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Karekare Beach
“The voice you hear is not my speaking voice but my mind’s voice.”
Ada McGrath (Holly Hunter)
Filming in the native country
Deciding to shoot in her homeland, Jane Campion began working on the script she had written, crisscrossing the north of the island in search of the perfect locations to flesh out her story. To orchestrate the arrival of Ada, the character played by Holly Hunter, the director chose Karekare beach.
It is here that Alistair Stewart (Sam Neill), the heroine’s new husband, decides to give up the piano even though the young woman is very fond of it. The musical instrument is later recovered by Baines (Harvey Keitel).
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Karekare: an emblematic beach
The beach of Karekare is a superb setting for the film, allowing the director to highlight the upset feelings of her heroine. An emblematic sequence, imbued with a poetry fed by the magnificence of the place. It will also be chosen for the poster of the film, the beach being the most emblematic place of the film.
The film won two awards at the Cannes Film Festival: the Palme d’Or, the first awarded to a woman, and the Best Actress Award for Holly Hunter.
Karekare Beach
A true New Zealand idyll, bordered by the Tasman Sea, Karekare Beach is as difficult to access as it is sublime.
It is at the end of a winding and steep walk that this black sand beach reveals itself to its visitors. Wonderfully enhanced by the surrounding vegetation, isolated and peaceful, it also welcomes the most daring surfers because of its powerful waves. A major tourist site in the Auckland region, located 35 km from the city center, Karekare beach is not recommended for swimming due to the strong currents. It is however recommended for walking.
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By Gilles Rolland
Passionné de cinéma, de rock and roll, de séries TV et de littérature. Rédacteur de presse et auteur des livres Le Heavy Metal au cinéma, Paroles de fans Guns N' Roses, Paroles de fans Rammstein et Welcome to my Jungle : 100 albums rock et autres anecdotes dépareillées. Adore également voyager à la recherche des lieux les plus emblématiques de la pop culture.