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Utu
Film (Trailer and Excerpts) – 1983
It's the 1870s, and Māori leader Te Wheke (Anzac Wallace) is fed up by brutal land grabs. He leads a bloody rebellion against the colonial Government, provoking threatened frontiersmen, disgruntled natives, lusty wahine, bible-bashing priests, and kupapa alike to consider the nature of ‘utu’ (retribution). Legendary New Yorker critic Pauline Kael raved about Geoff Murphy’s ambitious follow up to Goodbye Pork Pie: "[He] has an instinct for popular entertainment ... The film has sweep, yet it's singularly unpretentious — irony is turned into slapstick."
For me it is blood for blood. Utu.– Matu (Merata Mita)
Key Cast & Crew
See all 44 credits
Produced by
Utu Productions
Acknowledgements
Made with funding from the NZ Film Commission
Presented with thanks to the New Zealand Film Heritage Trust – Te Puna Ataata
Music
Music composed by John Charles; performed by the NZ Symphony Orchestra, conducted by William Southgate
Waiatas by Jane and Paul Mareikura
Māori flute by Joe Malcolm
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Also written and directed by Geoff Murphy
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Another Geoff Murphy period tale
Blerta Revisited
Directed by Geoff Murphy
Ngāti
The story of a Māori community, featuring Wi Kuki Kaa
Crooked Earth
Feature film about contemporary Māori conflict
Little Things
Music video clip also featuring actor Wi Kuki Kaa
Tank Busters
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TV drama written by Keith Aberdein
The New Zealand Wars
The history of Māori vs Pākehā conflict
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Also features Bruno and Martyn Sanderson
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Actor Zac Wallace behind the scenes
Savage Play - Part Three
Another 19th century drama
Taua - War Party
More violent revenge in the bush
The New Zealand Wars 4 - Taranaki Prophets (Episode Four)
Documentary that includes Tītokowaru’s rebellion
Never Say Die
Also directed by Geoff Murphy
Good for Nothing
Another Kiwi western
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Documentary about Māori tattooing
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Another film set during the New Zealand Wars
The Quiet Earth
Also directed by Geoff Murphy
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Features another notable mock trial
The Dead Lands
More Māori warriors
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Actor Tim Eliott narrates this 60s documentary
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More alleged utu
The Life and Times of Te Tutu - 4 (Series One, Episode Four)
Features another colonial priest
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Student films which cinematographer Graeme Cowley worked on
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Geoff Murphy talks about casting Merata Mita in Utu
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A New Zealand 'western' directed by Jane Campion
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Geoff Murphy worked on this iconic film
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A pioneering movie based on Māori/Pākehā conflict
One Land - Full Series
A reality show set in colonial times
NZ Wars - Stories of Tainui
Documentary about the legacy of the Waikato invasion
Savage Play - Part One
Another 19th century drama
The Convert
Pre-colonial action drama from Lee Tamahori