Starring: Patea Maori Club
Distributor: Independent
Runtime: 92 mins. Reviewed in Oct 2016
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This pleasant documentary is something of a New Zealand home movie, very appealing for New Zealanders and those in the know, enjoyable for those not in the know for whom it can be entertaining or just be of passing interest.
There was a great deal of video camera work being done in New Zealand in the early 1980s and a lot of it is very evident here. And there is a lot of talking head material in 2015 when this film was shot – and some enjoyment in seeing some of the people being interviewed in the early 1980s and the older incarnation and in the present.
It should be said that this is not just a New Zealand story but a very Maori story.
The title refers to a popular song, developed by a strong entertainment personality, Dalvanius Prime, Poi E. it is a blend of traditional Maori music with the popular styles of the 1980s. Dalvanius composed it with an elderly lady, Ngoi Prehairangi, blind, much admired in the community, using the lyrics. It soon became quite a hit in New Zealand, though many of those involved in watching its composition were not particularly enthralled. However, tapes were made, a director was persuaded to make a video and Prime travelled around to various clubs and gymnasiums with the song, with its eventually finding its way onto New Zealand radio and New Zealand television. It has become something of an unofficial national anthem.
It was a hit.
So, while the film traces the origins and development of the song, with quite a number of performances, there is excitement when Prime and his group are invited to the UK and appear on the television program, Blue Peter. And this leads to their being included in a Royal Gala performance in the presence of the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and Princess Anne.
Dalvanius Prime died in 2002, so his presence in the film is through the many video clips and television clips, a big man, genial, intense with his ambitions, encouraging Maori people in the use of their language, rediscovering it or developing it, with music and with pride.
The song was written in the town of Patea, North island, West Coast, near Hastings. Initially, the song was sung by the locals and this developed into the Patea Maori Club, men and women, in traditional dress and paint, the women swaying and playing with their poi, the balls on thread, who toured with the song.
The memories have been preserved, the singers, a dancer with the Michael Jackson-like moves, the television shows, the performances. And the oldies have the chance to think back, to reminisce enjoyably, and pay tribute to Dalvanius Prime.
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