Smash Palace
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''Smash Palace'' is a
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 ...
feature film that premiered at
Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. T ...
in May 1981 and was released theatrically in April 1982. The film chronicles a former race car driver (played by Bruno Lawrence) who inadvertently contributes to the end of his marriage, then kidnaps his daughter ( Greer Robson). Lawrence's character runs a carwrecking yard in an isolated area of New Zealand's North Island. ''Smash Palace'' was the second feature directed by
Roger Donaldson Roger Lindsey Donaldson (born 15 November 1945) is an Australian-born New Zealand film director, producer and writer whose films include the 1981 relationship drama '' Smash Palace'', and a run of titles shot in the United States, including t ...
. Critical acclaim in the United States won him interest from Hollywood, and the chance to direct the first of a number of films financed outside of New Zealand, '' The Bounty''. The soundtrack was composed and performed by New Zealand-born singer
Sharon O'Neill Sharon Lea O'Neill (born 23 November 1952) is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and pianist, who had an Australasian hit single in 1983 with " Maxine" which reached No. 16 on both the Australian Kent Music Report and Recording Industry Association ...
. ''Smash Palace'' has an R16 rating.


Plot

Retired international racing driver Al Shaw returns home to take over his late father's car-wrecking yard, "Smash Palace", on the remote
North Island Volcanic Plateau The North Island Volcanic Plateau (often called the Central Plateau and occasionally the Waimarino Plateau) is a volcanic plateau covering much of central North Island of New Zealand with volcanoes, lava plateaus, and crater lakes. It contains ...
. Al's French-born wife Jacqui is increasingly unhappy with Al's obsession with cars and refusal to sell the yard, and fears for the future of their daughter Georgie. Jacqui begins a relationship with Al's best friend, local police officer Ray Foley. When Al finds Jacqui and Ray together, he violently beats and rapes his wife. Jacqui leaves Al, taking Georgie with her. Jacqui subsequently takes up a job as a teacher and continues her relationship with Ray. Al can't adjust to the separation and harasses Jacqui in his constant efforts to see his daughter. Al plans to make a racing comeback, and Jacqui forbids Al from taking Georgie to the race. In response, he destroys part of Jacqui's house with his tow truck, and is arrested. Jacqui subsequently takes out a protection order on Al to prevent him seeing Georgie. Al sets up a hideout deep in the bush, then kidnaps Georgie from Jacqui at gunpoint. He pushes his tow truck off a cliff into a river to create a diversion for police. Al and Georgie get reacquainted in their bush hideout, but suddenly Georgie falls ill. Al drives into town and robs a pharmacy at gunpoint, where he is spotted by a patrolling police car. He takes the pharmacist hostage and flees with her and Georgie back to Smash Palace. Ray and Jacqui arrive at the hostage scene. Jacqui defies orders and runs through the cordon to reunite with her husband and daughter. Al hands over Georgie, and agrees to let the pharmacist go in exchange for Ray.


Cast

* Bruno Lawrence as Al Shaw * Anna Jemison as Jacqui Shaw * Greer Robson as Georgie Shaw *
Keith Aberdein Keith may refer to: People and fictional characters * Keith (given name), includes a list of people and fictional characters * Keith (surname) * Keith (singer), American singer James Keefer (born 1949) * Baron Keith, a line of Scottish barons ...
as Ray Foley, policeman * Desmond Kelly as Tiny * Sean Duffy as Frank * Lyn Robson as Linda * Margaret Umbers as Rose * Roy Sturch as crash car driver * Buick as Jazz the dog


Production

The film was funded by the
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 amended ...
. When Donaldson first applied for funding, he was turned down. On a second attempt he was once again denied funding, until veteran film maker John O’Shea pointed out that Donaldson's earlier work '' Sleeping Dogs'' had been the reason the commission was founded.Booth, Roger. ''Bruno: The Bruno Lawrence Story''. Canterbury University Press, 1999, p. 203 One of the conditions of the film's eventual funding by the NZFC was that it be completed in time to screen at the 1981
Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
. This forced a tight schedule on the production team, giving only four months between the commencement of the shoot and the film's premiere.


Release and reception

Although the film was completely New Zealand financed and shot, the film was first released in the USA. The expectation was that by initially releasing in the US the film would gain positive reviews from international critics, thus encouraging local audiences, prone to a dismissal of Kiwi product as amateurish, to go and see the film. The strategy worked, with the film proving hugely successful in New Zealand.McDouall, Hamish. ''100 Essential New Zealand Films''. Awa Press, 2009, p. 178-180. The film won much acclaim for the performance of Bruno Lawrence, one of New Zealand's best-known actors. It was successful in its home land, and received positive reviews in the United States; Veteran critic
Pauline Kael Pauline Kael (; June 19, 1919 – September 3, 2001) was an American film critic who wrote for ''The New Yorker'' magazine from 1968 to 1991. Known for her "witty, biting, highly opinionated and sharply focused" reviews, Kael's opinions oft ...
described it as "amazingly accomplished". Roger Ebert called it one of the best films of 1981, "so emotionally wise and observant that we learn from it why people sometimes make the front pages with guns in their hands and try to explain that it's all because of love". ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' picked it as one of its ten best movies of the year.Martin, Helen and Sam Edwards. ''New Zealand Film: 1912-1996''. Oxford University Press, 1997, p. 78. At the 1982
Manila Film Festival The Manila Tagalog Film Festival, also known as the Manila Film Festival was a film festival organized in the city of Manila, Philippines. It is considered as the precursor to the Metro Manila Film Festival. History Then-Manila Mayor Antonio Vil ...
, Bruno Lawrence received an award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Al Shaw.


Location

Much of the film was shot on location at car dismantling business Horopito Motors, which has existed on the same site since the 1940s, in the former town of Horopito near
Ohakune Ohakune is a small town at the southern end of Tongariro National Park, close to the southwestern slopes of the active volcano Mount Ruapehu, in the North Island of New Zealand. A rural service town known as New Zealand's Carrot Capital, Ohak ...
(). A scene from road movie ''
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 ...
'' was also shot in the same location. More recently the finale of Hunt for the Wilderpeople was shot at the same site, referencing both the above films.


Soundtrack

A
soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack ...
was released in 1982, featuring five songs by New Zealand singer songwriter
Sharon O'Neill Sharon Lea O'Neill (born 23 November 1952) is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and pianist, who had an Australasian hit single in 1983 with " Maxine" which reached No. 16 on both the Australian Kent Music Report and Recording Industry Association ...
. It won Best Film Soundtrack/Cast Recording/Compilation at the 1983
New Zealand Music Awards The Aotearoa Music Awards (previously called the New Zealand Music Awards), conferred annually by Recorded Music NZ, honour outstanding artistic and technical achievements in the recording industry. The awards are among the most significant that ...
.


References


External links

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Smash Palace
at
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 amended ...

Smash Palace
at
NZ On Screen NZ On Screen is a state-funded online promotional showcase of New Zealand television and film. Funded by NZ On Air, it provides free worldwide access to NZ-produced television, film and music videos. Content is streamed and the webpages provide ...
{{Roger Donaldson 1981 drama films 1981 films 1980s New Zealand films Atlantic Entertainment Group films New Zealand auto racing films Films directed by Roger Donaldson Films set in New Zealand Films shot in New Zealand New Zealand drama films 1980s English-language films