The Maori Merchant of Venice
Encyclopedia
The Merchant of Venice also known as The Maori Merchant of Venice, is a 2002 New Zealand
drama film
in the Māori language
(with English
subtitles), directed by Don Selwyn
.
was translated into Māori in 1945 by Pei Te Hurinui Jones, and his translation is used for the film. It is the first Māori-language film adaptation of any of William Shakespeare
's plays
. The film was shot in Auckland
, but "recreate[d] 16th century Venice, with costumes and surroundings to fit the original setting".
), Ngarimu Daniels as Pohia (Portia
), Te Rangihau Gilbert as Patanio (Bassanio), Scott Morrison as Anatonio (Antonio
) and Veeshayne Armstrong
as Nerita (Nerissa).
, the film deals with the themes of "religious discrimination, revenge for past wrongs", and "explores the nature of justice and mercy" as well as "the effect of heritage on an individual’s life decisions and the strength, wit and wisdom of women": "The Maori take on Shakespeare's 'pound of flesh' drama is a story of deep seated social and religious prejudice
, in which the Jew (Shylock) has a long memory of oppression, but revenge is not so sweet." Valerie Wayne, in The Contemporary Pacific
, underlined the apparent parallel drawn by the film between the oppression suffered by Shylock because of his Judaism
and the sometimes violent subjugation of Māori by the colonial authorities in nineteenth century New Zealand.
Reviewing The Maori Merchant of Venice for Te Kete Ipurangi, Lana Simmons-Donaldson described it as "an educational, even motivational tool" for Māori language learners, and provided glowing praise:
in 2002, while Waihoroi Shortland won the film award for best actor at the New Zealand Film and TV Awards
in 2003.
, using a Māori cast and usually set during either the Musket Wars
or New Zealand Land Wars
of the nineteenth century, have been performed on numerous occasions since the late 1990s, most notably at Christchurch
's Court Theatre
in 2001.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
in the Māori language
Maori language
Māori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
(with English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
subtitles), directed by Don Selwyn
Don Selwyn
Don C. Selwyn was a Maori actor and film director from New Zealand. He was a founding member of the New Zealand Maori Theatre Trust and directed the 2002 film The Merchant of Venice, the first Maori language feature film with English subtitles.Born of Ngati Kuri and Te Aupouri descent, Selwyn grew...
.
Production
The play The Merchant of VeniceThe Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice is a tragic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. Though classified as a comedy in the First Folio and sharing certain aspects with Shakespeare's other romantic comedies, the play is perhaps most remembered for its dramatic...
was translated into Māori in 1945 by Pei Te Hurinui Jones, and his translation is used for the film. It is the first Māori-language film adaptation of any of William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's plays
Shakespeare's plays
William Shakespeare's plays have the reputation of being among the greatest in the English language and in Western literature. Traditionally, the 37 plays are divided into the genres of tragedy, history, and comedy; they have been translated into every major living language, in addition to being...
. The film was shot in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, but "recreate[d] 16th century Venice, with costumes and surroundings to fit the original setting".
Cast
Almost all the film's actors are Māori, many of them acting for the cinema for the first time. Waihoroi Shortland stars as Hairoka (ShylockShylock
Shylock is a fictional character in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice.-In the play:In The Merchant of Venice, Shylock is a Jewish moneylender who lends money to his Christian rival, Antonio, setting the security at a pound of Antonio's flesh...
), Ngarimu Daniels as Pohia (Portia
Portia (Merchant of Venice)
Portia is the heroine of William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. A rich, beautiful, and intelligent heiress, she is bound by the lottery set forth in her father's will, which gives potential suitors the chance to choose between three caskets composed of gold, silver and lead...
), Te Rangihau Gilbert as Patanio (Bassanio), Scott Morrison as Anatonio (Antonio
Antonio (Merchant of Venice)
Antonio is the title character in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. He is a middle-aged bachelor and merchant by trade who has his financial interests tied up in overseas shipments when the play begins. He is kind, generous, honest and confident, and is loved and revered by all the Christians...
