Draft 2 PhD Introduction - ResearchSpace@Auckland

185
They got the tractor going and towed Birdie’s hut through a line of washing which
caught fire, and headed off across the paddock with the burning washing in tow. The
ending did contain some elements of the ending envisaged in Draft Three, such as
Birdie urinating on the engine’s motor and shaking his fist at the sky, but the final shot
was of the camera moving “away and up and up and up into the air until we can see
away over the hills to the sea and the distant horizon”. 614 Draft Four was the final
version of the script, and Ward commented that: “The film didn’t change drastically in
shooting. We lost about ten scenes, and it became more crystalline and economical” (a
very interesting phrase to describe the qualities Ward sought). 615 It is clear, however,
that the choice of ending remained a problem. In this draft, Birdy still figured
prominently (as a kind of Lear figure). The ultimate version would complete the shift
of emphasis to Toss.
While the successive drafts of the screenplay dealt with some of the narrative
weaknesses, there were still unclear aspects that raised the question: To what extent
should an unorthodox film-maker like Ward, with his strong interest in images,
symbols, and the deeper layers of the mind, concern himself with conventional narrative
expectations? Even in its final form, Vigil left itself open to criticisms. For example,
Matthew Aitken’s article in Illusions concludes that “in Vigil, while scenes have a
moment-by-moment power that is immediately apparent to the audience, this power
fails to build into a cohesive overall narrative and is lost in the hollowness of the film
overall”. 616 Aitken acknowledges that the film uses a point-of-view structure, in which
we are led to strongly identify with the characters - particularly Toss, but to a lesser
extent Liz. 617 In the first part of the film, this is effective in establishing several
important points. “Through extensive subjectification, Toss has been identified as the
film’s main character. Through identification with her we have learnt that she was fond
of, perhaps even idolised her father, and that she sees a link between his death and
Ethan’s arrival in the valley”. Aitken contrasts the depth with which we are shown her
developing relationship with Ethan with the lack of insight the audience has into the
character of Liz. The result is that in the scenes that follow the “beans to God”
sequence, where the audience begins to be aware of Liz’s reaction to Toss and Ethan’s
614 Ward and Tetley, “First Blood Last Rites”, 122.
615 Mitchell, "Vincent Ward: The Eloquence of Isolation," 38.
616 Aitken, "Sightlines on the Usurper," 9.
617 Aitken, "Sightlines on the Usurper," 4.