Draft 2 PhD Introduction - ResearchSpace@Auckland

294
truly tragic”, but this resulted for the local critic in a “central relationship that fails to
engage us, perhaps because it is so idealised”. 964
Even overseas critical response was deeply divided, many critics castigating it for being
“corny, not believable, overwrought”. 965 One review in Sight and Sound characterised
the “loose framework” of What Dreams May Come as being typical of Ward’s “strong
visual imagination but scant story sense”. On this occasion, however, the film was less
often castigated for weaknesses in its narrative structure. 966 Graham Tetley who wrote
the screenplay of Vigil evaluated the film’s narrative as being “much better-shaped as a
reasonably traditional narrative than any of the others”. 967
John Maynard believes that it is
a misunderstood film […]. First of all, it was an unbelievably magnificent
vision to take on within the Hollywood studio system, almost doomed to fail by
the fact that eventually, the system would be all over it to modify it, to make it
acceptable and so on […]. It was made under, I think, incredibly difficult
situations – situations in terms of an enormous budget, a limitation on who he
could cast, and then of course, the effect of the studios, as they tried to maximise
their investment.
His comment on the film’s reception in New Zealand and Australia was that it was
virtually impossible for a film like What Dreams May Come to be favourably received
“in a country which is full of a dour realism, and in New Zealand, a stern realism, a
country in which material values are the things which are valued most of all”. He
added: “Within this naturalism and realism that has dominated cinema in Australia and
New Zealand, there’s never been any room for fantasy or fantastic art […]. A film that
is so ambitiously rooted in fantasy – any film – would find it very difficult to take root
here”. Maynard pointed out that in contrast to the reaction of Protestant New Zealand,
the film was very successful in the South American countries since they have a Catholic
tradition. 968 Maynard’s comments are accurate in relation to a particular kind of earnest
New Zealand reviewing which promotes local realism as a resistance to Hollywood
964 Helene Wong, "In Living Colour," Listener 14 November 1998: 43.
965 Simon, The Force Is with You: Mystical Movie Messages That Inspire Our Lives 238.
966 Matthews, "What Dreams May Come," 61.
967 Lynette Read, interview with Graham Tetley, 4 December 1998.
968 Lynette Read, interview with John Maynard, 27 September 1999.