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economic and political strictures, Polish film-making had shown a steady growth in
the post-was period. Of particular note was the trilogy of films by director Andrzej
Wajda A Generation (1954) Kanal (1957) and Ashes and Diamonds (1958) all of
which were “imbued with bitter scepticism towards the national tradition of romantic
heroism, exposing the conflict suffered by the young men who took over as the older
generation fell.” 27 Two years before the release of Runaway Roman Polanski’s Knife
in the Water (1962) gained him an international reputation. (Unlike New Zealand,
Poland had a long tradition of feature film-making which, in spite of the post-war
difficulties, enabled the industry to rapidly re-group and rebuild.) 28
After a patchy plot summary (in which Nadja Regin was curiously described as a
“woolbroker’s daughter”) Truth pointed out shortcomings in the script: “In general,
the dialogue (John Graham and John O’Shea wrote the script) is economic – rather
too much so, for it results in a stilted delivery of some key lines without giving the
plot a desirable tautness.” 29
Maconie’s music was described as “complex and, while eminently listenable on its
own, is at times too avant-garde for the essential simplicity of the story.” 30 Although
the writer felt that in general the film achieved a high technical standard “this serves
only to underline the melancholy fact that technique alone is not sufficient.” 31 The
review concluded with the depressing suggestion that “though the total domestic take
is unlikely to recoup the costs, there simply is no future for a film industry here if
Runaway does not get its box office due.” 32
Like the Press, Truth was careful to do its best for the industry by assuring its readers
that, in spite of the film’s shortcomings, it was still worth seeing: “If, artistically, it
only skims the surface of the characters and the situations it presents, … it promises
more in the way of future potentials than immediate brilliance, you’ll find it is
unusual and, in many ways, a rewarding experience.” 33 The recognition of its
“unusual” character did not, however, extend to any serious debate about whether or
not a New Zealand film should aspire to conform to Hollywood formulas.
Geoffrey Webster, contributing a review to The Auckland Star under the headline
“Humour and Artistic Merit, Too” began on a positive note. “All considerations of