h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

So, am I the only one who quite liked The Piano? Yeah, heavy-handed symbolism aside, it was gorgeously shot and the music was superb.

Also wondering what 'counts' as being called a NZ film. Portrait of a Lady has been mentioned several times, and though the director is from NZ, the film was not shot there, nor had anything to do with NZ. I haven't seen it myself as I tend to avoid films with Nicole in them.

I've heard nothing but good things about Heavenly Creatures, though have yet to see it. But reading this thread makes me want to go and look for it at the video shop this weekend.


az


az

I have to say that apart from LoTR, I've not seen any NZ films. I did once have a nice, interesting conversation with a friend comparing New Zealand to The Shire.

Tolkien makes very clear in the books that The Shire is a wonderful place that would make others jealous. It is lush, green and beautiful and filled with decent, honest, hardworking folk. The hobbits always feel kinda ignored by the world of the 'Big People' and that their little patch isn't considered important, or even known by a lot of people in the wider world and that no hobbit has done great deeds, except by their own standards. The danger is highlighted later in the book, involvement and recognition with the wider world could be a dangerous thing and could lead to the destruction of The Shire by industry.

It might seem kinda arrogant, and I apologise if it does, but I do think you can draw analogies. New Zealand was as much a part of the film as the orcs and elves.

I can only speculate that Jane Campion might be interested in the novels of Henry James because they are often so much concerened with the realationship between the 'Old world' and the 'New'. Admittedly he is dealing with America as the 'New', but I can see how there might be analogies with other 'New world' places such as New Zealand. Just an idle speculation.......

Narnia IS helmed by an NZer, the director Andrew Adamson, in his first directorial effort with real people (he directed the Shrek movies).

Matt

I was listening to Radio 3 España this afternoon and they had a programme on Michael Nyman and so I heard bits of the music from The Piano again - hadn't heard it in years and it was interesting (to me) how it brought back a lot of the images from the film. I'm not sure but that might have been the first film shot in NZ that I'd ever seen and the scenery obviously made an impression.

az