Rapa Nui is a 1994 film directed by Kevin Reynolds. It was produced by Kevin Costner and Barrie M. Osborne, among others. The plot is based on Rapanui legends of Easter Island, Chile, in particular the race for the Sooty Tern's egg in the Birdman Cult. The historic details are questionable, but the central theme - the destruction of the island's irreplaceable forests - is well authenticated.
Inter-tribal rivalry leads to a competition to erect a ...
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Rapa Nui is a 1994 film directed by Kevin Reynolds. It was produced by Kevin Costner and Barrie M. Osborne, among others. The plot is based on Rapanui legends of Easter Island, Chile, in particular the race for the Sooty Tern's egg in the Birdman Cult. The historic details are questionable, but the central theme - the destruction of the island's irreplaceable forests - is well authenticated.
Inter-tribal rivalry leads to a competition to erect a huge statue (moai) in record time before Make can take part in the race to retrieve the egg. The reward for winning this race is to rule the island for one year.
The film can be considered a condensed history of the collapse of the Easter Island civilisation, for example the tribe cut down all of the remaining trees to move the moai to its site. In the end, Noro and Ramana attempt to flee the island in a special canoe, built by Ramana's father.
The plot mixes elements of two periods - the era of the moai and the later Birdman Cult. If the...
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