Independence for Fiji has several aims: to document Prince Charles’s attendance at the Fijian independence events; to make claims for the harmonious state of existence between the peoples of Fiji; to make claims for the friendly relationship between Fiji and Britain; and to promote Fiji as an attractive destination.

The documentation of the independence events is interesting. On the one hand, the film provides a thorough account of what took place. It unfolds in near chronological order, beginning with the welcome ceremony and culminating with Prince Charles’s tour. It also captures a great deal of detail, both temporally (some of the ceremonial events are allowed to unfold in real time) and visually (the cameraman employs close-ups to record a written oath of allegiance). On the other hand, this film is not simply a 'raw' actuality record of the events: the filmmakers employ various techniques to create deliberate emphases and impressions.

The filmmakers are in tune with the ideals of the independence celebrations. At the welcoming ceremony Prince Charles spoke of ‘the future potential of this multi-racial society’, while at the independence ceremony Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara looked forward to ‘a strong, united Fiji, rich in its diversity and tempered with tolerance, goodwill and understanding’. These speeches are duly recorded in the film, and they are reinforced by a still more positive statement: the commentary argues that the celebrations ‘saw nothing but harmony, happiness and rejoicing among the nation’s multi-racial population’. The ceremonies were careful to combine Fiji’s indigenous and immigrant peoples. Shown here are a number of different displays from the islands’ various communities. Prince Charles highlights this diversity in one of his speeches, noting that the combination is a ‘departure from tradition’. The film further records the diversity of Fiji, both through its camerawork (at the ceremonial events it picks out people of various ethnicities in the crowd), and through its use of sound recordings (the film samples the transmissions of Radio Fiji, which are made in various languages). This is not to say that Independence for Fiji provides an even balance. In the film, as with the ceremonies, the Fijian tribal chiefs are given pride of place. At each of the main ceremonial events the chiefs were located in the centre of the stadia, facing the royal box. The film gives its greatest amount of screen time to the chiefs’ welcoming ceremony, using multiple camera positions to record each stage of the procedures.

Independence for Fiji is similarly in tune with the ceremonies in its stress upon the regard that Fiji and Britain have for each other. In one of his speeches, Prince Charles quotes his mother, stating ‘there has always been mutual faith and confidence between Fiji and Britain’, while the new Prime Minister talks of ‘the warm feelings of our people of Fiji for the Crown, the United Kingdom, and its peoples’. The commentary notesthe moderate nature of British rule, from its beginning (‘the chiefs of Fiji ceded their islands freely and of their own wish to Queen Victoria’), to its end (‘the British government restored independence willingly at the request of the government of Fiji’). For the majority of the film Prince Charles is the centre of attention: its focus is upon the events at which he was guest of honour, and it is careful to record his reactions to the proceedings. Such is the film’s concentration upon Charles, that it is structured to give the impression that its aerial footage is shot from his point of view, recording his sights of Fiji as the Royal plane arrives and departs from the islands.

This emphasis on Charles is slightly disingenuous. While it is illustrative of the Royal family’s continued popularity, it is also used to demonstrate the attractiveness of Fiji. From the air, Charles/the filmmakers look down upon an island paradise. To the accompaniment of heavenly music we see images of verdant lands and gushing waterfalls; meanwhile the commentary describes Fiji as being ‘desirable, inviting, enticing’.Similarly, just as the tour of the island was designed to show Fiji in the best light to Charles, it also shows it in the best light to the viewer. The Prince travels to charming destinations and visits charming people.  The filmmakers’ desire to promote Fiji as a pleasant destination is made clear in one of the few segments that does not feature Charles. At the independence day ceremony they record the speech of the new Prime Minister. While the soundtrack allows his words to continue, the camera soon moves away from him, replacing shots of him speaking with images of Fiji’s beautiful countryside, vibrant townships and happy, multicultural people.

Richard Osborne