Indigenous Australians by examining the portrayal of Aboriginality by Indigenous and Non-Indigenous peoples through the use of Films. The films that were used for this study were Stephen Johnsons Yolngu Boy, Bruce Beresfords Fringe Dwellers and Rachel Perkins Radiance. Throughout the years many Australian films have been made depicting Aboriginal people and their Aboriginality. Three such films are Stephen Johnsons Yolngu Boy, Rachel Perkins, who is an Indigenous person, Radiance and Bruce Beresfords Fringe Dwellers. These three films all demonstrate differing portrayals of Aboriginality and the way in which it is presented. One element that notably affects the portrayal of Aboriginality is the era in which the films were made and if the film makers were Indigenous or non-Indigenous.
In Yolngu Boy, Aboriginality is presented in the forms of sacred ceremonies and the use of stereotypes. These stereotypes are portrayed through images of Botjs petrol sniffing incidents and the association between this substance abuse and his alcoholic father, who abandoned his traditional life and family and caused the family unit to break down. (Johnson: 2001) The use of traditional ceremonies and totemic symbols shows that Aboriginality is something that connects the films Aboriginal people to each other, their communities and country. In contrast Bruce Beresfords Fringe Dwellers has depicted Aboriginality in a more discriminative and negative way. He has portrayed Aboriginality as being an undesired element of European society. One who views Fringe Dwellers comes away with the impression that to be Aboriginal is to live in corrugated iron dwellings, squander money, be unreliable, and by living on the edge of town they are living on the outer edge of the main society (Beresford: 1986).
The Essay on Native American Women in Film
White directors have often steered clear of representing Native American women in film. They prefer to focus on the savage Indian man who battles the brave white man. Simply being a Native American woman, from the perspective of the white spectator, have been seen as contradictions. Motherhood and the care and responsibilities that the role entails humanizes Native Americans and makes their varied ...
Finally Rachel Perkins Radiance portrays Aboriginality as being bound by kinship and through the underlying political issues of her era. Her portrayal of Aboriginality is understood after the womens childhood house is burnt down; they appear to have released the ties that have bound them to secrets pertaining to their individual childhood memories.
The underlying political issues that show through in Perkins Aboriginality portrayal are those of Native title and Stolen generations. Rachel Perkins addresses these issues by demonstrating that Aboriginality is not where a person dwells or what their dwellings consist of, it is what the personal beliefs of the person are and their own bodily feelings or spiritual knowledge are. In Stephen Johnsons 2000 film Yolngu Boy, Aboriginality is primarily portrayed through the importance of traditional ceremonies and totems. However, this film also looks at the stereotypical view of Aboriginality, which is substance abuse and addiction, which takes the form of petrol sniffing. While the film does this, it is not in a discriminative or negative way, but rather as an insight to the turmoil that this addiction can bring to a person. Yolngu Boy has to work against the stereotypes that are formed when one mentions the word Aboriginal Film.
Australian films have become known for a narrow range of things: peoples, stereotypes, myths and settings. They are known as Outback types, freaks, Aboriginal peoples and convicts, (Anonymous 2001: murdoch.edu.au) Yolngu Boy avoids displaying the stereotypical images of the “primitive” Aborigine; or as Colin Johnson states, “The noble-savage, a stereotype familiar to us from Tarzan.” (Anonymous 2001: Part 1 Yolngu Boy: murdoch.edu.au) Yolngu Boy is set in contemporary Arnhem Land and whilst the boys may uphold traditional values, they are still in the present as they wear modern clothing and use mainstream products( Johnson:2001).
