The Sapphires was released in 2012 and was directed by Wayne Blair it was based off of the true story of four Aboriginal women. This movie addresses multiple issues that were present in Australia at the time. These issues were;
Racism
Identity
Family
War
These themes are used to create the perfect platform for an enthralling film which leaves the audience with a real connection with the character which leads to them truely understanding their environment and the stress that environment puts them under. This movie deals with huge issues concerning Australia's history, which still impacts today's society.
Context This film focuses on the racial and ethical issues of the time, these were the racism towards Aboriginal people and the ethical issues around the Vietnam War. The first thing we need to focus on is the racism towards the Aboriginal people in the 1960s because this is one of the main themes presented in the film and it helps the audience connect with the characters on a very emotional level.
The 1960s were a time of change, not only for the Vietnamese but also for the Aboriginal Communities, this was a time of change, inspired by the American Civil Rights Movement which took place from 1954 to 1968. In the 1960s the Aboriginal Civil Rights Movement began, lead by the Aboriginal people and supported by many of the descendants of the European Settlers. Before, during and after this movement the Aboriginal people still experienced racism and discrimination, this time period did give them hope. The Sapphires were used to this biased and racist behaviour against them and during the the film this is made evident as well as the tension between Kai and Gale because of Kai being one of the stolen generation and her confusion around her identity.
The other main problem addressed in this film and the one which I'll be covering heavily is the Vietnam War, this was the first televised war and the freedom that the media had around reporting it is something which lead to the unfair treatment of Vietnam veterans. This film focuses on the troops who were in the war and their needs and problems, the four Aboriginal girls and their manager are confronted by the sheer scale of the problems and challengers the troops faced. Here's one of my favourite scenes where the girls sing to the injured troops;
This clip highlights the struggles of the troops at the time, as the girls sing through the song you see how shaken they are by the reality of war and the injuries the men were suffering from. The scene also starts with the iconic transportation method of the Vietnam War, the helicopter was used to transport troops around and some of the most iconic images associated with this war involve the helicopters. This film also looks at the aggression of the Viet Cong which is shown in one of the last scenes where they're attacked by them. This delves further into the war and the troops' struggles. It highlights how different this war was to any other one previously fought due to the fact that no matter where you were there was a possibility that the enemy was going to attack and that you didn't know who the enemy was or when they were going to strike let alone where.
Audience This film is aimed at a wide audience, rated PG it's a movie that even children can watch, even though they'll probably be unable to understand some of the themes that are addressed throughout the film. It's musical orientation creates an engaging film which almost anyone can watch. This film looks at the struggles of Aboriginal people and the people involved in the Vietnam War in the 1960s so it would appeal to Aboriginal and Vietnam Veterans and anyone wanting to watch a beautiful film based on real events. I believe that this film was aimed mainly at Australian audiences, still allowing for expansion to other audiences. Purpose So what was the purpose of this engaging film? The main purpose was to tell the story of the four Aboriginal women who went over to Vietnam to sing, this film was also created to look closely at the issues which are associated with the 1960s. The Vietnam War and Racism were two of the main issues addressed in this time period and helped to add another layer to the film, along with informing people of the problems of that time.