Draft 2 PhD Introduction - ResearchSpace@Auckland

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38 work from a story, but he’s working from these things that come from within”. 128 Ward reiterated this point in an interview for this thesis when he stated that in creating a work of art: “You don’t actually start with something that belongs to somebody else […]. You start with who you are”. 129 In order to preserve his/her inspiration, the Romantic artist sometimes ran the risk of isolation from society. But, as Vaughan points out: “It was not always a matter of individual choice: artists in general were becoming isolated by social changes, by the growing anonymity of their audience. Private patronage did not cease in this period, but it certainly became a less significant outlet than the exhibition”. 130 Peckham asserts that the importance of “the Self as the source of order, meaning, value and identity” stems from the Romantic’s sense of isolation from the world and alienation from society, which he claims “were the distinguishing signs of the Romantic, and they are to this day”. 131 The Romantic sense of isolation from the world led in some cases to a “tendency to remoteness from practical life with firm social roots and political commitments […]. An unbridgeable gulf opens up between the genius and ordinary men, between the artist and the public, between art and social reality”. 132 Such a stance is again an untypical one in the film medium which requires large audiences, sizeable investment and teamwork during the production phase. The theme of the isolated artist at odds with society is, however, explicitly articulated in A State of Siege. Malfred, in attempting to find “a new way of seeing”, feels compelled to leave her home, friends and social circle in the South Island to start a new life in the North Island, where she knows no-one. The implication is that in order to be true to her vision, she must reject conventional society and start afresh, but in doing so, she is forced to rely on her own resources, which prove inadequate to the task. Visionary art is thus in many respects, a demanding, dangerous and high-risk venture. As we will see, this is particularly the case in an expensive medium that depends upon a large audience. Honour identifies “the only constant and common factor” in the work of the Romantics as “belief in the importance of individuality – of the individual self and its capacity for experience – and the rejection of all values not expressive of it. This emphasis on the 128 From an interview on Kaleidoscope, screened on Television One, 25 June 1984. 129 Lynette Read, interview with Vincent Ward, 11 December 1997. 130 Vaughan, Romantic Art 25. 131 Peckham, Romanticism: The Culture of the Nineteenth Century 19. 132 Hauser, The Social History of Art 682-83.
39 supreme value of the personal sensibility of the artist […] led to the Romantic conception of personal authenticity”. 133 Raymond Williams further characterises the Romantic artist as: “the independent creative writer, the autonomous genius”. 134 These notions could be seen as informing Ward’s auteurist approach to his films – the strength of his vision and desire for artistic control of all aspects of his films – distinguishing him from other New Zealand directors of his generation. (Those directors may also have seen themselves as auteurs but not according to this more thorough-going, art- based, European conception). According to Honour: “The belief in their own uniqueness and individuality, combined with a reluctance to be submerged in any school or coterie, led some Romantic writers such as Goethe and Byron to explicitly dissociate themselves from Romanticism”. 135 In addition, “the insistence of the Romantics on individuality and originality precluded the creation of a single Romantic style”. 136 As discussed in the <strong>Introduction</strong> to this thesis, Ward has expressed his similar dislike of labels. He reiterates this view in Film in Aotearoa New Zealand: “I hate being categorized: filmmaking is about change and what you’re focused on at a particular time”. 137 We can sympathise with this view – labels can never be more than a starting-point – yet still see the very intensity of such resistance, in defence of individuality, as a familiar Romantic concern. Another important aspect of Romanticism, closely linked to the valorising of the artist’s imagination, was the role of the unconscious. Many previous artists had seen inspiration as coming from God. Peckham has described the shift to a more secular, psychological interpretation: The unconscious is really a postulate for the creative imagination, and as such continues today without the divine sanction […]. It is that part of the mind through which novelty enters into the personality and hence into the world in the form of art and ideas. We today conceive of the unconscious spatially as inside and beneath; the earlier Romantics conceived of it as outside and above. We 133 Honour, Romanticism 23. 134 Williams, Culture and Society 1780-1950 50. 135 Honour, Romanticism 22. 136 Honour, Romanticism 23. 137 Dennis and Bieringa, eds., Film in Aotearoa New Zealand 89.
