Geoffrey Peter MurphyONZM(12 October 1938 – 3 December 2018)[1]was a New Zealand filmmaker, producer, director, and screenwriter best known for his work during the renaissance ofNew Zealand cinemathat began in the second half of the 1970s. His second featureGoodbye Pork Pie(1981) was the first New Zealand film to win major commercial success on its soil.[citation needed]Murphy directed several Hollywood features during the 1990s, before returning to New Zealand as second-unit director onThe Lord of the Ringsfilm trilogy.Murphy was also a scriptwriter, special effects technician, schoolteacher and trumpet player at different times. He was married toMerata Mita,a film director, actor, writer.
Geoff Murphy | |
|---|---|
 Murphy in 2013 | |
| Born | Geoffrey Peter Murphy 12 October 1938 Wellington,New Zealand |
| Died | 3 December 2018(aged 80) Wellington, New Zealand |
| Occupation(s) | Film director, film producer, screenwriter |
| Years active | 1977–2018 |
| Spouse | Merata Mita |
Early life
editMurphy grew up in theWellingtonsuburb of Highbury, and attended St. Vincent de Paul School inKelburnandSt. Patrick's College, Wellington,before training and working as a schoolteacher.[2]
Blerta
editMurphy was a founding member of the hippy musical and theatrical co-operativeBlerta,which toured New Zealand and Australia performing multi-media shows in the early 1970s.[3]Blerta were later allowed to make their television series, spawning what is arguably Murphy's first feature film, the 75-minute-longWild Man.Several Blerta members would work on Murphy's films, including drummer and Blerta founderBruno Lawrence,who had starring roles inUtuandThe Quiet Earth.
Early films
editMurphy made his name with road movieGoodbye Pork Pie(1981), the first New Zealand film to attract large-scale audiences in its home country. Made on a low budget, the film followed three people travelling from the top of the North Island to the bottom of the South Island, to growing infamy along the way. Murphy directed the film and co-produced it withNigel Hutchinson.[4]Murphy next directed theMāoriWesternUtu(1983) and the last-man-on-Earth pieceThe Quiet Earth(1985).[5]
Hollywood
editBy the 1990s Murphy had begun a decade working outside of New Zealand, mostly in the United States. In this period he directed films such asYoung Guns II,Freejack,which featuredEmilio EstevezandMick Jagger,andSteven SeagalsequelUnder Siege 2: Dark Territory.The latter proved his most successful film at the international box-office, grossing more than US$100 million worldwide.[6]
Return to New Zealand
editMurphy returned to New Zealand and assistedPeter JacksononThe Lord of the Ringsfilms;made a documentary film chronicling theBlertaphenomenon; and directed the thrillerSpooked,featuringCliff Curtis.[5]In the later 2000s, he directed the New Zealand television comedy seriesWelcome to Paradise,[7]worked on the remastered DVD release ofGoodbye Pork Pie,and was 2nd-unit director onXXX: State of the Union.[5]
In 2013 Murphy was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the2013 Rialto Channel New Zealand Film Awards.[8]The same year saw the release of a restored and re-edited version of possibly his most ambitious film,Utu,under the titleUtu Redux.
Murphy was appointed anOfficer of the New Zealand Order of Merit,for services to film, in the2014 New Year Honours.[9][10]In the same year, he was awarded anhonorary doctoratein literature byMassey University.[11]
Filmography
edit- 1969Tank Busters(TV, 31 minutes)
- 1974Uenuku(TV, 37 minutes)[14]
- 1977Wild Man(75 minutes)
- 1977Dagg Day Afternoon(30 minutes)
- 1981Goodbye Pork Pie
- 1983Utu
- 1985The Quiet Earth
- 1988Never Say Die
- 1989Red King, White Knight
- 1990Young Guns II
- 1992Freejack
- 1993Blind Side(HBO)
- 1994The Last Outlaw
- 1995Under Siege 2: Dark Territory
- 1996Don't Look Back
- 1997The Magnificent Seven– TV pilot
- 1997Dante's Peak– 2nd Unit Director
- 1999Fortress 2
- 2000Race Against Time
- 2001Blerta Revisited(documentary)
- 2001The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring– 2nd Unit Director
- 2002The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers– 2nd Unit Director
- 2003The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King– 2nd Unit Director
- 2004Spooked
- 2005XXX: State of the Union– 2nd Unit Director
- 2009Tales of Mystery and Imagination[15]
References
edit- ^"New Zealand Film Icon Geoff Murphy Dies at 80".4 December 2018.
- ^"Honorary doc for NZ cinema's 'rascal of the realm'".Massey University.Retrieved29 August2014.
- ^"Kiwi filmmaker Geoff Murphy on the madness of Hollywood".The New Zealand Herald.26 September 2015.Retrieved4 February2018.
- ^Croot, James (27 March 2017)."Goodbye Pork Pie producer Nigel Hutchinson dies, aged 75".Stuff.co.nz.Retrieved19 April2017.
- ^abcBaillie, Russell (21 January 2005)."Geoff Murphy returns to New Zealand film".The New Zealand Herald.Retrieved4 February2018.
- ^"Under Siege 2: Dark Territory".Box Office Mojo.Retrieved4 February2018.
- ^"Welcome to Paradise: what went wrong?".Stuff.co.nz.31 January 2009.Retrieved4 February2018.
- ^"The 2013 Winners of the Rialto Channel New Zealand Film Awards".NZ Film Awards.Retrieved3 February2014.
- ^"New Year honours list 2014".Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 31 December 2013.Retrieved12 January2018.
- ^"Investitures at Government House Wellington March 2014".17 March 2014.
- ^Fletcher, Kelsey (15 May 2014)."Trailblazing director honoured Screen scholar".Manawatu Standard.Retrieved29 August2014.
- ^"Acclaimed Kiwi film director Geoff Murphy dies".New Zealand Herald.4 December 2018.Retrieved4 December2018.
- ^"Geoff Murphy Dies: Kiwi Filmmaker Who Worked on 'The Lord of the Rings' Trilogy Was 80".4 December 2018.
- ^"Uenuku – Television".NZ On Screen.Retrieved21 September2013.
- ^"Tales of Mystery and Imagination – Film".NZ On Screen.Retrieved21 September2013.