Yolngu Boy highlights the inter-relation of two cultures in one country and does not play upon the stereotypes that are evident in a lot of films that feature Aborigines. Although the film does not use a lot of typical stereotypes, there are still some that are portrayed and these portrayals of Aboriginality are presented in the forms of substance abuse, alcoholism, crime, family breakdown and Europeanization. Substance abuse is portrayed in the film through images of Botjs petrol sniffing incidents.(Johnson:2001) The viewer also witnesses the distrust and disappointment felt by the Elders as to his trustworthiness and his ability to follow traditional pathways, especially as he has been in the European jail system. Although Botj is now viewed as a bad influence on his childhood friends Lorrpu and Milika, Lorrpu believes that because they share the same totemic symbol that Botj can be brought back to his place within the community. Throughout the film Lorrpu is continually having flash backs to their boyhood initiation ceremony, Lorrpu continually refers to the three boys as having the same totemic symbol Baru, which is what binds them together.
The Review on Representations of the Black Male in Film
A systematic exclusion of black people from the production, distribution, and exhibition of film exists in Hollywood. This "system" is white America's continuing subversion of a whole race that has existed since the first slave was dragged from African soil and put to work on an American plantation. In these "politically correct" times the system is not an overt racist activity. Rather, it is more ...
They were three boys with three bodies, joined by one skin and one blood. (Johnson: 2001) Lorrpu believes that by taking Botj on a journey using only traditional methods of survival that he can be healed and accepted back into his community, he will once again be guided by his totem Baru. Through the allowing of the use of traditional ceremonies, Lorrpus body art and the portrayal of traditional hunting, clothing and weaponry Johnson has portrayed Aboriginality in a typical stereotypical way. This portrayal shows that Aboriginality is something that something that is with a person from birth to death and no matter how much westernization or europeanisation is seeped into a community this Aboriginality can not be broken or changed. Although Stephen Johnson is a non-indigenous filmmaker, he had an indigenous film crew, whom he collaborated with and was therefore able to reveal to the audience that Aboriginality is something that truly cannot be stereotyped, that it is something that is sacred and that Aboriginality is an individual entity. Europeanization is an underlying factor within the film. It is evident in every scene as the majority of the dialogue is in English; as Johnson felt that this would be encourage more non-indigenous people to view the film. Through the use of two differing cultures the filmmaker has revealed to the viewer that there are two forms of Aboriginality.
The Term Paper on What defines the tone of a literary text, and how can this be translated into film?
The tone of a literary text is often particularly one-dimensional. Unless other characters’ viewpoints are presented, the narrator and his or her point of view that is consistently revealed throughout the book, define the tone. The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith is no exception. Although the main protagonist, Tom Ripley, does not narrate, the narration is only ever filtered through Tom ...
One form is a learnt prejudice and a fear of the truth, the other is an understanding and a willingness to be taught or to learn about different races and their beliefs. Even though the film was produced by a non-indigenous person, he attempts to educate the viewer to the traditional meaning of Aboriginality and perhaps without his collaboration with Aboriginal Elders this film may have had a totally different Aboriginality perspective. In contrast to Yolngu Boy, Bruce Beresfords Fringe Dwellers has depicted Aboriginality in a more discriminative and negative way. Beresford has directed the movie in such a way that Aboriginality is highlighted as being an undesired element of European society. In a society, people who are seen to be unreliable, unemployed, gamblers or poor are often outcaste to live on the outer edges of the main society and, although they are part of the society, they never truly fit in. Beresford appears to use all these negative traits when portraying Aboriginality. One who views Fringe Dwellers comes away with the impression that to be Aboriginal is to live in corrugated iron dwellings, squander money, be unreliable, and by living on the edge of town they are living on the outer edge of the main society.
(Beresford: 1986) Aboriginality in this film is portrayed as an undesirable element of the wider European community. Trilby Comeaway, an Aboriginal girl that the film is based around, appears to want to distance herself and her family from the edge of society. It is clear to the viewer that Trilby Comeaway cannot wait to assimilate and become accepted into the white part of towns community as a person, and not just another Aboriginal. This is evident when Trilby states that she does not wish to end up like others, get married live in some humpy by the river or some place full of relations, or living in shearers quarters where she is just one of the black wives with dirty snotty nosed children running around with no pants. (Beresford: 1986) Although Bruce Beresford is a non-indigenous filmmaker and claims to fight against prejudice, he portrayed Aboriginality in Australia from the mainstream discriminative political and societal attitudes of the era. By making the character Trilby say this statement about Aboriginality, Beresford demonstrates that even Aboriginal people sometimes see themselves as outcastes and undesirables within not only their own community but also the wider community. Although this is a film about Aboriginal people living and surviving on the edge of society, Beresford has been influenced about his portrayal of Aboriginality by strong societal influences of his era.