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Page 3 and 4: ii Abstract This thesis examines th
Page 5 and 6: iv me a Harriet Jenkins Award to as
Page 7 and 8: vi Chapter Seven Hollywood and Beyo
Page 9 and 10: 1 Introduction My interest in the w
Page 11 and 12: 3 Expressionist filmmakers such as
Page 13 and 14: 5 strongly connected to the Romanti
Page 15 and 16: 7 point, ignoring the larger body o
Page 17 and 18: 9 Eisner’s and Kracauer’s argum
Page 19 and 20: 11 Bazin (its leading contributor),
Page 21 and 22: 13 and his deep respect for the inh
Page 23 and 24: 15 tangible categories, particularl
Page 25 and 26: 17 determining than the individual
Page 27 and 28: 19 with Ward’s collaborators also
Page 29 and 30: 21 to be very fruitful in terms of
Page 31 and 32: 23 German critics. 72 Out of the Sh
Page 33 and 34: 25 Finally, it examines local Expre
Page 35 and 36: 27 Ward can be regarded as a “New
Page 37 and 38: 29 was understood to stand for an e
Page 39 and 40: 31 self-determining original, moreo
Page 41 and 42: 33 erupting volcano is sublime to a
Page 43 and 44: 35 was not strictly speaking, natur
Page 45: 37 invaded academic classicism”.
Page 49 and 50: Gothic Influences 41 The relationsh
Page 51 and 52: Expressionism 43 The darker side of
Page 53 and 54: 45 that he was interested in this w
Page 55 and 56: 47 Both the early films listed by H
Page 57 and 58: 49 sense of Malfred’s increasing
Page 59 and 60: 51 for the emotional states of its
Page 61 and 62: 53 ambiguous”. 184 As discussed e
Page 63 and 64: 55 imposed in industrial society, b
Page 65 and 66: 57 New Zealand’s Expressionist an
Page 67 and 68: 59 Were Warriors (Lee Tamahori, 199
Page 69 and 70: 61 so effective about the film and
Page 71 and 72: 63 parallels between the farm where
Page 73 and 74: 65 than her, on the train to Jerusa
Page 75 and 76: 67 “Even now, after hearing this
Page 77 and 78: 69 Despite the difficulties, Judy m
Page 79 and 80: 71 everything, but on the other han
Page 81 and 82: 73 He was, in her view, “a very m
Page 83 and 84: 75 He was far more interested in be
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Page 87 and 88: 79 my father’s stories that were
Page 89 and 90: 81 offering one of the only filmmak
Page 91 and 92: 83 have your foundations achieved.
