Seeing Red

Directed by Annie Goldson (Brother Number One), this 1995 TV documentary explores the story of Cecil Holmes, who won Cold War notoriety in 1948 when he was smeared as a communist agent, while working as a director for the National Film Unit. This excerpt — the opening 10 minutes — revisits the infamous snatching of Holmes' satchel outside Parliament, his Palmerston North upbringing, war service, and the founding of the Government's National Film Unit. There are excerpts from a 1980 interview where Holmes describes his inspirations (including UK film Night Mail).

[John Grierson] was critical of the largely scenic government films of the the time, saying he’d seen enough pictures of mountains, sheep and butter-making to last him a lifetime. What was needed now were films that showed for the first time the face of the New Zealander.

– Narrator Jennifer-Ward Lealand describes a 1940 visit to New Zealand by UK filmmaker John Grierson

Key Cast & Crew

Cecil Holmes

Subject

Annie Goldson

Director, Writer, Associate Producer

James Wallace

Producer

Todd Winlove

As: NFU filmmaker

Michael Bajko

As: NFU filmmaker

Seth Keen

As: NFU filmmaker