Battletruck

Why do men have to fight?

– Corlie (Annie McEnroe)

...the remarkable thing was the production designers in New Zealand. Because they were scavengers ... we had a nothing budget. Rob [Whitehouse] tells me that in today's money, it was like $400,000. For example, the truck and all the vehicles were designed by Kai Hawkins who is a remarkable designer ... and all the set and the detail and just the layers of set dressing was done by a team that was led by Rick Kofoed, whose an astonishing production designer. We had so much talent out there, and they were literally working with junk.

– Director Harley Cokeliss, in a June 2012 interview with the BFI

The BattleTruck is a pre-CGI beauty, a shining example of the used-future aesthetic, clad in battle-blackened eight gauge steel and shaped with a sloping nose that dips menacingly to the ground. Think 20-ton homicidal robo-armadillo designed by Jules Verne and Rambo.

– Writer Laura Williamson describes the star of Battletruck, 1964 magazine, issue 6, Winter 2021, page 85

...we were crewing with people who were very young to the business, very enthusiastic ... the crew that we ended up with was a great crew — they really worked hard. And I loved the spirit in New Zealand, where the chef, when he wasn't making lunch, was laying tracks with the rest of the grips... it was a terrific spirit.

– Director Harley Cokeliss on tax break-fuelled activity meaning he ended up with a young but enthusiastic crew, in a June 2012 interview with the BFI

Even when it’s standing in for the end of the world, the place [Central Otago] is beautiful. There was a fair bit of old-school filming from helicopters with the Old Man and Old Woman Ranges in the background, and the tracking shots look great, despite being shot from a Citröen DS with the body removed. According to co-producer Robert Whitehouse, they used the Citröen because there were no proper tracking vehicles in New Zealand back then, and that model had excellent suspension.

– Writer Laura Williamson on the film's Central Otago locations, 1964 magazine, issue 6, Winter 2021, page 85

The main special effects guy, Johnny Burke who was an old hand from the US ... timed everything so well. It went like a dream. It was before the days of reliable radio controls, so stunt driver Buddy Joe Hooker was in the truck, getting it up to speed and jamming the accelerator, then bailing out before it reached the cliff.

– Producer Rob Whitehouse on the climactic scene of Battletruck meeting its end, 1964 magazine, issue 6, Winter 2021, page 87