River Queen -
2005
Silverscrren Films/The Film Consortium - 109 min.DVD UPC # 9321337065823; 9321337065825; 871304521221
Cast: Samantha Morton, Kiefer Sutherland, Cliff Curtis, Temuera Morrison, Anton Lesser, Rawiri Pene, Stephen Rea, Wi Kuki Kaa;
Screenplay: Vincent Ward, Toa Fraser; Director of Photography: Alun Bollinger; Visual Effects Supervisor: George Port ; Music: Karl Jenkins; Editing: Ewa J. Lind; Costume Design: Barbara Darragh; Production Design: Rick Kofoed; Producers: Chris Auty, Don Reynolds; Director: Vincent Ward.
This historical drama, set in 1860s New Zealand, focuses on the Whanganui River valley and an Irish settler's seven year effort in trying to find her son, kidnapped by his Maori grandfather. All the while, colonials and Maori are engaged in guerrilla-style warfare. This is probably Ward's best film to date and probably the best Maori themed film yet made. The settings and photography are worth viewing, even though the film is not perfect. I was left with the feeling that some further improvements were needed with editing. But given the production problems, there may have been some filming needs that were not fulfilled. Very much worth seeing.
Censor Rating: M - Review rating: B
