The representation of women with a distinct focus on the main character Beth Heke in the movie "Once were warriors"

Table of contents

1. Introduction

2. Portrayal of characters connected to their development in the movie
2.1 Beth Heke
2.2 Jake
2.3 Grace

3. The Tradition of Māori warriors

4. Duff's intention-conclusion

5. Bibliography

1. Introduction

New Zealand 'The Wonder Country' that is the title of Margaret McClure's book published in Auckland 2004. In her book McClure describes the fascinating landmarks and tourist sites of New Zealand.

In contrast to that Lee Tamahori designs a rather sober picture of New Zealand and its aboriginal citizens or descendants, the Māori, with his film adaption of Allan Duff's Once Were Warriors. Tamahori was criticised for "the atonal colouring and orange lighting, designed to show the city as it looks under sodium lighting".^[1] It was claimed that the impression of an "inappropriate romantic look" would arise.^[2] Already in 1990 Duff's novel was traded as highly controversial and bestselling. Tamahoris adaption of this novel won more than 15 international film awards. Although all actors come from backgrounds that are at least part Māori and absolutely unkown the movie brought in more than 6 million Dollars.^[3] The setting of this sociocritical drama is the council estate Pine Blocks, on the periphery of Auckland at the end of the eighties. The first shot shows an idealistic extensive hilly landscape with a lake in the foreground and a deep blue sky with some fair-weather clouds. Just a moment later the camera shifts from this road sign to a multilane highway next to the shabby and dull district the Hekes live in. Just like the district the Hekes live in with their five children, their lives are far from being fortunate or acceptable.

The seven-man family is about to collapse since the father Jake "The Muss" Heke is alcohol addicted and has once again lost his job at the beginning of the movie. For eighteen years he has been constantly beating up his wife Beth Heke when he is drunk. Although the two youngest children seem to be untouched by the miserable family background, the eldest son Nig joins a gang. His younger brother Marc, also known as Boogie, becomes re-offended when he is caught prising a car again. In the course of his misbehaviour he is sent to an approved school. Just the oldest daughter, Grace, seems to have a future since she succeeds in school and writes short stories. However, as it ought to turn out, the family is shattered by the rape of Grace and her suicide. Not until it is revealed that a friend of Jake, Bully, who calls himself Grace's uncle, raped Grace does Beth draw the conclusion to leave Jake.

The movie was released in Germany under the name ' Die letzte Kriegerin' with a distinct focus on the main character Beth Heke. It was often discussed whether this title fits the movie and hits the essence of the film. Therefore this paper concentrates on the representation of women in the movie to answer the question whether the title ' Die letzte Kriegerin' matches the impression the viewers get of Beth Heke. It seems to be indispensable to take a close look at the character's development of Beth. In order to understand Beth's motifs and her resulting behaviour and decisions it seems to be evident to characterise her by analysing some explicit scenes within the movie. The aim is to provide an insight to the understanding of the social roles of women in that community. Therefore it is not sufficient to present just Beth's self-perception in connection to her living conditions and her appearance related to others. But it seems to be indispensable to draw a convincing self-perception of Grace, too. Therefore it seems to be evident to have a look at Grace, her life, her perspective and her individual conveniences in comparison to the lives of her older brothers Nig and Marc. Finally it should succeed to answer the question why it was necessary that Grace had to commit suicide before Beth left Jake.

Finally it should succeed to state the reason why Duff portrayed the Māori community the way he does.

Due to the fact that there are just a few recent publications on Lee Tamahoris adaption of Allan Duffs novel ' Once Were Warriors' a film report by Helen Martin served as a basis for this paper. Moreover James Belich's publication The New Zealand Wars and the Victorian Interpretation of Racial Conflict helped to design an approxiamte introduction to the Māori warriorhood.

2. Portrayal of characters connected to their development in the movie

2.1 Beth Heke

As already mentioned the film starts with a camera shot showing an idealistic extensive hilly landscape with a lake in the foreground and a deep blue sky with some fair-weather clouds. The next camera angle presents Beth Heke (Rena Owen) wheeling a supermarket trolley and smoking a cigarette while she looks at three of her children sitting in the garden next to a tree and listening to one of Grace's short stories as we later get to know. Beth appears strong, even athletic, somehow young and good-looking. The way she is smoking her cigarette seems tough and aggressive at the same time. The tattoo on her left breast is eye-catching. Passing a group of young men, one of them Beth's oldest son Nig, who are training their muscles with dumb-bells, she stops and smiles at Nig who looks as if he is in a peak condition. She seems to be proud of him. After she gets home and put down the shopping-bags she turns to the fridge and fetches a bottle of beer. She quaffs off the jumbo-size bottle of beer like all men and women of her society do as we realise later.

