A pleasant “Encounter”

Press, 7 September 1976, Page 19

A pleasant “Encounter”

By

Kevin McMenamin

The hardest choice on Sunday night lay between the end-of-evening alternatives, "Wessex Tales,” which was making its first appearance, and "Encounter.” which was ending its seven-week run. “Encounter” got the nod, if only in the hope that Rodney Bryant might extract some comment from Sir John Marshall on his exit from the leadership of the National Party and how he saw the performance of his successor. Mr Muldoon. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, neither topic was raised. Rodney Bryant concerned himself only with questions that represented Sir John as a kindly and graceful man who found a niche in politics.

Yet in spite of an absence of any revelations, it was still a programme which could be enjoyed. The whole tenor, in fact, made it something of an antidote to the more provocative style of political interviews. Any similarity with, say, an Edwards-Muldoon clash ended with the seating arrangements. The programme was given a fine start, and one which conquered a strong temptation to place our trust, instead, in “Wessex Tales,” by a very ap-pealingly-written preface. Some of the lines describ-

ing Sir John’s county retreat and his new lifestyle were delightfully couched.

As to the interview itself, it revealed that Sir John is still “bridge builder” in respect to South Africa, although he also advocated some “fence mending” to restore New Zealand’s international image.

But in the wake of recent events, perhaps his most telling remark was a belief in the doctrine that Governments should act only after an issue has been fully considered by the public and a concensus of opinion reached. However, it was simply an expression of philosophy, not one of censure. "Seven Days” has a deserved reputation for being informative and it again showed this characteristic when it returned on Sunday with an item about New Zealand troops in Singapore. And if New Zealand decides to maintain a military presence on the island the programme should give a boast to recruiting. In many respects, a tour of duty in Singapore was made to seem about as near as one could get to paradise in these troubled times. The programme had the virtues of balance and exactness and the reporter. Sue Markham, complemented a tidy script with a delivery that was music to the ear.

However, the most memorable line came from the Minister of Defence (Mr McCready) in giving cause why Singapore should be retained as a training ground for New Zealand servicemen. He drew an odd analogy between soidiers and tennis players, both being able to benefit from overseas experience.

Possibly the best viewing of the night came in “Fall Of Eagles,” which described how Lenin purged from his party all but his own brand of revolutionaries. It was historical drama at its best and highlighted by Patrick Stewart’s commanding portrayal of Lenin. And to complete a rewarding night it was good to see “Oil Strike North” make some move to develop the characters and spend less time dashing to and from the rig. However, until such time that Frank Ward, the rig superintendent, stops talking like a wind-up doll the show will be handicapped. Ward did not help his image either by stubbing out a cigarette on his boss’s office floor. It was, as we said, a rewarding night, but it does seem strange that neither channel sees fit at present to lighten the Sunday night load with a comedy. It can hardly be because they are in short supply.