Film

According to Patricia Grace books are dangerous if they do not reinforce values, actions culture, identity and if they include stories about a group or people that are “untrue” or are negative and insensitive. New Zealand made or set films such as Jane Campion’s The Piano reveal that Graces theory is considerably accurate as The Piano lacks the reinforcement of Maori values, actions, culture and identity and portray Maori men as simple, sexually focused, playful and are to provide helpful assistance to Pakeha.

The Piano also portrayed a social hierarchy with Pakeha at the top culturally, in terms of wealth, intelligence and authority while Maori were place at the bottom being culturally primitive, and made to provide physical labour for Pakeha. Themes such as these are degrading to Maori and slow the process of decolonisation by reasserting the assumptions of colonisation.

Pihama states that New Zealand films are constructed and controlled by the colonial gaze are dangerous for Maori people. Looking at The Piano shows that Pihama’s argument seems to have considerable weight due to inaccurate portrayal and stereotyping of Maori.

Another problem with movies that stereotype Maori is that Maori are cast as being all the same regardless of the fact that Maori have distinctive Iwi, dialects, ancestors and beliefs while also sharing some similar qualities. People overseas may see a movie such as The Piano and may view the stereotypes that are assigned to Maori as a collective identity for Maori as a whole which is damaging to Maori image and identity. A possible solution may be that film writers and directors should be required by some form of policy that ensures that the Iwi(s) that are being portrayed have a sufficient level of involvement (with that level to be determined by Iwi themselves) in relation to the portrayal of their respective images. Further problems may arise in a sense that film writers and directors may find it difficult identifying the appropriate Iwi leaders or Kaumatua for consultation purposes but in contrast to this, the large budgets and lengthy periods involved in film making should also allocate the time and resources needed to meet with the appropriate Iwi leaders as it is they who own and will be reflected through those images. Maori images in all audio visual media should be held with deep understanding and value due however film writers continue to fail achieving these ends.

In the film The Piano Stuart is the villainous character which may represent the negative side of colonialism and the arrival of Pakeha however, Baines character can also be viewed as the film writers efforts to show that “hey, colonialisms not so bad, some Pakeha also embrace Maori qualities and sympathise with Maori”. Additionally Dyson views Baines partial moko in a positive light however, Pihama rejects this notion and claims that is an example of the appropriation of Maori identity. I agree with Pihama as it seems that mainstream film writers such as Campion believe that they can borrow cultural material such as the Maori moko without seeking permission from the appropriate Iwi that they are borrowing from again revealing the hegemonic mind frame that mainstream film writers and directors operate from.

Only one of the Maori characters is identified with a name which also demonstrates the inequalities of colonial discourse with a colonial character having control over giving Maori characters the ‘privilege’ of being identified by name demonstrating the significance of decolonisation for Maori.