French frogmen film to be made in N.Z.

Press, 25 January 1986, Page 8

French frogmen film to be made in N.Z.

PAWelllngton A film comedy about French frogmen, to be filmed in August this year, is planned by New Zealand movie makers.

The venture, titled “All the President’s Frogmen” has received its initial financial backing from the Development Finance Corporation and the Film Commission. "It is a satirical look at nefarious goings on in and under the South Pacific,” said its creator, a Californian lawyer, and now Wellington-based business consultant, Mr Mark Chambers.

The script is into its second draft and yesterday Mr Chambers expressed concern that recent newspaper publicity said the venture was based on the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior.

“There is absolutely no reference at all to the Rainbow Warrior bombing. It would be quite disrespectful to consider such an event when a life was lost,” Mr Chambers said.

"The farce is about the pretensions and arrogance of certain parties. The plot includes characters such as a Polynesian chief who discovers the activities of the French and

others in the Pacific — another character is an investigative reporter and the chaotic sense of the movie will be interpreted as such,” he said. In spite of its pointed title, Mr Chambers said, the film would not dwell on the Rainbow Warrior affair nor would it pervade the realm of the film “All the President’s Men.” “That is a prosaic documentary based on fact which revealed secrets and untruths beyond what anybody would have dreamed of happening,” he said. Mr Chambers said that in Los Angeles he and a D.F.C. representative had discussed international distribution of the film. “The international cast will be announced in April and our sights 'are set, following approval to the underwriting for the making of the film, for the Cannes Festival in May, 1987,” he said. The co-author and former Downstage artist director, John Bannas, is working full time on the script. Mr Chambers said his philosophy was akin to that of Groucho Marx who believed that “military

intelligence is a contradiction in terms.” “I guess you could say that is the basis on which the film, starts. I had a script for a new comedy many months ahead of the Rainbow Warrior affair.”