Russell Reid

When 27-year-old Russell William Asquith Reid joined the National Film Unit in August 1941, he brought with him experience in acting, producing and stage management, as well as the relatively new skill of writing plays for radio. Born in Invercargill, Reid attended Southland Boys’ High School before going on to Otago University, where he was instrumental in reviving the varsity dramatic society and organising capping shows.

He moved to Wellington in 1937 to join the playwriting department of the National Broadcasting Service, which controlled New Zealand's non-commercial radio broadcasting. In his spare time he was actively involved with local amateur theatrical society the Thespians — he produced, managed, or acted in many of their plays. He also wrote prizewinning radio play Ramsay of Burntwood, which was broadcast not long after he joined the NFU. 

In his transition from stage to microphone to soundtrack, Reid had to adapt his writing ability, and acquire and master new skills. In handling film and learning how it could tell a story with or without words, he was able to rely on experienced colleagues like Cyril Morton and James Harris who showed him that film editing required more than the simple manipulation of a splicer.

The first film Reid worked on was Shipboard (1941) for which he wrote the commentary, adapting the descriptions from the cameramen’s dope sheets to match the cut film as edited by Morton. The scenes of soldiers at sea had been filmed by the NZ Cinema Unit en route to the Middle East. Other early films on which he honed his skills were Boots and All (1942), showing the manufacture of army boots, and They Toil and Spin (1942), in which Navy League volunteers spin wool and knit socks for the navy. He wrote commentaries for both films, and edited them with guidance from Harris.

At first, Reid’s work was confined to the NFU's Miramar studios in Wellington. There he would edit film sent from cameramen travelling with the New Zealand forces overseas, from staff cameramen filming locally, and also from Rudall Hayward, the NFU’s man in Auckland, and then write commentaries for the resulting items.

As well as making short items for the NFU’s weekly film series (titled Weekly Review from October 1942) he wrote commentaries for longer documentaries such as Behind Our Planes (1942), showing the work of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, and R.N.Z.A.F. in the Pacific (1943).

In July 1944, with cameraman Stan Wemyss and sound recordist Bob Allen, Reid returned to his hometown to make a documentary about the Invercargill Licensing Trust, which had just commenced operations. Weekly Review No. 163 - Experiment in Invercargill had an unusual feature: acted sequences with dialogue.

On another trip south, he joined cameraman Roger Mirams for a lengthy item showing life at Otago University, where Reid had graduated with a Bachelor of Arts a decade earlier. 'Dunedin.... Town and Gown' was the final item of Weekly Review No. 251, released in June 1946.

From short news clips to longer documentaries, Reid was involved in making over 200 items for Weekly Review.

When the Thespians emerged from wartime recess to resume productions, Reid and his wife (retaining her maiden name Joan Airey) were again involved in stage managing and acting. Keen to widen their experience, they set off for England in early 1947. Reid spent a year as stage director of the prestigious Arts Theatre in Great Newport Street, London, then described by some as "England’s National Theatre in miniature". After 18 months they returned to New Zealand.

The NFU contracted Reid to direct Weekly Review No. 406 - Disabled Servicemen (1949). Although he was not on the permanent staff, it was on this documentary that Reid received his only on-screen credit as director. The NFU soon reverted to a policy of not listing crew names on-screen, even for the full-length documentaries that Reid worked on after September 1949, after he rejoined the NFU as a Unit Director.

One short newsreel special that Reid handled, New Prime Minister (1949) featuring a short speech by Prime Minister-elect Sid Holland, foreshadowed a shift in government policy — and significant change for the NFU. The weekly reel would end so that more attention could be paid to the film needs of government departments, with the unit becoming part of a reorganised Tourist and Publicity Department.

When the Weekly Review came to an end in August 1950, Reid was en route to the Cook Islands for three months of filming. Moana Roa (1951), the documentary that he directed, was notable for its score by New Zealand composer Ashley Heenan.

Made for the unit's new parent department, the 35mm Anscocolor tourist promotional Gateway to New Zealand (1952) was one of the last films Reid worked on, before resigning from the NFU in 1952.

With his wife he set up Joan and Russell Reid Ltd, to service the increasing interest in theatre in New Zealand. Among the range of supplies and services they provided were stage lighting equipment, theatrical wigs, makeup, and a lending library of plays. They carried on the business until 1967.

Russell Reid died at Wellington Hospital on 12 July 1970. He was 56.

Writing and original research by Clive Sowry; published on 27 June 2025

Sources include
Papers Plus website. Accessed 27 June 2025
Russell Reid, 'Working for the Weekly Review' – Screen Parade, April, 1945, page 13
'Reid, Russell William Asquith' (Death notice) – The Dominion, 13 July, 1970, page 30
Peter Harcourt, 'Drama + Domesticity = Joan Reid' – Woman's Choice, June 1956 (Volume 3 no 21), page 20, 57
Unknown writer, 'National Film Unit Brings The Cook Islands Nearer N.Z.' – The Evening Post, 2 October 1951, page 12
Unknown writer, 'Mr. Holland At Miramar' – Evening Post, 7 December 1949, page 14
Unknown writer, 'Back From England' – The Dominion, 6 November 1948, page 8'
Unknown writer, University Life. Making of Documentary Film' – The Otago Daily Times, 9 May 1946, page 8
Unknown writer, 'Motion Picture of City' – The Southland Times, 26 July 1944, page 4
Unknown writer, '"RAMSAY OF BURNTWOOD" Prize-Winning Centennial Radio Play' –The Listener, 24 October 1941 (Volume 5 no 122), page 7
Unknown writer, 'From Radio to Films' – The Listener, 29 August 1941 (Volume 5 no 114), page 15