Don't Let It Get You

There never was much money in the New Zealand film industry in the 1960s and the lack of budget shows alarmingly in this cheap beat musical. The plot is as simple as they come - two drummers vie for the affections of the same girl and a place in the band at the same gig, featuring New Zealand icon Howard Morrison. The humour is laboured, the script and acting are weak and the cinematography and direction are ordinary but this curio is worth seeking out for the rare musical performances from Morrison, Australia's Normie Rowe, Kiri Te Kanawa, Lew Pryme and, best of all, the fabulous Quin Tikis. But, like the cheap American rock and roll musicals of the fifties, the tunes are the only thing that hold the film together.

There's nothing pretentious about this film. It's about as down to earth and casual as the Kiwis, Aussies & Pacific Islanders who made it back in 1966. A lighthearted easy going spirit pervades the action, and, although there is very little of a plot as such, the musical performances are outstanding, and recorded in classic New Zealand settings. Howard Morrison is one of the mainstays of the cast,and early in the film he befriends drummer Gary Wallace. Much of the action is centered around the Rotrua Festival,and features some of the finest New Zealand talent of the day. A Young Kiri Te Kanawa awes Maori children in a meeting house with her rendition of an operatic aria, and both Howard Morrison and Herma Keil & The Quin Tikis deliver some powerful rock & soul numbers. Lew Pryme,Normie Rowe,Carmen Duncan & Rim D Paul also appear. To this day, this remains some of the best, indeed, some of the only footage of these early New Zealand bands,and for that reason alone, it is a must have for enthusiasts of New Zealand music or nostalgia.