MovieChat Forums > Until They Sail (1957) Discussion > Were New Zealanders really so desperate ...

Were New Zealanders really so desperate to get out of their country?

posted 10 years ago by de-schreiber-de
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I was surprised to be moved as much as I was by this excellent movie, but one thing bothered me throughout—the New Zealand women all seemed so eager to leave home and go to the U.S. It didn't seem to bother them at all that they'd be leaving friends and family and the place they were born and raised in. I wonder whether there is any historical accuracy to this—was NZ so poor at the time?— or is it just American jingoism ("everybody in the whole world would rather be American than anything else")?

[–] thhunter 9 years ago

During the WW2 New Zealand was just over a million in population. This was a pioneer country, male dominated and still being "broken in". It is not that it was a poor country but, for young, intelligent, progressive women, it was something of a backwater. Hollywood movies and popular music from America had a powerful influence on youth - just as today. With all their young men away at war, it is only natural that girls would have felt that life was passing them by. They wanted excitement and a feeling of living for the present. Even today, young New Zealanders feel the urge to travel overseas They refer to it as "The Big OE" (OE=Overseas Experience). New Zealand is quite a geographically isolated place and this leads to people wanting to see the world. I think the movie is quite accurate in capturing this sense of isolation and desire for fun and living. And also accurate in showing that not ALL the women were ready to get on the first ship to America!