from Melton Mowbray , 26 Nov 2007[Highly rated reviewer]
This film gives a fascinating glimpse into a culture that is vastly different from our own - literally, 'another world'. Yet at the same time, the characters in the film come to life as real people, and one of the film's messages is that at all times and cultures, humans share common motives, wants and feelings. The Aboriginals in the story, including the ones who lived a thousand years ago, have a robust sense of humour and spend quite a lot of time laughing - at the same kinds of things that today's lads would laugh at. ('I won't walk at the back of this line any more'. 'Why?' 'Someone keeps on farting').
The structure of the screenplay is complex - it's a story within a story, within a story (the storyteller speaks in the 'now', and tells a story about his ancestors of several hundred years ago; one of them in turn tells a story to a younger guy, about some even more remote ancestors who lived .... who knows how many thousand years ago?) On top of that, some of the sequences are of imagined events, seen from different people's perspectives (same idea as in 'Rashomon'). Given this complexity, Rolf de Heer manages to tell the tale with great clarity. He uses colour-coding very interestingly to help this along: full colour for here-and-now and the way-back-then, black and white for the more recent lot of ancestors, and a kind of faded-out colour to signal imagined events.
Like some other reviewers, I'd suggest that you view the 'extra features' before the main movie. I found it useful to do this, because the interviews with de Heer and his Aboriginal colleagues helped me understand some of the motivations and story twists that I think would otherwise have been very obscure.
Overall, I'd say this is one to buy and to watch over and over again.- Was this review helpful to you?
- (39) Yes |
- No (4)
All reviews
(65)Awful attempt at a different angle on a film.
By uniqueness (77 reviews) from Glasgow , 12 Apr 2013Heard a lot of positive reviews about this film. After 30 mins couldn't understand if i was watching the same film. It appears the makers think that if you add a beautiful location, through in some aboriginal Australians, then ruin the film by having them talk about farting jokes, fancying your brothers wife and how impotent their friend is, that they'd come up with a winning script. Well, for me it was inane, tedious, childish and very dull. And please do not rent this with your girlfriend on a saturday night, because i imagine she will end up killing you with the DVD if you try to subject her to this rubbish! Nice try at a different movie, but the writers should have moved in a different direction. Not sure what they thought they were doing with the childish jokes. Maybe they thought this would grab the attention of a Western audience. And going by the positive reviews, it appears as though they were correct. However, if you really want to watch this, as i did, try to stick past the 30 minute mark and if you are enjoying it up to then, then keep going as not all minds think the same.- Was this review helpful to you?
- (0) Yes |
- No (0)
Worst Film Ever
By a customer , 10 Oct 2011This is by far thee worst film i have seen for a long time. It was not what i expected at all, the fact it had subtitles says alot! It was boring, i even considered turning it off but i kept telling myself it will get better ... won't it? No , it didn't, instead i just wasted almost 2 hours of my life that i cannot get back. I guess it might be to some peoples taste but definatly not one for me.- Was this review helpful to you?
- (0) Yes |
- No (29)
Ten canoes - what a gem
By a customer , 02 May 2011Anthropology at its best. This movies sees things from the perspective of the people in it and not from a distance. Fabulous cinematograpghy and worth seeing from every angle. Might learn something here...- Was this review helpful to you?
- (3) Yes |
- No (0)
Stories from the Dreamtime
By Leni (179 reviews) from London , 21 Nov 2010In a world where small things are important and little changes from generation to generation, then language and stories are the connective tissue - between the young and the old, the living and the ancestors. A voice (David Gulpilil, the young aboriginal lad in Walkabout) is telling a story (his story) about his people, He refers back to the time of the ancestors, where a young man has sexual longings for his older brother's youngest wife. To help him understand what is happening, the older brother tells him a story of his ancestors. Therefore the film runs in parallel on three layers of time. It may be helpful to understand the colour codings involved - the present is in colour, the time of the ancestors is in black and white, and the time of the ancestors' ancestors is in colour. I watched it twice - it is about time.- Was this review helpful to you?
- (2) Yes |
- No (0)
Unusual Film
By SallyJoF (10 reviews) from S.E. England , 23 Jul 2010I really enjoyed the storytelling style of this film. If you're looking for a Hollywood styled production then it might not be the right film for you. But if you want something different, with a strong cultural edge and a good story then you might really enjoy this film.- Was this review helpful to you?
- (1) Yes |
- No (0)