Although the sequence is short we get to know much about Beth. The first shot of the road sign and the pan shot to Beth may mark not only Beth's desire for an idyllically situated home but a counterbalanced life, too. Her face looks somehow embittered as if she had been through hard times that may still last. Beth's haughty smile when she looks at her oldest son Nig conveys the idea that being in a peak condition, being physically muscular, is an important necessity in that community. But to all appearances the observer has to realise that Beth is not strong, that her toughness ranges from the kitchens clipboard to the fridge and the bottle of beer. The way she quaffs off the jumbo-size bottle of beer suggests that she is alcohol addicted and reflects her dissatisfaction concerning her life and her living conditions. The tattoo on her left breast may be an early hint at the Māori tradition of craftworks or tribals, although it is noticeable that no one of the Māori acestors of Beth got any tattoos. Maybe it would be justified to claim that only the younger generation needs them to identify with their tribe due to the fact that they lost their awareness for their original roots, that this tattoos are the only sign which hold them together.

As we have to see in the course of the film Beth Heke derives from a traditional and reputable Māori family who is entrenched in the old ways of the Māori culture. In contrast to her Jake derives from slave origins and as it will be taken up later he suffers from this. Therefore the marriage started under the disapproving eye of Beth's family.

Beth Heke's role is to be the submissive wife, mind her lip, and hold the family together. There are several scenes that show that Beth's and Jake's relationship is not balanced. Moreover she seems to be the sensible person within their relationship. When Jake comes home from work he grabs her and wants to have sex with her in the kitchen although the children could come in every second. Therefore it is obvious that Beth is still sexually very attractive for her husband. As we later have to see this sexual attractiveness is just a representation of the power Jake has over Beth. While both kiss each other Jake tells Beth that he is lucky, that he is laid-off. She is anxious due to the fact that she wishes to have a house on her own one day. Moreover she reminds Jake of the fact that he has got a family to feed, that he is responsible for the family. That the Hekes do not have much money is represented in one scene when Beth strips old cigarette stubs to finish a new cigarette out of them. Although she is the sensible person within their relationship she is not able to prevail in this situation and to persuade Jake to seek employment. Instead of being able to sway Jake to show more responsibility she has to back down. Jake does not show any sympathy for Beth's anxiety. He just argues that without a job they just got "77 bucks" less than when he was in work. Moreover he begins to roar at her and insults her even though he is the one who makes the mistake. The observer has to realise that Beth seems to be afraid of him, as we later see not causeless. It takes only a moment for Jake to lash out and his wife is often the object of his beatings. For sure this is the reason why Beth does not possess assertiveness. After their quarrel concerning Jake's job he leaves and meets some of his friends in a bar.

Later that evening at the Hekes' house Jake arranges a party. When the party disintegrates Beth comes into conflict with Jake due to the fact that she refuses to bake some eggs for a friend of Jake. Jake punishes Beth's disobedience by punching Beth's face. In fact he trounces her so badly that she got lots of lacerations. After having beaten her up he pulls her into the bedroom and the observer has to assume that he rapes her. Their children are huddled up in their beds. The two younger ones are weeping. Nevertheless it is evident that all of them know the kind of battering their mother has regularly endured.

The next morning when she wakes up she has to realise that Jake embraces her while he is still sleeping, her pillow is stained with her blood, her face is swollen and the lacerations are still bleeding. Beth is naked so that the impression is stressed that Jake raped her the night before. Later on we have to note that Beth not only got a bad headache but an abdominal pain, too. Facing her outward appearance she realises that she is not able to accompany her son to the court hearing. Apart from the fact that she is not able to fulfil her role as a mother, she is not able to assume responsibility for her children, either. She can not give consideration to her children. Not only Beth is at Jake's mercy but the children too are at the mercy of their unsustainable living conditions. The family as a kind of shelter does not exist. Fortunately Grace accompanies her brother to the local court hearing. Some time later the same morning a friend of Beth comes by. When she sees how misshapen Beth's face looks she gives her the reigning wisdom for women: "Keep your legs open and your mouth shut."^[4] She does not feel any mercy for Beth as long as she does not adhere strictly to this rule. This is probably one of the most important scenes within the movie due to the fact that it represents the self-conception of women within this society. Women are not allowed to be independent and in their conceivabilities disobedient. They have to be slaves to their husbands even if their husbands ruin their family financially or idealistically. That Beth cannot go along with this female role model may be due to her parentage. Within the entire movie she is, besides her daughter, the only women who verifiably is beaten by her husband. All the other women may have internalised their position and their "rights" already. Therefore she seems to be the last warrior against the tyranny of her husband.

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^[1] Martin, Helen. "Once Were Warriors." In: Martin, Helen and Edwards Sam, ed. 1997. New Zealand Film 1912-1996. Oxford Univerity Press, p. 175. Quotes from this book will from now on be referred to as: Martin 1997, <page number>.

^[2] Ibid., p. 175.

^[3] Ibid., p. 175.

^[4] Once Were Warriors. Author: Allan Duff, Director: Lee Tamahori. DVD, 01:38:26h, New Zealand 1994. Quotes from this movie will from now on be referred to as: Once Were Warriors.