Page 93 and 94: 85 film theories and various moveme
Page 95 and 96: 87 Right from the beginning of the
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89 there. 298 Victoria Stafford, a
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91 cinematography looks forward to
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93 subject. The end-of-year examina
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95 when she discussed it with Ward,
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97 Chapter 3 A State of Siege A Sta
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99 makers, but the vigorous physica
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101 that could respond to her work
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103 Malcolm Moore, an experienced s
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105 some important changes, is the
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107 changes transformed the somewha
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109 later form. Within a few weeks
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111 footsteps for scenes like the a
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113 negative-matcher for the “con
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115 director and White as producer
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117 stead. In many ways [it] perhap
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119 pointed out, has the effect of
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121 The next morning, Malfred waste
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123 Figure 2: Ending of A State of
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125 night is not yet over. Malfred
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127 magazines around the country (s
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129 film was praised for its evocat
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131 many of the new wave of New Zea
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133 Filmmakers, painters, craftsmen
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135 protagonist, instead of acting
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137 Chapter 4 In Spring One Plants
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139 major shaping force on New Zeal
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141 thought, because she was embarr
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143 speaks about his mother’s chi
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145 series) but about spirituality
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147 was an interest in discovering
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Production 149 During filming, the
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151 audience “might adversely aff
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153 essential footage”. After the
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155 of aesthetic must necessarily c
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157 have been made if I’d waited
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159 film is to argue that while it
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161 working order yet in an act sym
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163 Bilbrough also claims that due
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165 most appropriate, accurate and
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167 my van pull up. Niki had thrown
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169 traditional values is at least
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171 critical response to the film i
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173 the ability of the artist to cr
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175 Chapter 5 Vigil Ward’s involv
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177 they were the only solid basis
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179 just how much goes on the floor
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181 to the film in that, just befor
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183 initially hostile reaction to h
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185 They got the tractor going and
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187 between the scenes shot from To
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189 its side, only to hoist it vert
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191 Figure 4: Ending of Vigil. An e
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193 He shows her his world, the wor
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195 with the foreigner. Through sex
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197 to the detriment of his relatio
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199 This made him reluctant to comp
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201 for Morris to work closely with
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203 Vigil that enhances the sense o
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Visual Style 205 In terms of the de
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207 example, the shot of Elizabeth
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209 except possibly for the ballet
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211 than bread and butter. I think
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213 world - albeit seen through Eur
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215 Medieval Odyssey. This would re
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217 The idea for The Navigator orig
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219 Atoll in the South Pacific, was
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221 loosed from their moorings. Min
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223 Ward’s intention was not, how
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225 heaven but “a vision of hell
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227 negotiating this final deal for
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229 and had been warned by his doct
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231 shoot was lengthy by Australasi
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233 constraints on the film […].
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235 and there was going to have to
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237 Ward explained that: “I alway
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239 nineteenth-century mining music
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241 Figure 6: Storyboard of The Nav
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243 While the main crew on the shoo
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245 “a sort of Pilgrim’s Progre
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247 of the logic of nuclear deterre
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249 production, in Australia it is
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251 retelling the story of The Navi
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253 but Ulf’s beliefs seem more l
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255 belief and unbelief, faith and
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257 uncertainty, anxiety, and absur
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259 Chapter Seven Hollywood and Bey
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261 As Jonathan Rayner points out,
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263 executive at the studio approac
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265 stick on the wall of Ward’s b
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267 Canada, they were required to u
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269 situation. 867 In an interview
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271 praise the film’s imagery and
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273 an Art Film […]. And as we we
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275 divinely directed patterns. The
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277 both on the outer edges of the
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279 indicate that his motivation fo
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What Dreams May Come 281 Ward’s n
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283 Ward wanted to get Robin Willia
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285 engraver Doré, acknowledged by
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287 The visual concept for the film
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289 creating and building up decisi
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291 gave him the key that enabled h
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293 primary goal is money”. 959 H
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295 escapism, but his emphasis on t
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297 by the Government, which pays l
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299 can completely affect the conte
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301 The investors, who include busi
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303 Conclusion The primary aim of t
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305 reflected in the external envir
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307 he formed a successful partners
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309 time Romantic - and far removed
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311 compromises inevitable in any c
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313 commitment to the project. Once
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315 story concept that included asp
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317 also - in his most recent proje
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319 Biskind, Peter. Down and Dirty
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321 Elgar, Dietmar. Expressionism.
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323 Koszarski, Richard. An Evening'
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325 Romer, Richard Ira. "The Cinema
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327 Campbell, Russell, and Miro Bil
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329 ---. "The Navigator: A Medieval
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331 Dart, William. "Interview with
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333 Urban, Andrew. "Love on the Edg
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335 1975 The Cave (as scriptwriter
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337 Camera: Alun Bollinger Editor:
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339 (Thelma), Marc Ruel (Photo Anal
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341 All interviews were conducted i
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