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Moana Roa
Short Film (Full Length) – 1951
This 1951 National Film Unit production looks at the Cook Islands, and marks the 50th anniversary of the islands’ annexation in 1901. Unusually long (half an hour) for an NFU film, it shows history ("Vikings of the Pacific" through Captain Cook to New Zealand administration) and island life: spear-fishing, catamaran sailing, breadfruit gathering, weaving, dancing and singing. The islands are depicted as paradise guided by NZ paternalism, with the Islanders grateful recipients of modern communication, technology, health services, education, and... tinned meat.
Once a native priest told him when to plough and when to plant. Today he has an agricultural expert behind him to help get the best out of his land.– From the narration
Key Cast & Crew
Ashley Heenan
Russell Reid
Dick Crone
Ian Houston
Kenneth Firth
Charles Bennett
Music
Orchestral music composed by Ashley Heenan, and performed by the Alex Lindsay Orchestra
Categories
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