Savage Honeymoon

The Savages are a working class West Auckland family who drink and live by their own rules. Savage Honeymoon is a celebration of their passion and leather pants — and a snapshot of a couple worried their children may not be as lucky as them. Mark Beesley’s first feature won good reviews (The Herald praised its "self-confident swagger") and headlines, after being downgraded from an R18 to R15 (a scene of an exploding gas bottle had helped cause concern). The film predated the Westie family of Outrageous Fortune — although Beesley was then no fan of the 'Westie' label, due to its negative connotations.