Biographical dramas about notable Kiwis

[Dave Homewood]

I had to watch An Angel At My Table for university and it was so good, both the story and also the production value which was so well made. It had a ring of real professionalism about the production, like a BBC or ITV drama.

It is interesting how we see so few such biographical dramas about real noteworthy Kiwis, we obviously have the talent here to do so. Maybe it is because our culture doesn't like such a thing, we're not really a boastful nation - could that be it?

I know there has also been "Bread and Roses" about the late Sonia Davies, but have any other real famous kiwis had their lives portrayed dramaticall like this? I cannot recall anyone.

Who do you think would make a great subject for such a mini-series or film? Doesn't matter if they were a politician, artist, writer, actor or just an ordinary person...

I guess Sir Edmund Hillary would be a prime candidate - not only for Everest and Antarctica, but also all his building of schools and social work, etc.Plus it's sellble worldwide.

I'd love to make a filom or miniseries about Air Vice Marshall Sir Keith Park, the Kiwi who saved Britain with his tactics in the Battle of Britain. He was in the Cavalry in WWI, then the Royal Flying Corp in the same war. He later also lead the fight to hold out in Malta. An amazing chap.

Anyone esle spring to mind?

[B Thomas]

Ever thought of doing one on Capt. Charles Upham (VC and bar)?

Read his book "Mark of the Lion" (I think that's the title) many years ago and always thought it would make a great bio-film/mini-series.

Am currently formulating a few TV series props but the main support seems to be given to "kiddult"-type shows. Looks like that's the target audience to write for to get funding...

[Dave Homewood]

A bio-pic of Charles Upham would indeed be great. Another VC winner that would also be a good one to dramatise was Leonard Trent, RNZAF, who flew in the RAF, was one of the few survivors of the raid he was awarded the VC for, was shot down, captured, involved in the Great Escape (and was the man who popped up out of the tunnel and caught by the guard who was having a pee, giving it all away) and later went on the long death march across Germany where he actually managed to keep a diary. The book Venturer Couragious about him by James Sanders is a really good read and was partially written by trent himself.

Kiddult shows eh? I thought all the funding went to mindless reality TV rip-off shows these days. Hmm, I might start writing a kiddult series than...

[bevanthomas]

Hmmm... Well - when funding drama series kiddult shows seem to come out on top. Cite "The Lost Children" - NZ "historical" series which has just finished filming (or should have by the end of the month). That one is also aimed at the kiddult market.

All "reality" shows should have been drowned at birth.

[Dave Homewood]

A few British reality shows have worked well - The Ship following people who crewed the replica of Cook's Endeavour and siled it on the same route he did up the Aussie coast and into Indonesia. Fantastic series, screened on TV1 at about 12:20am! Middle of the friggin night!

Another brilliant reality show that is great from the UK is Spitfire Ace, following four pilots competing to be trained to fly a two seat Spitfire. Not screened here yet, I got a copy from the UK.

They are really more interactive and obsevational documentary hybrids rather than the hard core "reality" shows, which all seem to stem from Holland and get franchised and than ripped off round the world. it's a shame the worst ones get funded and screened at primetime, while the good ideas fall into obscurity.

Anyway, back to the topic...

[bevanthomas]

Hmmm... I just have an aversion to any kind of "reality" show that relies more on sensationalism and "average Joes" than good writing, direction and actors.

But then that's probably because I am a writer/actor myself. I can just see all my future earnings dissapearing down the reality toilet...