The Last Wave :: essays research papers

The remnant WaveSOC 118 "The Last Wave"-Peter Weir dir.(1977)     In the photographic film, The Last Wave, the director is onerous to communicate theidea of a tillage at heart a culture or sub culture. The predominate culture in thefilm is the white members of society living in Australia. The subculture in thefilm is the Aborigines who were autochthonics to the land before the white peoplesettled in Australia. The natives prolong their cultural mental pictures andideologies while living in largely populated cities. The dominant white cultureimposes their laws , ideas of societal values and moral beliefs on the nativeAborigines. Forcing them to abide by a different law system and charge of lifethan what their peoples have practiced for hundreds of years. In the movie thelawyer, David, represents the dominant culture to the Aborigines because herepresents the law that is controlling their fate in the white culture.     The dir ector is also giving us many symbols or visual conversation suchas the consistency of water in the film as well as, the overbearing control of nighttime. The film is shot in shadows and boilers suit is very dark , almost forcingus to look beyond the pellucid plot and storyline and into the meaning or whatthe film/director is trying to tell us. The darkness in the film can be seen asunconsciousness. It can also be seen as a prediction of the darkness that testamentoccur in the world when the run low wave comes. The last wave meaning a gianttidal wave that will cover the earth , killing humanity. This idea is similarto the Christian belief in the flood that was sent down centuries ago to destroy in all the evil in the world. Also, all the modern aspects of the movie (courtroom,Davids office..etc) are take in fairylike. While, all of the Aborigines scenesare filmed in darkness or shadows. Giving me the impression of somethingmysterious or non understood by the whites concerning the Aborigines. The factthat all the modern scenes are filmed in light can also support the idea of thewhite culture beingness the predominate culture in the film but yet not dominantenough to take away the shadows(mysterious , mystical)aspect of the Aborigines.The lawyer, David, Also goes through a series of dreams and premonitions.This is stressing the idea of mind power and mystical strength that theAborigines have. In that way they can be seen as the dominant culture. Davidis stuck between ii worlds. The world he knows and understands and the otherworld that he is definitely a part of but does not understand.