Strata

In this riff on the European art film, a loner vulcanologist (British actor Nigel Davenport) roams the Volcanic Plateau, followed by a writer (Australian Judy Morris) and a photographer (John Banas). Roaming nearby are five escapees from a quarantine facility. Geoff Steven's moody tale marked an early departure from the realism of the Kiwi movie renaissance (e.g. Steven’s Skin Deep). Stevens wrote it with Czech New Wave figure Ester Krumbachova, aided by Czech-Kiwi Michael Havas. Mike Nock handles the piano score; as the opening sequence reveals, White Island provides some of the film's most imposing images.

They [producer John Maynard and director Geoff Stevens] see this [ideas] as the essential ingredient in filmmaking — in contrast to many other feature filmmakers, who perhaps consider the commercial viability of the film as being paramount. Recent successful New Zealand films have tended to reflect in a somewhat slanted way the values of our culture — male domination, the thrill of a car chase, violence, sexual stereotypes and grubby humour. New Zealand society is obviously more complex. The new language of cinema gives writers and filmmakers a chance to explore this complexity.

– Writer Rosemary Hemmings, in Art New Zealand 24, Winter 1982

Key Cast & Crew

Leon Narbey

Cinematographer

Mary Regan

As: Gaylene

Roy Billing

As: Keith

John Banas

As: Steve

John Maynard

Producer

Geoff Steven

Director, Writer, As: Photographer at book launch