Episode One of The Governor added to nzonscreen

Episode One of The Governor added to nzonscreen.com

New Zealanders have a chance to see a significant part of our television history as the first episode of the landmark historical drama series The Governor has today been added to NZ On Screen.

NZ On Screen Content Director Irene Gardiner says The Governor is one of the most important titles to be added to the website. “The series was our first historical blockbuster, it was absolutely huge in production scale, and also stirred up huge controversy. It was kind of like New Zealand’s War and Peace. There really hasn’t been anything quite like it since.”
The Governor examined the life of Governor George Grey in six thematic parts. English actor Corin Redgrave played Grey, supported by an all-star cast of Kiwi talent, including George Henare, Martyn Sanderson, Don Selwyn, and Grant Tilly. The Governor was made in 1976, and Gardiner says the epic colonial drama was a massive undertaking for that time. The unprecedented production scale placed serious demands on the NZBC/National Film Unit co-production as there was no similar local model back then.

“It was probably a miracle the series got to air, and when it did – in 1977 – it was hugely controversial.

“Prime Minister Robert Muldoon, perhaps smarting from infamous run-ins with the state broadcaster’s journalists, really set the bloodhounds on the trail of the series.

“He questioned the appropriateness of the budget, and despite there being other expensive period dramas made at the same time, such as Hunter’s Gold, The Governor was singled out by a government razor-gang looking to slash costs. Claims the series had cost more than a million dollars made front-page news.”

Producer/director Tony Isaac and writers Michael Noonan and Keith Aberdein made up the main creative team behind The Governor. Noonan told NZ On Screen he felt a lot of the controversy surrounding the series was fanned by members of the fledgling feature film industry in the late 1970s, who were annoyed that so much Government money had gone to a television production.

The Governor received mixed reviews when it screened. Some reviewers felt it was something of an ambitious failure, but the series won the 1978 Feltex Award for Best Drama, and is now remembered as an extraordinary achievement for its time.

Gardiner says that as well as the epic production scale, The Governor was also significant because it challenged the accepted Pakeha version of history that Grey was the “Good Governor.”

“The series incorporated a Maori perspective and revealed that while Grey was a figurehead for the new colony, he was also a less than perfect figure. In that sense, the series was quite ahead of its time.

“Whatever its imperfections and controversies at the time, The Governor has certainly gone down in New Zealand television history as one of our most legendary programmes.”

Gardiner said it had taken some time to clear episode one of the series, but NZ On Screen was hopeful other episodes would be added to the website in time. “I think this it is really significant for our television industry and our popular culture that people can now see the series free on NZ On Screen. There will be a whole generation of New Zealanders who will be able to see The Governor for the first time.”

Funded by NZ On Air, NZ On Screen is a new online showcase of New Zealand film and television. You can see The Governor, and hundreds of other NZ titles, for free on www.nzonscreen.com

The Governor: http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/the-governor-1977 Background notes: http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/the-governor-1977/background

ends

© Scoop Media