 |
 |
| Issue 40: December 1997 |
| |
A Week of It
The Bank of New Zealand and New Zealand Film Archive Last Film Search 10 covering
Manawatu / Wanganui /Taranaki. Staff member Diane Pivac reports from the road
Thursday, 6 November - Palmerston North. Archive staff greet Elma Johnston, star
of the 1928 Community Comedy Mary of Marton and special guest. We lug the electric
(unbelievably heavy) piano around the Downtown Cinema and set up the displays.
The launch screenings are successful and well appreciated. The projectionist hands
over a box of nitrate trailers from the Reefton Picture Theatre..
Friday. Set up accessioning table, winders and viewers in the Palmerston North
branch of the Bank of New Zealand.
Monday. Jamie Lean and I visit the Waters farm in Tiritea. Romantic notions of
crawling around the wool shed (I had Johnny’s gumboots on loan!) are dashed,
the films have been brought inside and dusted off. It’s an amazing 16mm collection
of local events from the 30s and 40s filmed by grandfather Waters.
Information comes in from Fred Gibbons, who featured in Youth at the Wheel,
shown in the screening programme. His father was active with a 16mm camera between
1936 and 1947.
Tuesday. Jean Larsen deposits a huge collection of cinema slides. Jean’s
brother Jack was the projectionist at the Norsewood Town Hall for 25 years and
must have kept the slides.
Wednesday. Jamie visits Peter Edwards at his Audio Visual Museum in Foxton while
Johnny and I visit Count Valmond here in Palmerston. The Count, a “Theatrical
Manager and Vintage Radio and Ancient Entertainment Apparatus Collector”
has an incredible collection.
Thursday. At the Fielding branch where film has already been delivered. The public
response to the search is fabulous. We’re off to Taihape on Monday...
At the time of going to print The Manawatu / Wanganui /Taranaki Last Film
Search had received more than 300 films.
page top
Film Heritage 2001
A major heritage project for the millennium, The Rosier Fund, was launched at
the Film Centre in November.
The Fund was initiated with a generous bequest from Vaughan and Laura Rosier.
It is dedicated to preserving early New Zealand film, particularly nitrate film
which is not expected to survive beyond the end of the century.
Following a speech by Minister of Cultural Affairs, Simon Upton, guests at the
launch were treated to a live cinema screening of newly preserved films with
piano accompaniment by Ella Hanify.
Included on the programme was one of the first films to be preserved with
Rosier funding; the 1905 Original All Blacks versus England at Crystal
Palace, London.
Fundraiser Barbara Blake says “the aim is to raise $250,000 by the year
2001. It would be a tragedy if New Zealand’s moving image heritage was
lost forever because the Archive lacked the funds for preservation.”
The Fund has already attracted a number of corporate contributors among them
Colenso Communications and 2D Films. The Friends of the Film Archive have also
made a strong commitment to supporting the fund over the next three years. Contributions
will be acknowledged with screen credits on restored prints.
Barbara Blake says “We have the films, we have the expertise, what we need
is to achieve our goal of $250,000”.
A brochure on the Rosier Fund: Preserving Our Film Heritage with
details on how to contribute is enclosed in this issue of Newsreel. For further
information contact Barbara Blake at the Film Archive or on 04 297 9222.
page top
The Originals Restored
Rare footage of the Originals, the 1905 All Blacks, playing the test against
England at Crystal Palace has attracted world-wide media interest.
| |
 |
|
|
| |
Original All Black vs England,
1905 |
|
|
Believed to be the earliest surviving footage of an international
rugby game and the only known footage of the Originals in action,
the film has excited film archivists, historians and rugby followers
alike.
The 1905 Originals were the first New Zealand national representative sports
team to tour England. The All Blacks won 15–0, a New Zealand record for
many years. The film shows highlights of the game minus the crucial tries –
indicating the film was most likely shot by a British cameraman! says rugby
historian Ron Palenski.
