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Zealand as a pair of ‘social security islands’ by portraying a venturesome young man
filled with passion.” Attempting to make a balanced assessment, the item continued:
“O’Shea does not seem to have succeeded in creating an image of a new kind of
passionate Kiwi, but he certainly provided last night’s audience with many glimpses
of New Zealand life.” While complimenting the film on its excellent visuals, the
article concluded: “that the feebleness of much of the acting may prevent the film
from gaining international stature.” 21
Its sister paper the Evening Post carried a more detailed analysis under the heading “A
Ritzy Premiere For Feature Film.” 22 Again borrowing from O’Shea’s introductory
remarks about “social security islands”, the writer went on to praise the production for
its boldness and artistic qualities and drew particular attention to one actor:
Kudos goes to Colin Broadley, who conveys the passions of youth in the
leading role of a mixed-up kid … Broadley plays the part consistently well …
[His] stilted acting in the opening sequences of the film looked like an
unhappy augury for the rest of the show, but once Broadley got into the open
road heading towards Hokianga the acting perked up. 23
The love scene was described as “the kind of sequence which even Rock Hudson
didn’t achieve so early in his career” 24 – one of the many curious examples of
reviewers reaching for Hollywood comparisons.
Under the heading “Fine Photography in N.Z. Film”, the Christchurch Press
highlighted what the critic considered the most impressive aspect of the film was the
“fresh sharp black-and-white photography [that] makes New Zealand’s first dramatic
feature film, visually most attractive. Anthony Williams … has a real feeling for the
country’s scenery and offers an abundance of it.”
Despite three paragraphs on the camera work, the unnamed critic expressed
reservations about the film generally. Although reassuring potential viewers “that
they will not be disappointed”, the review noted that Runaway was “at its most
successful as a travelogue-cum-documentary”. What troubled the Press most would
also trouble many other reviewers: “And what is the film, in fact, trying to say?”