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Chapter 15: RELEASE
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Apart from some of the music being recorded in Auckland, all the other postproduction
activities were centred in Wellington where O’Shea was based. Mindful
of the need to maintain public interest in the film he persuaded television to screen a
news item. When Graham (who had not heard from the production team since the
June 1964 letter from Hari Hari) saw the news item he immediately wrote to O’Shea.
“I am wondering how things are with you and what progress you are making in what
must be a pretty arduous task. Phyll and I saw TV last night and were very interested
in what had taken place during the later sequences.” 1 The letter also reminded
O’Shea about a previous arrangement: “You were going to let me have a copy of the
amended dialogue so that I could get moving on a publisher’s text. Quite frankly, I
think there is plenty of time for that. Before I do it I feel I must get some feeling from
the actual film. Or do you think that what was on paper has actually carried through
into what will be the finished work?” 2
While not wishing to unduly pressure his busy partner, Graham was feeling neglected.
As indicated by his previous letters, he took his writing very seriously and had
developed a strong affinity with the key characters. Since February he had followed
all the publicity that the production of Runaway had generated. Apart from the
occasional letter from O’Shea and a few snippets gleaned from mutual friends, like
any other member of the public he had to rely on information published in newspapers
and magazines. He had expressed his anxiety in his lengthy letter about such issues as
the replacement of Helen Smith. He was understandably anxious that his characters,
plot activities and dialogue might have been compromised by O’Shea. Mindful,
however, that he had agreed to his partner having the final say as director, he avoided
expressing his misgivings too directly. Instead he enquired quietly (but pointedly)
whether “what was on paper has actually carried through into what will be the
finished work?” 3 There is, however, no record of Graham having received a reply to
this letter.
The release of Runaway, the first New Zealand feature film for eleven years, was a
major event in a country where the cinema was a leading form of entertainment.
Throughout the shooting O’Shea had ensured that his film had received plenty of