Sunday, October 29, 2023

Mabo (2012)

 


 

 

 

 








Mabo is a historical and biographical drama which premiered at the Sydney Film Festival in 2012.

 

The main character is Eddie Mabo, an aboriginal man, a human rights activist who campaigned for land rights of aboriginal people.

 

The main focus is on the legal battle which Eddie Mabo and his lawyers conducted against the Australian government and against the doctrine known as terra nullius.

 

When the British came to Australia, they declared this territory was nobody's land (terra nullius). This is why they felt they had the right to take whatever they wanted.

 

Obviously, this was not true. But this legal fiction was used to push the indigenous population away and give the land to the British immigrants.

 

Here is some basic information about this drama

 

** Director: Rachel Perkins

** Writer: Sue Smith

** Producers: Darren Dale and Miranda Dear

** Production: Black Fella Films and ABC

** Language: mostly English

** Subtitles: English

** Run time: 103 minutes

 

The cast includes the following:

 

** Jimi Bani as Edward (Eddie) Koiki Mabo (1936-1992) – an aboriginal man - a human rights activist

** Deborah Mailman as Bonita Mabo (1943-2018) – an aboriginal woman – the wife of Eddie Mabo – a human rights activist

** Ewen Leslie as Bryan Keon-Cohen – a barrister

** Felix Williamson as Ron Castan (1939-1999) – a barrister

** Tom Budge as Greg McIntyre – a barrister

** Matthew Whittet as Noel Loos – a historian – author of several books which focus on the indigenous population of Australia

** Leon Ford as Henry Reynolds (born 1938) – a historian – author of several books about the indigenous population of Australia

** Rob Carlton as Patrick “Paddy” Killoran (1922-2010) – an Australian government worker

 

Since this drama is based on a true story, the basic facts are part pf the public record. They are not a secret. This is why I feel free to mention some of them here.

 

While this drama is based on a true story, it is not a documentary film. It is a dramatized version of events. Not everything happened exactly as shown here.

 

Some details have been added or altered or excluded for dramatic reasons or for practical purposes. But the basic story is true.

 

This drama covers the life of Eddie Mabo from the time when he was a boy (aged 10) and a young man (aged 16) until the end of his life in 1992.

 

** We see him with his family – his wife Bonita and their children – Eddie and Bonita were married in 1959 – the couple had seven children – in addition, they adopted three children

 

** We see him with some of his friends – including two historians who are interested in aboriginal affairs: Noel Loos and Henry Reynolds – Eddie met them in 1973, while he was working as a gardener at James Cook University in Queensland

 

** We see him with the barristers who presented his case in several courts: Bryan Keon-Cohen, Ron Castan, and Greg McIntyre

 

** We also see his nemesis – Patrick “Paddy” Killoran, a government official who was supposed to be the protector of the aboriginals

 

Eddie Mabo is often described as a hero, because he was the man behind the legal case which ended the doctrine of terra nullius.

 

When Rachel Perkins from Black Fella Films was talking with representatives of ABC about how to make this movie, it was decided that it was not going to a portrait of a saint.

 

It was going to be an honest portrait of a man who played an important role in the history of modern Australia; not an idealized character, but a real human being who had flaws.

 

This is what she did. This is what we get. In this drama, we can see that Eddie is dedicated to his goal. We can see he is passionate about his ideas. We can also see he is not perfect.

 

Since he is so busy with his legal campaign, he tends to neglect his family. His wife and his children do not see as much of him as they want.

 

He is so focused on his struggle to obtain justice for his people that there is not much time to take care of his own family. There is even a moment when violence against his wife is in the air.

 

Bonita responds immediately: she collects the children and disappears for a while.

 

Before long, Eddie understands that he has crossed a fatal line here and he shows up at the place where she is staying, begging for forgiveness.

 

Bonita accepts his apology and apparently, nothing like this never happens again.

 

The case against the terra nullius doctrine begins in 1982. It is considered in several courts over several years.

 

It is an uphill battle to challenge the state and the federal government. It seems to be an endless battle.

 

But in June 1992, after a legal battle of ten years, the High Court of Australia is finally ready to announce its verdict:

 

Aboriginal people have a case when they say that they should have the right to own the land on which they live. The legal fiction of terra nullius is finally abandoned.

 

Sadly, Eddie Mabo did not live long enough to hear this result. He died in January 1992, five months before the final verdict was issued.

 

But he was the original plaintiff and his name is attached to the case, even though he was no longer alive when the verdict was issued.

 

What do reviewers say about this drama?

 

On IMDb it has a rating of 70 percent.

 

There are five user reviews on the website. Here are the headlines and the ratings offered

 

40 percent

Disappointing

 

60 percent

Pleasant film celebrates a landmark human rights change

 

90 percent

Lovely little TV film … just a pity change is still slow coming in Australia

 

90 percent

Excellent

 

100 percent

Mabo Redeems the Australian Film Industry

 

The average rating of the five reviews is 76 percent, which is slightly higher than the rating offered on the website

 

I understand the positive reviews and I agree with them. I cannot understand the two reviews which offer only 40 or 60 percent.

 

I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars (100 percent).

 

REFERENCES

 

# 1. Items available online

 

Sarah Joseph,

“Reflections on Mabo, the case and the movie.”

The Conversation,

11 June 2012

 

David Ogilvy,

“From the pitch to the screen: Mabo,”

ABC News,

26 June 2012

 

Colleen Keane,

“The story of Mabo,”

The Sydney Morning Herald,

31 January 2014

 

Susan Bye,

“Mabo’s story a great Australian take of justice,”

The Herald Sun,

2 September 2014

 

# 2. Books

 

Dispossession:

Black Australians and White Invaders

By Henry Reynolds

1996

 

Edward Koiki Mabo:

His Life and Struggle for Land Rights

By Noel Loos and Eddie Koiki Mabo

1996

 

Forgotten War

By Henry Reynolds

2013

 

In the Shadow of Holocausts:

Australia and the Third Reich

By Noel Loos

2017

 

# 3. Film and video

 

Rabbit-Proof Fence

A historical drama set in the 1930s

Director: Phillip Noyce

2002

 

The First Australians

A documentary film (seven episodes)

Director: Rachel Perkins

2008

 

Servant or Slave?

Director: Steven McGregor

2016

 

The Australian Wars

A documentary film (three episodes)

Director: Rachel Perkins

2022

 

*****

 

Edward (Eddie) Koiki Mabo

(1936-1992)

An aboriginal man

A human rights activist


*****


 

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