scroff

I remember trying to see this film when I was 12 or 13 but the friend who bought the tickets ending up buying tickets for The Magic Roundabout and the Blue Cat. What a disappointment at the time.

Seeing it for the first time subsequently, the optimum word is prescient. Donaldson showed scenes that were fresh and on a scale never scene in NZ cinema before. Skyhawks dropping bombs on the terrorists (Mune and Neill). "Spooky" is the word most used by those who have commented in this forum.

Having met Carl Stead last year in London, I was impressed by his philosophy regarding the films success in NZ at the time. Comprimises were made to the author's chagrin but in the end the story fulfilled its cinematic requirements. Donaldson along with Geoff Murphy were pioneers of a new revolution in film-making for New Zealand.

The first NZ film I had seen that opened up the dark under belly of an immature and isolated nation in troubled times.

The movie is dated now but the impact in context of the time it was made is undeniable.

Having watched this movie for the first time in 1994 while at film school, I was struck by the elegant mixture of genres crafted into this film. For any film-maker wanting to prove his or her ability to engage and surprise an audience this film is a must. Most striking (apart from the unbelievable cinematography) is the conundrum like dialogue between characters and the inability as an objective viewer to discern who has the moral high ground until the director allows you such luxury. The pacing of dialogue, and the surreal characters that share the same space as foils to Depardieu and Polanski's characters, hark back to an older more energetic era of film. The performance from both leads should be compulsive viewing for all film students.

For those not familiar with Guiseppe Tornatore's work, another must see is the internationally acclaimed Cinema Paradiso which is truly an outstanding piece of work.