''Vigil'' is a 1984 New Zealand

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by Vincent Ward and starring Penelope Stewart,

Frank Whitten Frank Edgar Richard Whitten (15 November 1942 – 12 February 2011) was a New Zealand television actor. He was more recently known for playing Ted "Grandpa" West in the New Zealand television show '' Outrageous Fortune''.Megahey, LeslieEsteeme ...

Bill Kerr William Henry Kerr (10 June 1922 – 28 August 2014) was a British and Australian actor, comedian and vaudevillian. Born in South Africa, he started his career as a child actor in Australia, before emigrating to Britain after the Second World W ...

, Fiona Kay, and Gordon Shields. It was the first New Zealand film invited to play in the competitive section (for the

Palme d'Or The (; ) is the highest prize awarded to the director of the Best Feature Film of the Official Competition at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festiv ...

) of the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

Plot

Eleven-year-old Toss lives on a remote farm in a valley somewhere deep in rural New Zealand with her father, mother and grandfather Birdie. When she witnesses her father's death while out herding sheep, she is shocked to see another man present, who then carries her father's body out of the bush. When the new man, Ethan moves onto the farm and begins a relationship with her mother, Toss sees him as an invader into her isolated world.

Cast

* Penelope Stewart as Elizabeth Peers *

as Ethan Ruir *

as Birdie * Fiona Kay as Lisa "Toss" Peers * Gordon Shields as Justin Peers

Production

Vincent Ward spent five years making ''Vigil'', from pre-production to completion. Part of this was a lengthy pre-production process which involved him visiting hundreds of schools throughout New Zealand, looking for the right actor to play Toss. Similarly, Ward travelled all over New Zealand looking for a perfect setting before finding the isolated farm in Northern Taranaki where filming eventually took place. It was his debut feature film. Producer and former collaborator Tim White, whom Ward had met while both were studying at the

Ilam School of Fine Arts The Ilam School of Fine Arts at the University of Canterbury, located in the Ilam suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand, was founded in 1882 as the Canterbury College School of Art. The school became a full department of the university in the ...

in the 1970s, was

first assistant director The role of an assistant director (AD) on a film includes tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, and maintaining order on the set. They also have to ...

on the film. Ward co-wrote the screenplay with Graeme Tetley;

cinematography Cinematography () is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography. Cinematographers use a lens (optics), lens to focus reflected light from objects into a real image that is transferred to some image sen ...

was by Alun Bollinger; while

production design In film industry, film and television, a production designer is the individual responsible for the overall aesthetic of the story. The production design gives the viewers a sense of the time period, the plot location, and character actions and ...

was by Kai Hawkins.

Reception

Upon its release, ''Vigil'' polarised critics, although generally it was reviewed positively. One particularly negative critic, Robert Brown of ''

The Monthly Film Bulletin The ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 until April 1991, when it merged with '' Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those wi ...

'', criticised the film for its "irritating music-and-effects track" and said it offered "grand themes ..but without any notion of how they connect in reality".Martin, Helen and Sam Edwards. ''New Zealand Film: 1912-1996''. Oxford University Press, 1997, p. 106. Others, however, offered far more favourable reviews. The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' described ''Vigil'' as "a film of elemental beauty and growing tension". ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' gave a positive review, saying "In ''Vigil'', Ward gives us imagery that plays like blasted poetry", while ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' called it "a work of astonishing, original force ..the most distinctive New Zealand film ever to reach Britain".

Nominations and awards

''Vigil'' was the first New Zealand film invited to play in the competitive section of the

, where it was nominated for the

and received a

standing ovation A standing ovation is a form of applause where members of a seated audience stand up while applauding, often after extraordinary performances of particularly high acclaim. Standing ovations are considered to be a special honor. Often they are ...

. The film was nominated for awarded three awards at New Zealand's GOFTA Awards in 1986: *Best Cinematography ( Alun Bollinger) *Best Original Screenplay (Vincent Ward) *Best Production Design (Kai Hawkins) At the 1984 1984 Chicago International Film Festival, ''Vigil'' was nominated for

Gold Hugo The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the comp ...

for Best Feature Film. The film won three Grand Prix (major prizes for best film) at three European film festivals: *1984 Madrid Film Festival (Spain) *1984 Prades International Film Festival (France) *1985 Imag Fic Festival (Spain)

References

External links

*
''Vigil''
at Vincent Ward Films
''Vigil''
on NZ On Screen {{DEFAULTSORT:Vigil (Film) 1984 films 1984 drama films 1984 directorial debut films Films directed by Vincent Ward Films set on farms Films shot in New Zealand New Zealand drama films 1980s New Zealand films 1980s English-language films