Owen Batchelor of Christchurch found the film two years ago while clearing out
his father's shed and the family deposited it with the Film Archive. Although
water-damaged, flaking and pinned together the picture area was in good condition
and Film Archive conservators cleaned, repaired and copied the fragile nitrate
print.
The restored film had its first public screening on November 6 in Palmerston
North for the launch of the Bank of New Zealand and New Zealand Film Archive
Manawatu / Wanganui / Taranaki Last Film Search.
page top
The Pikchas
A Maori delegation representing the film industry and Film Archive attended
the recent Festival of the Dreaming in Sydney.
| |
 |
|
|
| |
At The Pikchas: Wi Kuki
Kaa, Riwia Brown, Festival of the Dreaming Artistic Director
Rhoda Roberts, Philothea Flynn, Huia Kopua, Larry Parr, Tama
Poata. |
|
|
Organised in association with the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, the
Festival celebrated the arts of indigenous cultures. The Festival
film programme, The Pikchas featured 54 works by indigenous
film makers with a particular focus on the works of Aborigines and
Torre Strait Islanders.
The selection from Aotearoa included: Once were Warriors,
Thunderbox, Te Rua, Ngati, Taniwha,
O Tamaiti, Talk of the Town, Brown Sugar,
Hei Tiki and Adventures in Maoriland: Alexander Markey
and the Making of Hei Tiki.
The New Zealand delegates took an active role in The Pikchas forums addressing
issues such as the conflict between international copyright and indigenous lore,
appropriation, industry training and access to images.
The delegates wish to thank the New Zealand Lottery Grants Board whose generous
support enabled their participation in the Festival.
page top
Wenders: To the End of the World
The Film Centre is to premiere The End of Violence, the latest feature
from internationally acclaimed director Wim Wenders.
| |
 |
|
|
| |
The End of Violence, 1997 |
|
|
The screening will be the centrepiece of Wenders: To the End
of the World, an exhibition of photographs and selected films
from Wim Wenders at the Film Centre in March / April 1998.
The End of Violence was In Competition at Cannes in 1997 and stars Bill Pullman,
Andie McDowell, Gabriel Byrne.
Highlights on the film programme include Until the End of the World;
Notebooks on Cities and Clothes; The Skladanowsky Brothers;
Lisbon Story; Paris Texas and two surprise "director's
choices".
Wim Wenders: Photos, an exhibition of photo-landscape photographs
taken in American and Australia will be shown in the Todd Exhibition Hall.
Wenders: To the End of the World is presented in association with
the Goethe Institut and Essential Films.
page top
Oops!
In our enthusiasm in producing the new look Newsreel we jumped from
issue 37 to 39. We apologise for any confusion.
Please note there is no issue 38.
Cataloguers will also be interested to note our new ISSN number: 1174--4081
page top
News Clips
View from the top
The Film Archive has received a valuable collection of films from
Sir Edmund Hillary. The 16mm collection includes documentaries of
the Himalayas and Antarctica as well as Hillary family records.
The Collection was deposited following the recent broadcast of the
television documentary series Hillary: A View from the Top
to which the Archive contributed footage.
Viewed in Italy
The Film Archive’s print of Mr Edison at Work in his Chemical Laboratory,
1895, travelled to the 1997 silent film festival in Pordenone, Italy. The film,
preserved by the Film Archive, was included in a programme of Edison films presented
by the Library of Congress shown at the festival.
ANZAC relations
Copies of more than 100 films featuring historic events in New Zealand have
returned home from Australia. Film Archive staff member Jane Paul travelled
to Australia on an ANZAC fellowship in 1995-96 to research NZ films held there.
At the National Film and Sound Archive in Canberra, Jane identified a large
number of New Zealand related newreels. Of special interest is Funeral Procession
of Premier Richard Seddon, 1906 and Australasian Gazette 451 (1918)
featuring the Welcome Home to the Maori Pioneer Battalion.
page top
|
