''Smash Palace'' is a
New Zealand feature film that premiered at
Cannes in May 1981 and was released theatrically in April 1982. The film chronicles a former race car driver (played by
Bruno Lawrence
David Charles Lawrence (12 February 194110 June 1995) known as Bruno Lawrence was an English-born musician and actor, who was active in the industry in New Zealand and Australia.
Initially notable as a musician and founder of 1970s ensemble Bl ...
) who inadvertently contributes to the end of his marriage, then kidnaps his daughter (
Greer Robson). Lawrence's character runs a carwrecking yard in an isolated area of New Zealand's North Island.
''Smash Palace'' was the second feature directed by
Roger Donaldson. Critical acclaim in the United States won him interest from Hollywood, and the chance to direct the first of a number of films financed outside of New Zealand, ''
The Bounty''.
The soundtrack was composed and performed by New Zealand-born singer
Sharon O'Neill. ''Smash Palace'' has an
R16 rating.
Plot
Retired international racing driver Al Shaw returns home to take over his late father's car-wrecking yard, "Smash Palace", on the remote
North Island Volcanic Plateau. Al's French-born wife Jacqui is increasingly unhappy with Al's obsession with cars and refusal to sell the yard, and fears for the future of their daughter Georgie.
Jacqui begins a relationship with Al's best friend, local police officer Ray Foley. When Al finds Jacqui and Ray together, he violently beats and rapes his wife. Jacqui leaves Al, taking Georgie with her. Jacqui subsequently takes up a job as a teacher and continues her relationship with Ray.
Al can't adjust to the separation and harasses Jacqui in his constant efforts to see his daughter. Al plans to make a racing comeback, and Jacqui forbids Al from taking Georgie to the race. In response, he destroys part of Jacqui's house with his tow truck, and is arrested. Jacqui subsequently takes out a protection order on Al to prevent him seeing Georgie.
Al sets up a hideout deep in the bush, then kidnaps Georgie from Jacqui at gunpoint. He pushes his tow truck off a cliff into a river to create a diversion for police.
Al and Georgie get reacquainted in their bush hideout, but suddenly Georgie falls ill. Al drives into town and robs a pharmacy at gunpoint, where he is spotted by a patrolling police car. He takes the pharmacist hostage and flees with her and Georgie back to Smash Palace.
Ray and Jacqui arrive at the hostage scene. Jacqui defies orders and runs through the cordon to reunite with her husband and daughter. Al hands over Georgie, and agrees to let the pharmacist go in exchange for Ray.
Cast
*
Bruno Lawrence
David Charles Lawrence (12 February 194110 June 1995) known as Bruno Lawrence was an English-born musician and actor, who was active in the industry in New Zealand and Australia.
Initially notable as a musician and founder of 1970s ensemble Bl ...
as Al Shaw
*
Anna Jemison
Anna Maria Monticelli is an Australian actress, screenwriter and producer.
Monticelli won the 1994 AFI Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her role in '' Silver City''. In 2001 she was nominated for the AFI Award for Best Original ...
as Jacqui Shaw
*
Greer Robson as Georgie Shaw
*
Keith Aberdein
Keith may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Keith (given name), includes a list of people and fictional characters
* Keith (surname)
* Keith (singer), American singer James Keefer (born 1949)
* Baron Keith, a line of Scottish barons i ...
as Ray Foley, policeman
*
Desmond Kelly
Desmond Kelly is a Ceylonese musician who has entertained in Sri Lanka and in Australia. He was born in Colombo in 1936.
Songs on Radio Ceylon
Kelly was one of a group of musicians who were discovered by Radio Ceylon, now the Sri Lanka Broadcas ...
as Tiny
* Sean Duffy as Frank
*
Lyn Robson as Linda
*
Margaret Umbers as Rose
* Roy Sturch as crash car driver
* Buick as Jazz the dog
Production
The film was funded by the
New Zealand Film Commission. When Donaldson first applied for funding, he was turned down. On a second attempt he was once again denied funding, until veteran film maker John O’Shea pointed out that Donaldson's earlier work ''
Sleeping Dogs'' had been the reason the commission was founded.
[Booth, Roger. ''Bruno: The Bruno Lawrence Story''. Canterbury University Press, 1999, p. 203]
One of the conditions of the film's eventual funding by the NZFC was that it be completed in time to screen at the 1981
Cannes Film Festival. This forced a tight schedule on the production team, giving only four months between the commencement of the shoot and the film's premiere.
Release and reception
Although the film was completely New Zealand financed and shot, the film was first released in the USA. The expectation was that by initially releasing in the US the film would gain positive reviews from international critics, thus encouraging local audiences, prone to a dismissal of Kiwi product as amateurish, to go and see the film. The strategy worked, with the film proving hugely successful in New Zealand.
[McDouall, Hamish. ''100 Essential New Zealand Films''. Awa Press, 2009, p. 178-180.]
The film won much acclaim for the performance of Bruno Lawrence, one of New Zealand's best-known actors. It was successful in its home land, and received positive reviews in the United States; Veteran critic
Pauline Kael described it as "amazingly accomplished".
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
called it one of the best films of 1981, "so emotionally wise and observant that we learn from it why people sometimes make the front pages with guns in their hands and try to explain that it's all because of love". ''
The New York Times'' picked it as one of its ten best movies of the year.
[Martin, Helen and Sam Edwards. ''New Zealand Film: 1912-1996''. Oxford University Press, 1997, p. 78.]
At the 1982
Manila Film Festival, Bruno Lawrence received an award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Al Shaw.
Location
Much of the film was shot on location at car dismantling business Horopito Motors, which has existed on the same site since the 1940s, in the former town of
Horopito near
Ohakune (). A scene from road movie ''
Goodbye Pork Pie'' was also shot in the same location. More recently the finale of
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
''Hunt for the Wilderpeople'' is a 2016 New Zealand adventure comedy-drama film written and directed by Taika Waititi, whose screenplay was based on the book ''Wild Pork and Watercress'' by Barry Crump. Sam Neill and Julian Dennison play "Uncle" ...
was shot at the same site, referencing both the above films.
[
]
Soundtrack
A
soundtrack was released in 1982, featuring five songs by New Zealand singer songwriter
Sharon O'Neill. It won Best Film Soundtrack/Cast Recording/Compilation at the 1983
New Zealand Music Awards.
References
External links
*
*
Smash Palaceat
New Zealand Film CommissionSmash Palaceat
NZ On Screen
{{Roger Donaldson
1981 drama films
1981 films
1980s New Zealand films
Atlantic Entertainment Group films
New Zealand auto racing films
Films directed by Roger Donaldson
Films set in New Zealand
Films shot in New Zealand
New Zealand drama films
1980s English-language films