About
In 1983, Geoff Murphy stormed out of the scrub of the recently reborn New Zealand film industry with an explosive take on the colonial epic. Set during the New Zealand Wars, this tale of a Māori leader (Anzac Wallace) and his bloody path to redress 'imbalance' was the second local feature invited to the Cannes Film Festival. It became one of Aotearoa's most successful local releases (after Murphy's Goodbye Pork Pie). A producer-driven recut later screened in North America. Driven by Utu cinematographer Graeme Cowley, the film was "enhanced and restored" in 2013. After the excerpt, a short video explores Utu's rebirth.
Key Cast & Crew
All available videos
Related images
The poster for Utu Redux
Behind the scenes on Utu. From left to right: actor Tim Shadbolt (in top hat), director Geoff Murphy, first assistant director Lee Tamahori, grip Alister Barry and camera operator Paul Leach.
Kindly provided by The Dominion Post.
The January 1983 premiere of Utu in Napier. From left: then Governor-General Sir David Beattie, Sir Graham Latimer (Chairman of the Māori Council), David Carson-Parker (executive producer of Utu) and the film's director Geoff Murphy.
Photographer: Barry Durrant. Kindly provided by The Dominion Post.
Geoff Murphy and then wife Pat Robins arrive for the premiere of Utu in Napier, in January 1983. Disembarking from the cart are John Charles, who composed the soundtrack, and his wife Judy.
Photographer: Barry Durrant. Kindly provided by The Dominion Post.
