The Silent One

The Silent One is about going to the limit and winning… about being special and about people wanting to take that away

The Silent One, New Zealand, 1984

Director: Yvonne Mackay
Production co: Gibson Films
Producer: Dave Gibson
Executive producer: David Compton
Screenplay: Ian Mune
Based on the novel by Joy Cowley
Director of photography: Ian Paul
Designer: Tony Rabbit
Film editor: Jamie Selkirk
Underwater photography: Ron & Valerie Taylor
Music composed by Jenny McLeod
Properties master: Johnny Morris

With: Telo Malese (Jonasi), George Henare (Paui Te Po), Pat Evison (Luisa), Anzac Wallace (Tasiri), Rongo Tupatea Kahu (Taruga), Jo Pahu (Etika), Reg Ruka (Bulai), Anthony Gilbert (Aesake), Bernard Kearns (Redbeard), Prince Tui Teka (Postmaster)

35mm, 95 minutes, G

Watch The Silent One trailer (3.2MB; 2.35 minutes)

“The Silent One is about going to the limit and winning… about being special and about people wanting to take that away.” — Yvonne Mackay, director

The Silent One is Jonasi a uniquely gifted young man sent from the sea as a baby to grow up in an isolated Pacific village. Separated from the villagers by his silence and their prejudices Jonasi finds solace in his underwater world where he develops a special relationship with a huge white turtle. However, both Jonasi and the turtle are seen as evil spirits by the superstitious villagers. A series of natural disasters and a struggle for leadership within the village sweep Jonasi towards his strange destiny.

“Based on the novel of the same name by local novelist Joy Cowley, The Silent One is about a young man who was mysteriously delivered from the sea in his infancy and adopted into an island community. Much of the beauty and success of The Silent One must be attributed to the underwater photography of international artists Ron and Valerie Taylor. It is in these superbly shot sequences that the film relies heavily upon the physical expressions and movements of Jonasi and the white turtle. The drama of this world beneath the surface is exposed, and revealed as a communication of action and image. Here is an example of the power of unspoken communication between images: the total non-reliance upon dialogue, or the obtrusive micky-mousing of sound effects… As an individual Jonasi cannot be constrained and eased into conformity. Insomuch as there is a sincere desire by some for him to be accepted into the community there still remains in him that desire for the freedom of the seas and the unrestrained silence beneath the surface. His magical shell is the sea and it would therefore be impossible for him to separate himself from it. At the film’s ending only one character arrives at truly understanding that. It is in this understanding that the qualities of The Silent One emerge as a culmination of successful filmic rhythm and thematic drama. Without too much thought given to interpretation, The Silent One is best experienced as a mythical drama that is both magical and real film for audiences of any age to enjoy.” — Campbell McLean, Salient [p.15, undated]

"Entering the record books as the first New Zealand feature by a woman director, Yvonne Mackay's The Silent One is a handsomely shot, intriguing, but uneven fable set on a mythical Polynesian island (actually Aitutaki Island, Rarotonga). [...] Mackay, graduating to features after cutting her teeth on documentaries and TV dramas, has fashioned a visually striking picture which makes excellent use of the location, a paradise on earth."— Variety, May 16, 1984

The Silent One has won five awards including the Best Film Soundtrack of the Year at the New Zealand Music Awards (it was the first with a Dolby stereo soundtrack), and first prize at the International Film Festival for Youths in Frankfurt.

Screenings: The Silent One screened on 23 April 2008 as part of the Features for Kids season; and on 31 January 2007 as part of the Adapted: NZ Literature into Film series