Coming-Of-Age Cinema in New Zealand : Genre, Gender and Adaptation in a National Cinema

This Is The First Book To Investigate The Coming-of-age Genre As A Significant Phenomenon In New Zealand's National Cinema, Tracing Its Development And Elucidating Its Role In Cultural Change. With Chapters On Landmark Films Like An Angel At My Table, Heavenly Creatures, Once Were Warriors And Boy, This Book Explores The Influence Of The French New Wave And European Art Cinema, And Examines The Dialogue Between National Cinema And A Nation's Literature. Looking At The Characteristics Of An Indigenous Fourth Cinema, As Well As Different Perspectives On Gendered And Sexual Identities, Coming-of-age Cinema In New Zealand Considers The Evidence That These Films Provide Of Significant Cultural Shifts That Have Taken Place Or Are In The Process Of Taking Place As New Zealanders' Discover Their Emerging National Identity. The Coming-of-age Film As A Genre: Attributes, Evolution, And Functions -- New Zealand Coming-of-age Films: Distinctive Characteristics And Thematic Preoccupations -- The Formation Of A Budding Man Alone: The God Boy (murray Reece, 1976) -- An Angry Young Man Seeks To Justify Himself: Sleeping Dogs (ian Donaldson, 1977) -- An Immigrant Filmmaker Substitutes An Alternative Vision Of Adolescence: The Scarecrow Man (sam Pillsbury, 1982) -- Art-cinema, Cultural Dislocation, And The Entry Into Puberty: Vigil (vincent Ward, 1984) -- A Māori Girl Watches, Listens, And Learns - Coming Of Age From An Indigenous Viewpoint: Mauri (merata Mita, 1988) -- Creativity As A Haven: An Angel At My Table (jane Campion, 1990) -- Desperation Turned Outwards: Heavenly Creatures (peter Jackson, 1994) -- Confronting Domestic Violence And Familial Abuse: Once Were Warriors (lee Tamahori, 1994) -- An Adolescent Girl Experiments With Sexuality: Rain (christine Jeffs, 2001) -- Asserting Feminist Claims Within Māori Culture: Whale Rider (nicki Caro, 2002) -- Family Secrets And Their Destructive Consequences: In My Father's Den (brad Mcgann, 2004) -- A Gay Boy Comes To Terms With His Sexuality: 50 Ways Of Saying Fabulous (stewart Main, 2005) -- Parental Abandonment And The Trauma Of Loss: Boy (taika Waititi, 2010) -- A Māori Boy Contests The Old Patriarchal Order: Mahana (lee Tamahori, 2016) -- Delinquency And Bicultural Relations: Hunt For The Wilderpeople (taika Waititi, 2016). Alistair Fox. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 235-239) And Index. Examines the coming-of-age genre - its themes, stylistic characteristics and cultural function in New Zealand's national cinemaThis is the first book to investigate the coming-of-age genre as a significant phenomenon in New Zealand's national cinema, tracing its development and elucidating its role in cultural change. With chapters on landmark films like An Angel at My Table, Heavenly Creatures, Once Were Warriors and Boy, this book explores the influence of the French New Wave and European art cinema, and examines the dialogue between national cinema and a nation's literature. Looking at the characteristics of an indigenous "Fourth Cinema," as well as different perspectives on gendered and sexual identities, Coming-of-Age Cinema in New Zealand considers the evidence that these films provide of significant cultural shifts that have taken place or are in the process of taking place as New Zealanders' discover their emerging national identity.Case studies include:The God Boy (Murray Reece, 1976)Sleeping Dogs (Roger Donaldson, 1977)The Scarecrow (Sam Pillsbury, 1982)Vigil (Vincent Ward, 1984)Mauri (Merata Mita, 1988)An Angel at My Table (Jane Campion, 1990)Heavenly Creatures (Peter Jackson, 1994)Once Were Warriors (Lee Tamahori, 1994)Rain (Christine Jeffs, 2001)Whale Rider (Niki Caro, 2002)In My Father's Den (Brad McGann, 2004)50 Ways of Saying Fabulous (Stewart Main, 2005)Boy (Taika Waititi, 2010)Mahana (Lee Tamahori, 2016)Hunt for the Wilderpeople (Taika Waititi, 2016)