Bread and Roses

A perspective

By Bianca Zander 29/08/2013

Released to mark 100 years of women's suffrage in New Zealand, Bread and Roses tells the story of pioneering trade unionist, politician and feminist Sonja Davies, who rose to prominence in the 1940s and 50s.

Bread and Roses sits alongside Jane Campion's An Angel at My Table (1991), another made for television project which also screened in cinemas, as a shining example of quality drama from the early 1990s.

At over three hours in length, it  debuted as a four-part drama series in October 1993, and screened over consecutive weeks in TV One's prestige Sunday Night Theatre slot. It also received a limited cinema release, and screened in the 1993 New Zealand Film Festival.

"There's nothing conservative or nostalgic about this view of our past," wrote festival director Bill Gosden. "A long time in the gestation, this is a richly developed, highly detailed and beautifully realised piece of work."

Bread and Roses moves swiftly through Davies' early years — childhood, first love and divorce — to concentrate on the formative events that led to her political activism. These include the birth of an illegitimate child, her struggles for employment equality and a near-fatal battle with tuberculosis.

As one of the ringleaders of a 1955 "sit-down" protest on a railway line threatened with closure, Davies comes to public attention and her self-knowledge that the individual can make a difference is awakened. Despite remaining active in national politics until her retirement in 1993, the drama culminates with Davies' successful election to the Nelson Hospital Board in 1956.

Local audiences identified with the truthful depiction of a turbulent time in local history and were enthusiastic in their response. In particular, the often-painful experiences of New Zealand women were well articulated, and director Gaylene Preston's sharp eye for social detail was praised.

Critics were equally positive.

"Warm, generous, and moving to a fault, this superbly mounted evocation of a life and an era slips through its epic length without a hint of a stumble," wrote Costa Botes in Onfilm magazine, in August 1993.

In the The Evening Post, Ian Pryor wrote: "As a film, Bread and Roses achieves that rare feat of stepping back into the past, yet staying very much alive; it overflows with memorable impressions of our country and our people — especially the women."

For her role as Davies, Australian actor Geneviève Picot (Proof) won Best Performance awards in both the Film and Television categories. Her powerful performance anchored the drama, but credit was given to scriptwriters Graeme Tetley and Preston for representing both the light and shade in Davies' character. Sensitive direction from Preston gave Bread and Roses balance and a lightness of touch, which meant the politics of the story were powerfully conveyed but never laboured over.

Preston augmented her reputation as a director of compelling historical narratives, with the release of War Stories the following year.

As fresh as the day it was released, Bread and Roses stands as a fascinating account of social history, exploring issues of gender, privilege and power. 

- Bianca Zander is a journalist, radio producer, novelist and scriptwriter.