River Queen (2005)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Vincent Ward

Writers:

Vincent Ward (story)
Vincent Ward (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

26 January 2006 (New Zealand)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama

Tagline:

With darkness all around, only the heart can see.

Plot:

An intimate story set during the 1860s in which a young Irish woman Sarah and her family find themselves on both sides of the turbulent wars between British and Maori during the British colonization of New Zealand. |

Plot Keywords:

Maori | Irish | Colonization | New Zealand | Period Piece

Awards:

3 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Samantha Morton	...	Sarah O'Brien
Kiefer Sutherland	...	Doyle
Cliff Curtis	...	Wiremu
Temuera Morrison	...	Te Kai Po
Anton Lesser	...	Baine
Rawiri Pene	...	Boy
Stephen Rea	...	Francis
Wi Kuki Kaa	...	Old Rangi
Mark Ruka	...	Hone
Tyson Reweti	...	Tommy Boy
Grayson Putu	...	Young Wiremu
Nathan Passfield	...	Boy (7) Years
Laura Coyte Douglas	...	Theresa
Julie Ranginui	...	Old Puhi
Brandon Lakshman	...	Timoti

MPAA:

Rated R for violent and sexual content.

Runtime:

Canada:114 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

New Zealand | UK

Language:

English | Maori

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:M (re-rating on appeal) | Australia:MA (original rating) | Singapore:M18 | UK:15 (theatrical) | Finland:K-15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Manganuioteao River, Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand

Company:

Silverscreen Films

Trivia:

Production on the film was halted for several weeks after Samantha Morton fell sick.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The movie is set in the 1860s, but the lyrics to "Danny Boy" as used in the film were written by Fred Weatherly in 1911.

A wonderful story with too many facets.

Peter Thompson, on this morning's Sunday show, gave River Queen a very favorable review; the review's timing was perfect because last evening Diane and I watched this new Kiwi film and drove home with mixed feelings about what we had just seen.

Thompson's reviews are usually spot-on for us but in this instance we are still not sure. Yes, Vincent Ward's story was superb: huge amounts of recognizable human drama, multidimensional characters, a gigantic historical background and everything framed by New Zealand's natural beauty. Vincent's direction accentuated each of these elements; he made great use of the land's physical beauty as well as the beauty and uniqueness of the individual Maori people. This last comment will take on meaning with the watching of the film because certain Maori characteristics play a huge visual as well as plot role in the film-perhaps unexpectedly for some viewers more than others. Alun Bollinger's cinematography beautifully captures Ward's shot selection; it is impossible to leave the theater and not have been captivated by the physical beauty of the New Zealand landscape.

I think the question must be asked: If I thought the film was so good, why did I only give it a rating of eight? The answer goes to the heart of why Diane and I were both uncomfortable with this superficially great film and that lies in the script, the third leg of Vincent's stool. We both thought the script was overly choppy; there were too many small pieces of story stitched together. I thought the film was too jumpy and that resulted in my concentration moving too quickly from one scene to another. I suppose that is just a matter of cinematic taste particular to one person and should not be used to paint an entire film.

River Queen is definitely worth seeing. The subject matter alone is worth the effort, with excellent acting by all concerned and magnificent scenery beautifully captured in thee film. The film must indeed be judged highly.