Race and Representation in the Film Jedda Essay examples

Race and Representation in the Film Jedda Jedda, Australia’s first colour film, created in 1955 by Charles Chauvel deals with an Aboriginal child adopted by a white grazing family. As she grows up, Jedda is tempted more and more to return to her people. Seduced by the wild Marbuck, she partakes in the films tragedy, played out against a spectacular landscape. This essay seeks to discuss the representations of the Australian landscape as portrayed in the film Jedda, highlighting the use of filmic techniques in these representations. One of the first representations encountered in the film Jedda is the portrayal of Australia as a tourist destination in the exposition of the film. This glorified view of the landscape is†¦show more content†¦The ‘tourist destination’ portrayal of the landscape is highly emphasised in Joe’s narration. This depiction of Australia as a natural, dramatic landscape is continued throughout the film, with several other settings and landscapes showing a direct link with this first representation. The portrayal of Australia as a ancient, dramatic, and somewhat spiritual landscape, is not only shown in the exposition, but also in many landscapes to follow, one of these being the gorges encountered by Jedda and Marbuck towards the end of the film. This landscape was not only used as a representation of beauty, drama and the primeval nature of Australia, but also to create a sense of awe and wonder at the mysterious, almost supernatural qualities of this particular setting. To achieve this feeling of wonder, Chauvel has used extreme long shots to his advantage, placing Marbuck and Jedda against the towering background of high, rocky gorges, thus making them look, and creating a sense to the audience, that they are insignificant in this landscape. The use of soft European choral music also highlights the supernatural aspects of this landscape, representing the landscape as being one of high spiritual significance to the Aboriginal people. Although Chauvel has incorporated the music into thisShow MoreRelatedIs There a Crisis in the Australian Film Industry? Essay2083 Words   |  9 Pagesessay explores the popularity of Australian film, both locally and internationally and asks the question: Is there a crisis in the Australian Film Industry? This essay will go through the current issues the Australian Film Industry and will demonstrate examples of those problems. To understand why Australian movies are the way they are now, there must be a review of the history of the films produced in Australia, because through out time, the films have had successes as well as some failures.