Ten Canoes (2006)

98% of critics liked it
(61 reviews)
75% of users liked it
(6,404 ratings)

A man teaches his younger brother an important lesson through an ancient fable in this period comedy drama shot in Australia, and the first feature film made in the Aboriginal language of Ganalbingu. As narrator David Gulpilil Ridjimiraril Dalaithngu sets up the story, we watch a group of tribesmen… More A man teaches his younger brother an important lesson through an ancient fable in this period comedy drama shot in Australia, and the first feature film made in the Aboriginal language of Ganalbingu. As narrator David Gulpilil Ridjimiraril Dalaithngu sets up the story, we watch a group of tribesmen led by elder Minygululu (Peter Minygululu) set out on an expedition to gather bark for canoe building and collect the precious eggs of the magpie geese. It has become clear to Minygululu that his younger brother Dayindi (Jamie Dayindi Gulpilil Dalaithngu) is infatuated with the youngest of his three wives, and Minygululu wants to be sure Dayindi doesn't do something he'll regret later on. To teach his brother a lesson, Minygululu shares with him a long story about Ridjimiraril (Crusoe Kurddal), a warrior who finds that his brother Yeeralparil (also played by Jamie Dayindi Gulpilil Dalaithngu) has become a rival for the affections of his bride. However, while Minygululu's story caries a clear message for his brother, it also goes on long enough with enough twists, turns, and digressions that it gives Dayindi little opportunity to get into mischief during the trip. Ten Canoes received its world premiere at Australia's Adelaide Festival of Arts, and was first screened in North America at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 32 min.
Directed By: Rolf de Heer, Peter Djigirr
Written By: Rolf de Heer
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure, Comedy

In Theaters: Jun 1, 2007 Wide
On DVD: Sep 25, 2007
Studio: Palm Pictures

Critic Reviews

Desson Thomson, Washington Post
Sometimes all it takes to bridge the chasm of eons is a little humor.
Richard Nilsen, Arizona Republic
Gulpilil is the canny, subtle and funny narrator of 10 Canoes, a film of unutterable beauty, hypnotic fascination and universal humanity.
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune
It's worth putting up with the meandering story to see the aboriginal world shown from a fresh perspective.
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
Audacious and impressive, but challenging work, requiring steadfast concentration.
Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle
Australian writer-director Rolf de Heer is an extremely visual filmmaker, and his images stay with you. Ten Canoes' authenticity is guaranteed by a close collaboration with the Aboriginal community.
Bill Stamets, Chicago Sun-Times
Australian director Rolf de Heer deftly mingles two styles of storytelling: cinema and aboriginal oral customs.
Mike Scott, Times-Picayune
A unique and entertaining blend of anthropology and cinema.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
The fable is a fascinating ethnographic document that satisfies just like any well told story.
Andrew Wright, The Stranger (Seattle, WA)
Really a fairly amazing achievement: an engrossing, witty cultural document that doesn't feel staid in the least. All this, plus spear fights.
Kent Turner, Film-Forward.com
It's rare when a making-of featurette spills the beans on a production's mishaps and hurdles.
Kam Williams, NewsBlaze
Provided you're not Puritanical about frontal nudity, this powerful picture based on a myth is otherwise a delight, and a cinematic preservation of a so-called primitive people's oral tradition.
Cynthia Fuchs, Nitrate Online
A study of community and ritual, Ten Canoes celebrates as it contemplates, emphasizing the fact that this collection of stories, Gulpilil's story in its many layers, is seen.
Robert W. Butler, Kansas City Star
As much an anthropology exercise as a cinematic experience, the Australian Ten Canoes goes back nearly a millennium to immerse us in the lives of the Aborigines who survived on the land centuries before the arrival of Europeans.
Josh Rosenblatt, Austin Chronicle
A new and different kind of cinematic mythmaking.
John Hartl, Seattle Times
Parts of that narrative are surprisingly frank and irreverent.
Bill White, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
... a top-flight example of cinematic storytelling ...
Scott Foundas, L.A. Weekly
Ten Canoes is a celebration of the art of storytelling, and of the power of stories to transcend all barriers of space, time and language. This is a movie with sheer magic in it.

Read all 17 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Ross C

Simple aboriginal tales of their ancestors' tribes, with typical humour.
Walter M

[font=Century Gothic]"Ten Canoes" starts with a narrator(David Gulpilil) telling a story about his ancestors. Minygululu(Peter Minygululu), husband to three wives, is taking his younger brother, Dayindi(Jamie Gulpilil), to the swamps for a goose hunt for the first time.… More
[font=Century Gothic]"Ten Canoes" starts with a narrator(David Gulpilil) telling a story about his ancestors. Minygululu(Peter Minygululu), husband to three wives, is taking his younger brother, Dayindi(Jamie Gulpilil), to the swamps for a goose hunt for the first time. Minygululu knows that his brother has an eye on his youngest wife, so he tells him about two of his ancestors, Ridjimiraril(Crusoe Kurddal) and Yeeralparil(Jamie Gulpilil), who were in a similar situation.[/font] [font=Century Gothic]"Two Canoes" is a beautiful exploration of the oral tradition of storytelling in Aboriginal culture.(The film is alternately shot in bleached out colors.) This is how information is related from one generation to the next. For example, Minygululu is not only teaching his younger brother about how to hunt in the swamps but also to be patient and never to do anything rash. In other words, all he has to do is wait and he will get what he wants. Remember in this society, everything is as it has been for thousands of years and will be the same for years to come. Nothing is going anywhere. And if all of that sounds very dry, do not worry. There is enough irreverence to go around for everyone.[/font]
Robert F

Surprisingly frank and irreverent.
Dimitris S

Philosophy of the wise and of the Methuselah.Now really,the ancient language fashion is withering,yes?Unless you bring a true auteur with the name of Rolf de Heer and condemn Mr. Gibson to eternal damnation.Pure and locomotive direction and the b/w interaction with the vibrant antique… More
Philosophy of the wise and of the Methuselah.Now really,the ancient language fashion is withering,yes?Unless you bring a true auteur with the name of Rolf de Heer and condemn Mr. Gibson to eternal damnation.Pure and locomotive direction and the b/w interaction with the vibrant antique era is engaging to the folktale narration.
Wu C

Gods must be Crazy, but without the bottle.

Cast

Crusoe Kurddal
as Ridjimiraril
Jamie Dayindi Gulpilil Dalaithngu
as Dayindi/Yeeralparil
Jamie Gulpilil

Richard Birrinbirrin
as Birrinbirrin
Peter Minygululu
as Minygululu
Frances Djulibing
as Nowalingu

See full cast

Ten Canoes (2006)

Critic Reviews

Featured Audience Ratings

Ross C

Walter M

Robert F

Dimitris S

Wu C

Cast

Photos