''Pallet on the Floor'' is a 1986

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 ...

made

comedy-drama film Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

, based on the final novel by

Ronald Hugh Morrieson Ronald Hugh Morrieson (29 January 1922 – 26 December 1972) was a novelist and short story writer in the New Zealand vernacular, who was little known in his home country until after his death. He earned his living as a musician and music teacher ...

. Shot in 1983 at

Patea Patea ( ) is the third-largest town in South Taranaki District, New Zealand. It is on the western bank of the Pātea River, 61 kilometres north-west of Whanganui on . Hāwera is 27 km to the north-west, and Waverley 17 km to the east ...

, partly in a closed-down abattoir, the film was given limited release in New Zealand three years later. The main role of abattoir worker Sam Jamieson is played by veteran actor

Peter McCauley Peter McCauley (born 8 March 1950) is an actor from New Zealand who has appeared in many television series and movies, mainly in his home country. Career McCauley graduated from Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School in 1973 with a Certific ...

. ''Pallet on the Floor'' is the only feature film directed by Lynton Butler, who earlier made ''One of those Blighters'', a television production which fictionalised Morrieson's life. Actor and musician

Bruno Lawrence David Charles Lawrence (12 February 194110 June 1995) known as Bruno Lawrence was an English-born musician and actor, who was active in the industry in New Zealand and Australia. Initially notable as a musician and founder of 1970s ensemble Bl ...

contributed to the jazz score, and has a small cameo role playing Morrieson as a bass player at a wedding. The focus of the plot was shifted to the character of the British remittance man in the hope that

Peter O’Toole Peter Seamus O'Toole (; 2 August 1932 – 14 December 2013) was a British stage and film actor. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and began working in the theatre, gaining recognition as a Shakespearean actor at the Bristol Old Vic ...

would take the role. This did not occur. While billed as comedy, the film depicts 1960s racism and class divisions, and maintains Morrieson's ''trademark preoccupations .... of sex, death, mateship, voyeurism, violence, booze and mayhem in bleak small town New Zealand''.

Plot

Life was hard enough for Sam Jamieson without Jack Voot's lechery and Miriam Breen's jealousy. Then life at Kurikino erupted into a sensation of murder and blackmail, turning his life into a nightmare from which the efforts of Tinny Entwistle, Gigglejuice Saunders and the Remittance Man could not save him. But Spud McGhee had an idea .... . Sam never gets round to working on his cottage, he goes to the ''Brian Boru'' the only hotel in Kurikino, run by Amos Blennerhasset. Wife Sue is pregnant. Sam works at 'the big slaughter-house across the bridge at the foot of the hill' known as 'the Works'.''Publisher’s blurb'' on the back cover of the 1976 novel

Cast

as Sam Jamieson * Jillian O'Brien as Sue Jamieson *

Bruce Spence Bruce Spence (born 17 September 1945) is a New Zealand–Australian actor. Spence has amassed over 100 film and television credits and has also acted in theatre. Biography Spence won an AFI Award for Best Actor for his role in the 1971 comedy ...

as Basil Beaumont-Foster (the Remittance Man) *

Shirley Gruar Shirley may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Shirley'' (novel), an 1849 novel by Charlotte Brontë * ''Shirley'' (1922 film), a British silent film * ''Shirley'' (2020 film), an American film * ''Shirley'' (album), a 1961 album by Shirley Bas ...

as Miriam Breen * Alastair Douglas as Stan Breem *

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 Larkman (the cop) * Jeremy Stephens as Spud McGhee * Michael Wilson as Shorty Larsen *

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 ...

as Brendon O'Keefe *

John Bach John Bach (born 5 June 1946) is a British-born New Zealand actor who has acted on stage, television and film over a period of more than four decades. Though born in the United Kingdom, he has spent most of his career living and working in New Z ...

as Jack Voot *

Marshall Napier James Marshall Napier (22 October 1951 – 14 August 2022) was a New Zealand-born character actor, playwright and graphic artist. He is known for a succession of strong supporting roles in Australasian films and television shows. He has also h ...

as Joe Voot *

Curly del Monte Curly is a surname, given name, nickname or stage name. It may refer to: First name, nickname or stage name * Crazy Horse (1840–1877), Oglala Sioux war chief nicknamed "Curly" * Curly (scout), nickname of Ashishishe (c. 1856–1923), Crow Ind ...

as Mason Voot *

Peter Rowley Peter Rowley (sometimes credited as Harrison Rowley during his early career) (born April 29, 1952) is a New Zealand comic actor and writer. He is best known for his television roles, where he has played in numerous popular television series as c ...

as Henderson *

Ian Watkin Ian Watkin (25 January 1940 – 18 May 2016) was a New Zealand actor known for the films ''Braindead'' and '' Sleeping Dogs''. Watkin grew up in Greymouth, and started his career in theatre and radio plays, and working as a magazine editor befor ...

as Amos *

Sonny Waru Sonny is a common nickname and occasional given name. Often it can be a derivative of the English word "Son", a name derived from the Ancient Germanic element *sunn meaning "sun", a nickname derived from the Italian name Salvatore (especially in N ...

as Mohi Te Kiri * John Rist as Gigglejuice Saunders *

as Ronald Hugh Morrieson

External links

* *
''Pallet on the Floor'' at NZonScreen (with video extracts)

References

1986 films 1986 comedy-drama films 1986 comedy horror films New Zealand comedy horror films Films set in New Zealand Films set in the 1960s Films shot in New Zealand Films based on New Zealand novels 1986 comedy films 1980s English-language films {{comedy-horror-film-stub