Living Dangerously

With his three local classic films, outspoken director Geoff Murphy became a leading pioneer of New Zealand cinema before reluctantly becoming a Hollywood gun-for-hire.

- Russell Baillie

Geoff Murphy’s career was a bit like the yellow mini he made famous in Goodbye Pork Pie. It involved lots of handbrake turns suddenly spinning him down a different road or heading him back the way he came – quite possibly with a raised finger out the window, accompanied by a hilarious one-liner.

The haphazard drive to Murphy becoming a pioneer of New Zealand films was brash, noisy and fuelled by sheer bloody-mindedness. It occasionally backfired when it clocked up higher mileage. It sometimes got stuck in Hollywood traffic. But in its tracks, Murphy left three classic New Zealand movies.

After his car-chase comedy became such a hit in 1981, Murphy quickly delivered his “puha Western” Utu in 1983, then lastman-on-earth sci-fistory The Quiet Earth in 1985.

Viewed today, Goodbye Pork Pie remains the generational touchstone. Utu’s mana has only increased, especially since its 2013 director’s cut and restoration as Utu Redux. The Quiet Earth remains a testimony to the screen magnetism of the late Bruno Lawrence, whose early acting career was intertwined with Murphy through their friendship and time together in the travelling musical troupe Blerta.

Together, Murphy’s three first features offered a blokey, nervy, defiant, often mordantly funny picture of life in Godzone, past, present and future.

The man himself, who has died at the age of 80 after a long illness, led an often complicated life. He was married three times and had six children. Most spent time working on their Dad’s sets growing up. They now populate the NZ screen industry; his third-oldest, Matt Murphy, directed the 2016 remake of his father’s car movie.