Giant Woman and the Lightning Man, The

This wonderful film introduces the viewer to artists who work in two different traditions of Australian Aboriginal art. In the desert, a group of tribesmen retell their legends by creating large and elaborate ground paintings. The beauty of the finished pieces -- so ancient and so modern -- is stunning. The Aborigines of the northern coast depict the stories of their ancestors in bark paintings. Two brothers painstakingly prepare their bark canvasses and brushes and create two astonishing pieces. Both northern and desert Aborigines include body painting as part of their art and perform magical ritual dances accompanied by traditional music.