The Essay on How Women are portrayed in society and how sexism plays a role
Sexism may be defined as a negative response to a threat that is either real or imagined. In society today sexism plays a major role in terms of image, reputations, and perceptions of how women are portrayed in the media and life in general. The media relatively plays an influential role in sexism against women since the media has predetermined standards of what women should be like. Women base ...
These Influences focused on assimilation, and trying to conform to a way of life that is different, and which places different ideals and expectations on its members. Rachel Perkins Radiance portrays Aboriginality as being children from the stolen generations, abuse, mixed relationships, secrecy and kinship ties. These chosen Aboriginality traits appear in the film only after the death of the three womens mother. Each womans experience then adds together to build up a portrayal of their childhood experiences. Aboriginality is portrayed as being kinship ties, the link between members of a family, and the known boundaries that hold this group together. Cressys Aboriginality is developed through her experience of being subjected to the violence brought to and upon her by her mothers many boyfriends, one who attacks Cressy and thus a child is conceived. (Perkins: 1997) Cressys Aboriginality is also defined by her being part of the stolen generation as does her second sister Mae. Maes Aboriginality is portrayed as being the one that has had to give up her valued job and suffer the discrimination of the tows people because of her mothers senility. Like Cressy, her Aboriginality has been molded by her unwilling participation in the stolen generation.
Then finally Nonas Aboriginality has been molded by the secrecy of her biological mothers abuse and the torment which faced her, bringing a child into the world at age 12. Her Aboriginality touches on the belief that Aboriginals are connected to their birth country by ties that can not be broken even in death. (Perkins: 1997) Rachel Perkins reflects the Aboriginal Political activists environment that she was surrounded by as a child and the political attitudes of the era. Land rights were and are a strong influence of the time, she portrays Aboriginality from the perspective of being Aboriginal. Even though Rachel has been surrounded by stereotypical accounts of Aboriginality, she did not choose to follow this path and make just another Aboriginal film. In conclusion, the portrayal of Aboriginality is not something that can be portrayed by either indigenous or non-indigenous film makers; it is a belief, a feeling and a connection with something spiritual that can not be outwardly seen.
The Essay on Film Analysis Of Braveheart
The world has been plagued with inequality issues since the beginning of time. The film Braveheart portrays this issue magnificently. Braveheart, directed by Mel Gibson, was released in 1995 and since then has won a total of 5 Academy Awards including Best Picture 1995 and Best Director Mel Gibson. Based on true history, Braveheart takes place in the late 13th Century in Scotland. William Wallace ...
Movies such as Yolngu Boy, Radiance and Fringe Dwellers help the viewers realise their stereotypical views of Aboriginality are not correct and that they are demeaning to Indigenous Australians. As people become more educated in the field of Aboriginal culture, beliefs and things are revealed that have been kept sacred, there may be more film makers trying to persuade people within the wider community to change their perspective of just what Aboriginality means to Indigenous Australians. Reference List Videos: Fringe Dwellers (1986), Curgon: Yarra Bank Films,VHS, 98 minutes Radiance (1997), Queensland: Australian Film Commission, VHS, 80 minutes. Yolngu Boy (2001), Arnham Land: Burrundi Pictures, VHS, 88 minutes. Internet Resources: Anonymous. (2001) Part 1 Yolngu Boy [web page] http://wwwmcc. /ReadingRoom/film/dbase/2001/yolngu.html, date accessed: (20/03/2005) Spark, Ceridwen. Reading Radiance: the politics of a good story, Australian 2003 Screen Education, [web page] http://articles.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi mOPEI/is 32/ai 108551751, date accessed (19/03/2005).
