Film archives seek early films of maori life

Tu Tangata, Issue 20, 1 October 1984, Page 34

Film archives seek early films of maori life

E early films about maori life have been preserved by the New Zealand Film Archives but even more may be lost. The director of the archives, Mr Jonathan Dennis says there are fragments of films already restored and preserved but that they have survived is nothing short of a miracle. Early professional motion films from 1898 until 1952 were made on cellulose nitrate.

From the moment nitrate is manufactured it decays. “It is irreverseable”, said Mr Dennis, “The images just eat themselves away. It becomes an evil smelling mess which breaks down into dust.”

The film has an unpredictable life of 30-70 years. No matter how it is stored, it can transform in the space of a few months.

The majority of early films have been lost because of this self destruct process.

The job of repairing the films depends mainly on how damaged they are.

The more deterioration there is, the more the film becomes a priority for restoration.

The films on maori life that were recorded in the old days were in a very poor state when they were found. Hence them being some of the first films to be restored.

“They are only a section of the archives”, says Mr Dennis, “but they’re the most special.”

He regards these particular films as making the New Zealand Film Archives unique.

“They are the ones that relate to the maori culture, which is the thing that defines this country anyway.”

All these films are kept at the archives and Mr Dennis says, “they have a richness in terms of the information that can be gained from them.”

The archives was established in 1981 and one of the first films to be preserved was “Historic Otaki” made by the Motion Picture Company in 1921.

This film shows life in Otaki plus scenes from the tangihanga of Te Rauparaha’s niece. Part of this film has decayed and therefore it is not complete. “Most of the films have been donated by private individuals or collectors,” he says.

One of the most dramatic finds was made in England “in a shed”. “The Romance of Hinemoa” made in 1927 by Gustav Pauli was found by a

man who lives in the home where Mr Pauli once resided. “The man found the film in a shed under the eaves. He looked at it and realised it was of New Zealand so he contacted the New Zealand High Commission in England,” says Mr Dennis. Now it is one of the major finds for early New Zealand fiction films, although there is still some of the film missing. Once again only parts of the found film survived decay and it was shown at the Rotorua Arts Festival at the beginning of the year. The archives people also found out that the main character of Hinemoa was played by a woman who is still alive. She is Maata Hurihanganui who still resides in Rotorua. One of the rare films from the archive's collection was taken by the Limelight Department of the Salvation Army (Melbourne). This film records the Royal visit by the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York in 1901. This is the earliest film on hand at the archive. Although the royal couple toured the

whole of New Zealand only fragments from the Rotorua visit could be saved. Another film taken in 1920 recorded a maori welcome to other tribes arriving at Arawa Park in preparation for the Prince of Wales visit.

The Prince of Wales was later to become the King of England. Rotorua was an important centre for early filmmakers but there were also others around the country. “Journey into Rua's Stronghold” made by Edwin Coubray in 1927/28 shows a trip on horseback through the Urewera’s to Maungapohatu where Rua Kenana lived. “Scenes of Maori Life on the Wanganui River” was made in 1921. It has successfully been preserved and is one of the longest films of the collection.

“Scenes of Maori Life on the East Coast” was made by James McDonald during a Dominion Museum filming expedition in 1923. It shows the different weaving and fishing methods of the east coast and has also lasted the test of time. Most of this film is complete. One of the most important films shot between 1937 and 1940 is still to be restored. This film was made by Mr Jim Manley with the support of Princess Te Puea Herangi. It shows the building, lauching and voyaging of the Ngatokimatawhaorua and Waikato canoes.

“The preparation work has been very long and very difficult but it will be immensely interesting once it is preserved,” says Mr Dennis. Unfortunately, for the archives, finance is scarce. With a staff of seven, only three are fulltime workers and the rest part time. The repairing process takes painstaking hours and for a film as long as “Maori life on the East Coast”, which lasts for 23 minutes, it cost S4OOO to repair.

“We think it’s a small price to pay for the value to future generations these films will be,” says Mr Dennis. “At the moment we have enough money to last another few months but the archieves receive no guaranteed funding.” They have a million feet of nitrate film to be repaired and reels and reels of contemporary film to be preserved. Because of the lack of finance only one other showing of the films has occurred besides the Rotorua Arts Festival this year. The maori films were shown as a group for the first time at

the National Museum in Wellington. “The films being screened at all is a luxury, when we are under tremendous pressure,” says Mr Dennis. The future for these films includes some of them being shown with the Te Maori exhibition in America as well as some being shown at the Pacific Arts Festival in Noumea during December. Mr Dennis adds that the archives is not a lending library but can be used for serious research. Writing to the archives may help if any information is needed otherwise a trip to the archives in Wellington is the alternative.

For as many films that have been found and restored, others are still missing. The archive is particularly searching for these fiction films: “Hinemoa”, "How Chief Ponga won his bride” and “Loved by a Maori Chieftess”. All these films were made by Gaston Melie in 1912.

“Hinemoa” a New Zealand feature film made by George Tarr in 1914. “A maori maid's loves”, made in 1916 and the first “Mutiny of the Bounty” also made in 1916 by the same man, Haymond Longford. A feature called “The Betrayer" made in 1921 by Beaumont Smith and the rest of “The Romance of Hinemoa”, 1927. "Its something of a race against time for us to find what remains of New Zealand film history before decomposition destroys the films," says Mr Dennis. The archives address is P.O. Box 9544 Wellington.

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