Letter to the Dead

In a small village of Papua New Guinea three exceptional men rival with each other in the field of rituals and artistic creation in order to win over their neighbours. They send a last letter to their dead who have abandoned them and who may have emigrated to a rich country from which the film-maker...

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Bibliographic Details
Other Authors: Iteanu, Andre, Kapon, Eytan
Institution:Open Society Archives at Central European University
Language:English
Published: France 2002
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10891/osa:1b3d2ba1-00a3-4bd8-b687-29556f709b0f
Description
Summary:In a small village of Papua New Guinea three exceptional men rival with each other in the field of rituals and artistic creation in order to win over their neighbours. They send a last letter to their dead who have abandoned them and who may have emigrated to a rich country from which the film-makers come. The film presents the world view of the people living in their communities that is constructed out of bits and pieces of information at hand, conditioned by local traditions, Christian missionaries’ teachings and millenary (year 2000) fears. The film is about the encounter between tradition and modernity. The film is a successful combination of ethnographic research, deep understanding of intricate religious problems and cinematographic skills.
Published:2002