''Beyond Reasonable Doubt'' is a 1980

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

docu-drama feature film directed by John Laing and starring

David Hemmings David Edward Leslie Hemmings (18 November 1941 – 3 December 2003) was an English actor and director. He is best remembered for his roles in British films and television programmes of the 1960s and 1970s, particularly the 1966 mystery film ' ...

, John Hargreaves,

Roy Billing Roy Harwood Billing (born 1947) is a New Zealand television actor, now based on Waiheke Island, New Zealand. He was brought up in Ruawai, Northland, New Zealand. Billing spent almost three decades living and working in Australia. He became wid ...

, and

Terence Cooper Terence Cooper (5 July 1933 – 16 September 1997) was a British film actor, best known for his roles in Australian and New Zealand television and film. Biography Born in 1933 at Carnmoney, a district of the modern-day borough of Newtownabbey ...

Plot synopsis

Arthur Allan Thomas Arthur Allan Thomas (born 2 January 1938) is a New Zealand man who was granted a Royal Pardon and compensation after being wrongfully convicted of the murders of Harvey and Jeannette Crewe in June 1970. Thomas was married and farming a property in ...

is falsely convicted for the murder of

Harvey and Jeanette Crewe __NOTOC__ David Harvey Crewe (20 October 1941 – 17 June 1970) and Jeannette Lenore Crewe (née Demler; 6 February 1940 – 17 June 1970) were a New Zealand farming couple who were shot to death in their home around 17 June 1970. The murders ...

and is later pardoned after 9 years in prison.

Cast

as Inspector Bruce Hutton * John Hargreaves as

Tony Barry Tony Barry (28 August 1941 – 21 December 2022) was an Australian actor and activist best known for his television and film roles. Personal life Barry was born in Ipswich, Queensland, on 28 August 1941. He had one son. Barry was an environmen ...

as Detective John Hughes *

Martyn Sanderson Martyn Sanderson (24 February 1938 – 14 October 2009) was a New Zealand actor, director, producer, writer and poet. Sanderson was described as one of the founding fathers of modern theatre in New Zealand. In New Zealand he had appearances ...

as Len Demler *

as Paul Temm *

as Court Official

Reception

The film was the second highest-grossing New Zealand film in New Zealand at the time with a gross of $350,000, behind '' Sleeping Dogs'' (1977). The film received mixed reviews which has largely been attributed to its avoidance of genre clichés. The film did receive praise when it screened at the 1981 Chicago Film Festival, with director John Laing recalling that "the audience was passionate". The film also received praise from Roger Ebert in the ''Chicago Sun Times'' where he described it as a "remarkable film". In New Zealand the film was well received with ''Punch'' stating that it "inspires respect" and suggesting that the film "stirs

ope Ope () is a locality situated in Östersund Municipality, Jämtland County, Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of ...

that New Zealand may be about to join the cinema producing countries". Due to the high-profile nature of the case in New Zealand the film was described as a "story that a lot of people in the country wanted to forget about". In spite of this the film was New Zealand's most successful film until the release of ''

Goodbye Pork Pie ''Goodbye Pork Pie'' is a 1981 New Zealand comedy film directed by Geoff Murphy, co-produced by Murphy and Nigel Hutchinson, and written by Geoff Murphy and Ian Mune. The film was New Zealand's first large-scale local hit. One book described it ...

'' the following year.

References

External links

''Beyond Reasonable Doubt''
–

New Zealand Film Commission The New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC; mi, Te Tumu Whakaata Taonga) is a New Zealand government agency formed to assist with creating and promoting New Zealand films. It was established under the New Zealand Film Commission Act 1978 (as amende ...

synopsis * {{IMDb title, 0080432, Beyond Reasonable Doubt
NZ On Screen page
1980 films 1980 drama films 1980s New Zealand films Docudrama films Films set in New Zealand Films about miscarriage of justice Films based on non-fiction books 1980 directorial debut films New Zealand drama films Films directed by John Laing 1980s English-language films

Plot synopsis

Cast

Reception

References

Further reading

External links