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River Queen Film Review – An Emotional Historical Drama

River Queen is the story of Sarah O’Brien (otherwise known as ‘Queenie’),  inspired by the tales of two women in New Zealand and the Chief Riwha Titokowaru who led the last resistance movement against the advancing British Army. Sarah O’Brien is inspired by the true stories of Caroline Perret and Ann Evans. Caroline Perret was taken as a child after her father broke a land taboo and was only found by family years later, having refused to come home. Ann Evans was a Crimean War nurse who was kidnapped and taken blindfolded to heal Titokowaru before being safely returned. Apparently, there were many ‘Pakeha’ women taken at the time by Maori tribesmen.

River Queen is set in 1860’s New Zealand as Sarah and her father, an Irish doctor, are living on the frontier – the last military outpost before Maori territory began. Some years previously she had fallen in love with a Maori boy named Tommy and became pregnant, but soon after he and most of his village died of influenza. Left alone to raise a ‘half-caste’ child in a hostile environment with a father who considers her a disgrace, her only friend is Private Doyle, a disillusioned soldier. When her son, Boy, is kidnapped by his other grandfather, Rangi, Sarah tirelessly searches for him.

Seven years later, the outpost is attacked by rebel chief Te Kai Po and Rangi is killed in the conflict. Believing her only link to her boy to be dead, Sarah allows herself to be taken back to a British camp. Here she meets a man who fights for the British but secretly works for Te Kai Po. He also has a link to her past. He brings her blindfolded to his village so that she may heal the chief in exchange for the opportunity to see her son. She settles into life in the village, but is about to be put in the middle of a territory war in which she has conflicting loyalties.

I really liked the character of Sarah who was refreshingly active, direct and determined to get her son back. The action is fascinating, though at times overshadowed by the sheer magnificence of the country which becomes a character in its own right. It’s not a story I have seen before and was interested to know more about New Zealand’s past.

The cast are all superb with the main bulk of the film riding on the shoulders of Samantha Morton, who is fantastic and extremely sympathetic. Kiefer Sutherland, Cliff Curtis, Temeura Morrison and Stephan Rea are also good, playing complex people dealing with a harsh environment as best they can. The main villain is a rather disappointingly stereotypical ruthless English Commander that even Anton Lesser can do very little with. He is also unfortunately the only prominent English character in the film.

The soundtrack by Clive Jenkins is epic sounding and interesting, employing a Maori chorus and Irish folk songs to demonstrate the contrasting worlds that clash in the film. The costume choices for Sarah are interesting; she is almost always in bright, bold colours, some of which are very military. This is a visual reminder that indicates to the audience her brave and stubborn character.

The film’s only real downfall, besides the predictable antagonist is the distinct lack of supporting women which is in no way believable given where she spends a large chunk of the film.

While Sarah has romantic options it is above all things a story about a mother’s search for her missing child and the war raging around her. Themes of clashing cultures, identity and family are prevalent in the film. It is an exciting story that introduced me to an unfamiliar part of colonial history. It is a unique and emotional historical drama, beautiful and thoughtful. I really recommend it.

Content Note: The film contains nudity, a brief sex scene, and frontier violence.

Photos: 20th Century Fox/Universal

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Elinor is a writer and semi-recent graduate of English and Creative Writing at Aberystwyth University. She has been writing ever since she could hold a pen but her love affair with fiction started when the entirety of David Eddings’ 'The Belgariad' was read to her at age four. She currently has a couple of books and half a dozen short stories on the go. She spends her free time writing, analysing media and knitting very colourful scarves.

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An intimate story set during the 1860s in which a young Irish woman Sarah and her family find themselves on both sides of the turbulent wars between British and Maori during the British colonization of New Zealand.

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River Queen

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Samantha Morton

Sarah O'Brien

Kiefer Sutherland

Cliff Curtis

Temuera Morrison

Anton Lesser

• Average 4.8

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River Queen (2005) Stream and Watch Online

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Need to watch ' River Queen ' in the comfort of your own home? Finding a streaming service to buy, rent, download, or view the Vincent Ward-directed movie via subscription can be tricky, so we here at Moviefone want to do the work for you. Read on for a listing of streaming and cable services - including rental, purchase, and subscription options - along with the availability of 'River Queen' on each platform when they are available. Now, before we get into the fundamentals of how you can watch 'River Queen' right now, here are some particulars about the Silverscreen Films, Film Consortium, Endgame Entertainment, New Zealand Film Production Fund, New Zealand Film Commission, UK Film Council, Capitol Films, Wayward Films, Australian Film Commission war flick. Released September 12th, 2005, 'River Queen' stars Samantha Morton , Kiefer Sutherland , Cliff Curtis , Stephen Rea The R movie has a runtime of about 1 hr 54 min, and received a user score of 59 (out of 100) on TMDb, which collated reviews from 28 knowledgeable users. Want to know what the movie's about? Here's the plot: "An intimate story set during the 1860s in which a young Irish woman Sarah and her family find themselves on both sides of the turbulent wars between British and Maori during the British colonization of New Zealand." 'River Queen' is currently available to rent, purchase, or stream via subscription on Plex Player, The Roku Channel, Vudu, VUDU Free, Apple iTunes, Amazon Video, and Plex Channel .

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River Queen (2005)

Genre: drama, duration: 114 minuten, country: new zealand / united kingdom, directed by: vincent ward, stars: samantha morton , kiefer sutherland and cliff curtis, imdb score: 5,9  (2.726), releasedate: 12 september 2005.

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1860, New Zealand. Sarah (Samantha Morton), a young Irish woman, and her family find themselves in the middle of a war between the British and the Maori during British colonization.

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In 1860s New Zealand, a young Irish woman finds herself caught on both sides of the lines during the wars between Māori tribes and the British colonial army. With darkness all around, and desperate to find her son, she discovers that only the heart can see…

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River Queen Reviews

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Feb 14, 2008

takes on the qualities of a disjointed vision, sometimes languid, sometimes violent, but always seeming to be only half-glimpsed on the threshold of sleep.

Full Review | Aug 6, 2007

An ambitious film from the talented, serious-minded Vincent Ward, River Queen takes us into the magnificent heart of New Zealand, both geographically and spiritually.

Full Review | Jun 28, 2006

A waterlogged would-be epic, lacking the emotion, narrative invention and visual brilliance that mark [Vincent] Ward's best films.

Full Review | Sep 29, 2005

River Queen is a period drama filled with some striking imagery but which ultimately keeps viewer involvement at an unfathomable distance.

Full Review | Sep 18, 2005

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• Variety Scott Foundas A waterlogged would-be epic, lacking the emotion, narrative invention and visual brilliance that mark [Vincent] Ward's best films.
• Hollywood Reporter Michael Rechtshaffen River Queen is a period drama filled with some striking imagery but which ultimately keeps viewer involvement at an unfathomable distance.
• Eye for Film Anton Bitel takes on the qualities of a disjointed vision, sometimes languid, sometimes violent, but always seeming to be only half-glimpsed on the threshold of sleep.

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