| Director | Michael Firth |
|---|---|
| Producer | Michael Firth Don Reynolds |
| Writer | Neil Illingworth |
| Starring |
|
| Music | Leonard Rosenman |
| Cinematography | James Bartle |
| Editing | Michael Horton |
| Released | October 1984 |
| Runtime | 94 min |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Language | English |
Heart of the Stag is a 1984 New Zealand film.[1]
Synopsis
A farm hand discovers his boss is sexually abusing his daughter.
Cast
- Bruno Lawrence as Peter Daly
- Terence Cooper as Robert Jackson
- Mary Regan as Cathy Jackson
- Anne Flannery as Mary Jackson
- Michael Wilson as Michael Wilson
- Susanne Cowie as Young Cathy
Reception
New Zealand film, 1912-1996 says "Heart of the Stag is a tense, unsensationalised psychological drama." and notes "The performances are convincing and avoid caricature despite the archetypal roles."[1] In the New York Times Vincent Canby said Heart of the Stag was "a dreary New Zealand melodrama"[2] Gene Siskel in the Chicago Tribune gives i 2 1/2 stars and notes "the script is so obvious, yet the acting is memorable - that's the combination that leaves one frustrated while watching".[3] Hans Petrovic of The Press said the film "wastes no time setting its story in motion, presents several delightfully tense confrontations between the main protagonists, comes to a well-thought-out (but predictable) climax, but leaves the underlying problem unresolved, and the audience without anything to chew on after leaving the cinema."[4] Comparing it to Smash Palace The Courier-Journal critic Roger Fristoe writes "Like the earlier film, it offers perceptive direction, sensitive acting and atmospheric photography of the striking terrain found in remote rural areas of New Zealand's North Island. The touches of gritty humor that director Roger Donaldson brought to "Smash Palace" are missing, and the new film has an occasional tendency toward overwrought melodrama." He gave it 3 stars.[5]
References
- ^ Martin, Helen & Edwards, Sam (1997). New Zealand film, 1912-1996. Oxford University Press. p. 108. ISBN 9780195583366.
- ^ Canby, Vincent (27 July 1984), "Films: 'Heart of the Stag'", The New York Times
- ^ Siskel, Gene (30 November 1984), "Predictable story mars 'Heart of the Stag'", Chicago Tribune
- ^ Petrovic, Hans (10 June 1985), "‘Heart of the Stag’ unfulfils", The Press
- ^ Fristoe, Roger (12 November 1985), "Movie review. 'Heart of the Stag'", The Courier-Journal
External links
- Heart of the Stag at IMDb
- Heart of the Stag as NZ On Screen