Flight of the Albatross
| Flight of the Albatross | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Werner Meyer |
| Written by | Riwia Brown |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Martin Gressmann |
| Edited by | Michael Horton |
| Music by | Jan Preston |
Release date |
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Running time | 90 min |
| Countries |
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| Language | English |
Flight of the Albatross,[1] also known as Der Flug des Albatros, is a German-New Zealand film. It is based on the Deborah Savage novel of the same name. It was filmed on Great Barrier Island in early 1995.[2][3] It had its New Zealand cinema debut on 6 July 1996 at Great Barrier Island before opening in Auckland the next week.[4]
Māori teenager and German girl form a relationship after she arrives on his island while dealing with an ancient Māori curse and a wounded albatross.[5]
Cast
- Taungaroa Emile as Mako
- Julia Brendler as Sarh
- Suzanne von Borsody as Claudia
- Pete Smith as Huka
- Jack Thompson as Mike
- Diana Ngaromutu-Heka as Mari
Reception
Reina Whaitiri in The Contemporary Pacific wrote "The word melodrama came to mind as I watched, half-heartedly, the coming together of two very immature and somewhat shallow characters, each absorbed with their own problems." She finished "As a film targeted at young adults Flight of the Albatross fulfills the criteria but would probably leave a wider, more mature audience unsatisfied."[6] Cinema Aotearoa said "Aside from a mildly amusing albatross puppet, there's really not much to recommend with Flight of the Albatross. Its harmlessness is its downfall, and the film will likely be forgotten mere hours after a viewing."[7]
Awards
1996 New Zealand Film Awards
- Best Supporting Actor - Pete Smith - won[8]
47th Berlin International Film Festival - Crystal Bear[9]
References
- ^ Martin, Helen; Edwards, Sam (1997). New Zealand film, 1912-1996. Oxford University Press. p. 188. ISBN 9780195583366.
- ^ "Movie set to boost the Barrier", NZ Herald, p. 20, 12 January 1995
- ^ Houlahan, Mike (11 July 1996), "Top-flight Romeo And Juliet tale", The Evening Post (Wellington), p. 19
- ^ Grant, Frances (8 July 1996), "Glitz and glamour on the Barrier", NZ Herald, p. 20
- ^ Linda, Herrick (14 July 1996), "Island woman soars with the Albatross", Sunday Star Times
- ^ Whaitiri, Reina (1999), "Review of Flight of the Albatross, by Werner Meyer.", The Contemporary Pacific, p. 505-508
- ^ "FLIGHT OF THE ALBATROSS (1995)", Cinema Aotearoa
- ^ "`Natural' is named best actress", Sunday Star Times, 24 November 1996
- ^ "PRIZES & HONOURS 1997". berlinale.de. Archived from the original on 11 November 2013. Retrieved 9 June 2014.