Evidence of our developing selves

Press, 26 August 1977, Page 12

Evidence of our developing selves

By

JOHN COLLINS

Mr lam Crass. new. dynamic chairman of the Broadcarping Corporation, has reacted angrily to suggestions that SI2M was an excessive amount to spend on

"The Life of Mr Arthur Wibley,” the half-hour silent film about the career of a contract cleaner in the Blenheim gravel store of the Ministry' of Works in the early 19505. Mr Crass, who was guest speaker last evening at bath night at the Spreydon Glee Club and Mutual Society of Arts, said any adventurous enterprise was bound to come under fire from stick-in-the-mud “knockers” — international reaction to the Third Reich, for example, had proved that — but what the critics did not take into account was, first, the need for a young culture to be confronted with visible evidence of its own developing self. (Wibley’s masterly

scene, the 10-minute interlude where he falls asleep on the gravel after smoko while the camera pans slowdy up and down the telling expanse of leg between boot top and trouser, certainly did that.) And, second, the enormous overseas sales that could be expected from this sort of high-grade production. To a questioner, Mr Crass said that, no, he did not agree that it was “a load of old cobblers” to suggest that the Americans, for example would be interested in the production. He gave the example of the 8.8. C. productions, "The Six Wives of Henrv VIII," w’hich he said had some similarities with the drama of Wibley, given that Wibley never married and never — openly at least — went in for dissolving monastries, and “Elizabeth R.“ which Mr Crass said paralleled “Wibley” even more closely in that both

Wibley and Queen Elizabeth went bald in later life. As further evidence, he spoke of his recent visit to the United States, where influential television executives from coast to coast had nagged him constantly and had even resorted to pushing notes under his door pleading for something along the lines of “Wibley.” To another questioner, Mr Crass said, yes, he would pass the soap, but he wanted it back. He went on to point out that he thought it was unfair to suggest that for SI2M the Broadcarping Corporation might have been expected to produce a film with a soundtrack. He said that the silence of the film symbolised the essential tendency of the New Zealander to remain mute even when faced with repeat screening after repeat screening of old B movies, 1969 Julie Andrews Christmas Specials shown in the middle of July, local shows sidies from the Mental Health that were worthy of subFoundation, and no attempt

at complementarity — in short, the taking of the worst aspects of a State television system and a commercial television system and then blending into the sort of bureaucratic third-rateness that caused Wibley finally to take an overdose of gravel. Mr Crass concluded by saying that, while he was on the subject, he had to say that the finance company was pressing for the first instalment on the film, and so viewers had to face up to the fact that there were three ways of facing the financial crisis: the first was a reduction in the quality of programmes; the second was a reduction in the number of viewing hours; and the third was an increase in the licence fee.

He said experts had examined the first option and had decided that it was impossible to lower the quality of the programmes, so the other two options were under consideration.