Film Made in Auckland

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22402, 24 April 1936, Page 14 (Supplement)

Film Made in Auckland

Dominion's First Dramatic "Talkie" "ON THE FRIENDLY ROAD" COMPLETED

AFTER 14 months' work the New Zealand Film Guild has announced the completion of the first dramatic talking picture made in the Dominion. The picture is entitled " On The Friendly Road " and its cast includes many well-known Auckland repertory players. It will be released at an early date.

" On The Friendly Road " is essentially a New Zealand production in every way. It reveals a story of absorbing interest in which truly New Zealand types live and move, and the wedded arts of drama, music and pictorial beauty are given full national expression. On the technical side the entire equipment has been built in Auckland, even including the cameras, which never before have bee'n constructed in the country. The latter have been designed by Mr. S. A. Moren, of Takapuna, while the sound recording aparatus has been constructed by Mr. J. Baxendale. Most of the production of " On The Friendly Road " took place in and near Auckland. The main sequences were taken on a farm beyond Northcote while other " shots " wero filmed at Remuera. Several bush scenes were recorded in tho Waitakere Ranges while *ho picture also contains views of Rotorua. Tho camera director, Mr. Rudall Hayward, who has been a pioneer of film production in New Zealand for tho past 15 years, said that those connected with the picture were confident that if it succeeded it would be the basis of a small industry in New Zealand. Film production was definitely established in Australia where 230 persons were in constant employment on actual production work. The talking picture was a much greater national medium of expression than tho silent film, said Mr. Hayward, who added that extensive production was going on in India, where thero

were 123 registered companies, and in the Phillipine Islands. Countries which had never previously considered making films were now engaged in the work. Barriers of dialect and accent were preventing the United States from retaining the hold she had obtained durin the silent era. Mr. Hayward said that at a later date it was hoped to. have studios and equipment in New Zealand to enable overseas companies to produce here. If such a thing happened he considered that Auckland would probably becomo the centre of the industry.