00:00
/
00:00
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 45 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
If you liked this, you might also like...
The Bruno Lawrence Collection
This collection celebrates the inimitable performances of...
Top 10 NZ Feature Films
NZ On Screen has selected an all-time NZ feature film Top...
The Geoff Murphy Collection
This collection pays tribute to filmmaker Geoff Murphy —...
The NZ Film Commission turns 40
A collection celebrating 40 years of the NZ Film...
The Merata Mita Collection
A collection celebrating Māori filmmaker Merata Mita.
Making Utu
Making of documentary
Utu Redux
Geoff Murphy's 2013 "restored and enhanced" Utu
Close Up - Utu
A Close Up special on the production of Utu
Goodbye Pork Pie
Also written and directed by Geoff Murphy
Numero Bruno
Documentary on actor Bruno Lawrence
NZ Film Commission turns 40 - Past Memories
Geoff Murphy on making this (fifth clip)
Kaleidoscope - NZ Cinema, the Past Decade
Utu features in this survey of NZ film
Wild Man
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
Also directed by Geoff Murphy
Epidemic - Hemi Te Koaka (First Episode)
TV drama written by Keith Aberdein
The New Zealand Wars
The history of Māori vs Pākehā conflict
One of those Blighters
Also features Bruno and Martyn Sanderson
Koha - Mauri
Actor Zac Wallace behind the scenes
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
Tā Moko
Documentary about Māori tattooing
Pictures
Another film set during the New Zealand Wars
The Quiet Earth
Also directed by Geoff Murphy
Staunch
Features another notable mock trial
The Dead Lands
More Māori warriors
This Country - New Zealand
Actor Tim Eliott narrates this 60s documentary
Shipwreck - The Wreck of the Orpheus
More alleged utu
The Beaconsfield Films
Student films which cinematographer Graeme Cowley worked on
Rangatira: Merata Mita - Making Waves
Geoff Murphy talks about casting Merata Mita in Utu
The Power of the Dog
A New Zealand 'western' directed by Jane Campion
Dream in the Making - The Making of Sleeping Dogs
Geoff Murphy worked on this iconic film
Rewi's Last Stand / The Last Stand
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 - Full Series
Another 19th century drama
The Convert
Pre-colonial action drama from Lee Tamahori
Mercury Lane, Series One, Episode Seven
Interview with Director Geoff Murphy and actor Merata Mita
Close Up - Patu: Completing the Picture
Merata Mita's iconic documentary
Koha - Merata Mita Interview
Actor Merata Mita talks about the film
Forgive Us All
A more recent Western film