) and Veeshayne Armstrong
Veeshayne Armstrong
Veeshayne Patuwai née Armstrong is a New Zealand television presenter, actress, emcee and singer and currently appears on two shows on the Maori Television network, a panelist on Ask Your Auntie and Freestyle, a half hour fashion magazine show. She is fluent in Te Reo Maori and English and has a...
as Nerita (Nerissa).
Reviews
According to the New Zealand Film CommissionNew Zealand Film Commission
The New Zealand Film Commission is a New Zealand government agency formed to assist with creating and promoting New Zealand films...
, the film deals with the themes of "religious discrimination, revenge for past wrongs", and "explores the nature of justice and mercy" as well as "the effect of heritage on an individual’s life decisions and the strength, wit and wisdom of women": "The Maori take on Shakespeare's 'pound of flesh' drama is a story of deep seated social and religious prejudice
Prejudice
Prejudice is making a judgment or assumption about someone or something before having enough knowledge to be able to do so with guaranteed accuracy, or "judging a book by its cover"...
, in which the Jew (Shylock) has a long memory of oppression, but revenge is not so sweet." Valerie Wayne, in The Contemporary Pacific
The Contemporary Pacific
The Contemporary Pacific: A Journal of Island Affairs is an academic journal covering a wide range of disciplines with the aim of providing comprehensive coverage of contemporary developments in the entire Pacific Islands region, including Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia...
, underlined the apparent parallel drawn by the film between the oppression suffered by Shylock because of his Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
and the sometimes violent subjugation of Māori by the colonial authorities in nineteenth century New Zealand.
Reviewing The Maori Merchant of Venice for Te Kete Ipurangi, Lana Simmons-Donaldson described it as "an educational, even motivational tool" for Māori language learners, and provided glowing praise:
- "No sex, action or violence here, Te Tangata Whai Rawa o Wēniti makes a refreshing change to the usual menu on offer to the movie going public. Chivalry, camaraderie, romance, justice, honour, cruelty, aristocracy and poverty all in te reo Māori, it's very palatable even exquisite depending on your taste. [...] Rurutao (Shakespeare) himself would have wept at its poetic brilliance."
Awards
The film won the audience award for best feature at the Hawaii International Film FestivalHawaii International Film Festival
The Hawaii International Film Festival is a film festival held in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It was started in 1981 by Jeannette Paulson Hereniko and has been held annually in the fall for two weeks...
in 2002, while Waihoroi Shortland won the film award for best actor at the New Zealand Film and TV Awards
New Zealand Film and TV Awards
The New Zealand Film and TV Awards were awarded in New Zealand from 1986 through 2003, and were supplanted by the New Zealand Film Awards.-Film Awards:In 2003 film awards were given in the following categories:*Best Film*Best Actor*Best Actress...
in 2003.
Other Māori productions of Shakespeare plays
The Merchant of Venice is not the only Shakespearian play to have been adapted to Māori themes, though it is the only one to have been released as a feature film. Adaptations of OthelloOthello
The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1603, and based on the Italian short story "Un Capitano Moro" by Cinthio, a disciple of Boccaccio, first published in 1565...
, using a Māori cast and usually set during either the Musket Wars
Musket Wars
The Musket Wars were a series of five hundred or more battles mainly fought between various hapū , sometimes alliances of pan-hapū groups and less often larger iwi of Māori between 1807 and 1842, in New Zealand.Northern tribes such as the rivals Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Whātua were the first to obtain...
or New Zealand Land Wars
New Zealand land wars
The New Zealand Wars, sometimes called the Land Wars and also once called the Māori Wars, were a series of armed conflicts that took place in New Zealand between 1845 and 1872...
of the nineteenth century, have been performed on numerous occasions since the late 1990s, most notably at Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
's Court Theatre
Court Theatre (New Zealand)
The Court Theatre is a professional theatre company based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was founded in 1971 and located in the Christchurch Arts Centre from 1976 until the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake and is currently developing a new site from which to resume activities before the end...
in 2001.