Television looking at us

Press, 29 April 1988, Page 15

Television looking at us

Ken Strongman

cm television I

I ' 'I ■ I Anzac | day — a day iso much like Sunday in jits quietness that everything seems out ( of joint. | It. wasn't helped by spending an evening .with TV One, in what should have bqen gentle reflection about New Zealand. I ! |l''. I ' It: began with ‘‘The Ruapehb Affair/’ a documentary (that; demonstrated (for . ail time that an interesting; subject! matter doe; not * necessarily make ■ foi interesting television. L i li was la fascinating. business, essentially abouli fairness versus selfjinterestl and a series of poor decisions based more on political corisideratidns than anything else. In shprt, in 1943; the first New Zealand volunteers in World War II were sent hack home, for three i months . furlough. They saw; a prospering country with able-bodie'd men in reserved occupations and hot surprisingly, they did not want to go ba’ck. Some were saved by sympathetic medics who declared’ ■ them unfit. refused to go, were gazetted out of the Army, and later had their privileges j restored. ■ Meanwhile,'.the chief censor kept' everything under cover. | ;It was a tawdry affa r, ’ encapsulating the usual war-time confusion tetweenl politicians ahd soldiers. Poor decisions were I compounded by poor ( communication, to result!in an appalling mix-

L J"1 ■!■ i'J. . h up. It hardly bears think-' ing about; a war Cabinet consisting largely o( conscientious pbje.ctors insisting onia group of Volunteers returning to the fighting, and keeping everything quiet. I ! Fascinating topic it might have been, but the programme itself was a mixture of snippets of old film and (modern talking heads. | albeit on! the bodies of! those who had been involved. It is ho doubt in pad taste to say it, but it was tedious television. Once the story was told, that was it and nothing more was informative or educational and certainly not entertaining. Like many good and salutary stories it

'I ' : ii would haye been better if ( ( kept brieif. I [( ( ( Later. ( in [ "Crime I 1 Watch." there! was dele- ; I Vision again keeping! its eye on I us. I The programme.! (if that is i the right word) actually seems to work. People watch it.! take to- heart the comments abqlit anonyms ity and nothing being top trivial to mention land i [phone in. Sometimes’ the hour with Natalie and lan is useful and sametimes (t is extremely i ritating. To be: j told that the police would like :o talk to someone witiout beirg (told why, is not (good 'enough. If we are beir g | ! allowed to join in, it ! !should be properly, i Whether it does) any good or not. “(|.’rime Watch” offers a compfl- !• ling peep ihto a very different world. Why. for example, do 'all detective sergeants have moustaches? Are ■ they ssued with them oh prorhotim i or do they have to sprcut ; them to achieve it? Jr I perhaps such brist es grow in defence agains a life of hint and innuendo. Think for instance of l*he wealth of j. significapce wrapped l up in “for reasons knovyn to us.” They are Becoming fetter and bettpr at the reconstruction's!. turning them into a ! sort, of en- ! hanced fact.; But it |is still the language of '’Crime , Watch” which draws (the attention. Thjere should; be a dictionary! of it. "They mav be able! to help ui in I . ' ’ ! ! I ■

our inquiries" actually means "They probably did it.” And ”1 believe that to He the case” means “Yes." The danger with “Crime Watch.” though, is nbt that it |’i!l give honest viewers likJe you and me an insight into another world. Rather, the problem is that it will also be watched by the; crims on tneir stolen teles. It is ijere that they; will find ijiut exactly how( much the goods they have snaffled are worth It is perhaps Surprising that the Fences pnion hasn’t made a forma! complaint to the pirector-qeneral of television for making their job morel difficult, and causing Icjss of earnings. .( Finally, as well as a |War-time [ coc(k-up and peace-time crime, impressions of New Zealand on Anzac Dry came from "Public Eye.” Fair enough, shtire js a part of (the modern; world. The puppets are clever caricatures and the Rumour can be pith4' , enough, but somehow] this week it had slightly the wrong feel to it. In ttje end, it only raised Wry smiles, and thoughts (kept returning to the Ruapehu business. Tailpiece. Are those disturbing Bwucy HiAce ads clevjer; or tasteless? Or clever because they are tastqless. or tasteless because (they are clever? They certainly command an embarrassed attention, and an irresistible im- ( pulse to mimic.